I offer up this question to you...who is more capable of affecting global change than you? Or me? Or all of us? Check out this video created by Rob Bell.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Legacy - Not Just For Superheroes and Bad Guys Turned Good Guys
Tell me honestly, what comes to mind when I ask you to define "legacy"? No I'm not talking about "Legion," that terrible movie meant to portray what the world would be like if God stopped caring about us and attempted to destroy his own creation. My girlfriend, Kristen, and I didn't even make it through the first twenty minutes of that movie. On that note, I once watched ALL of Legally Blonde 2...enough said.
The dictionary defines legacy as an amount of money or property left to someone. It's also defined as something handed down from a predecessor. This definition frankly seems a bit specific for my liking. In fact, I believe that legacy encompasses something far beyond a specific event or moment in time. Naturally, I looked to WikiAnswers to find something I could use. There, legacy was discussed as something received from an ancestor or predecessor or received from the past. This was the kind of general understanding that I was looking for at that moment. Let's keep the conversation broad and tell me, what is America's legacy? What is it that we are handing down to our children and to future generations?
There may be a whole slew of things rushing through your mind right now, ranging from war, arrogance, judge and jury for the rest of the world, and everything in between. I'd like to focus more on that computer you're looking at right now as well as the one I'm using to compose this post. Our material possessions are our legacy. It's easy to see. The cars we drive, the phones we use to keep track of our friends and busy schedules while on the run are what we live for and it's what we pass down. We are a nation with an abundance of physical materials. I'm not telling you to sell you're computer or get on your case, demanding that you repent. I'm bringing up the fact that we have countless opportunities to change that legacy in today's world. I believe that Africa is a good start.
The idea of "legacy" was put in my lap while I was watching an interview of Bwalya Melu, a World Vision representative. The interview was done to spread awareness about The One Cup Project, a venture designed to fund specific World Vision programs in Africa. The funding comes from the sale of direct trade coffee through The One Cup Project here in the United States. Through buying coffee, a commodity many of us consume on a daily basis, we have an opportunity to help fund social change. Melu said that Africa has the natural resources to help themselves, but their physical needs outweigh the former.
What needs to we have? We have the need of transformation. We can transform our legacy and the future of our country by helping those in need. I'm not saying go to Africa and help create an orphanage for children affected by AIDS. Not everyone is called to do it. Acts 20:35 says, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive." Does it get any simpler than that?
I'm reminded of a portion in Donald Miller's book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years". In the introduction, Don talks about his friend Bob, who has written down countless memories over the course of his life, some 500 pages worth. Don explained that when Bob got to heaven, he could envision God and Bob going on for hours upon hours about everything he had done in his life. What is my story? What is your story? What is our legacy?
The dictionary defines legacy as an amount of money or property left to someone. It's also defined as something handed down from a predecessor. This definition frankly seems a bit specific for my liking. In fact, I believe that legacy encompasses something far beyond a specific event or moment in time. Naturally, I looked to WikiAnswers to find something I could use. There, legacy was discussed as something received from an ancestor or predecessor or received from the past. This was the kind of general understanding that I was looking for at that moment. Let's keep the conversation broad and tell me, what is America's legacy? What is it that we are handing down to our children and to future generations?
There may be a whole slew of things rushing through your mind right now, ranging from war, arrogance, judge and jury for the rest of the world, and everything in between. I'd like to focus more on that computer you're looking at right now as well as the one I'm using to compose this post. Our material possessions are our legacy. It's easy to see. The cars we drive, the phones we use to keep track of our friends and busy schedules while on the run are what we live for and it's what we pass down. We are a nation with an abundance of physical materials. I'm not telling you to sell you're computer or get on your case, demanding that you repent. I'm bringing up the fact that we have countless opportunities to change that legacy in today's world. I believe that Africa is a good start.
The idea of "legacy" was put in my lap while I was watching an interview of Bwalya Melu, a World Vision representative. The interview was done to spread awareness about The One Cup Project, a venture designed to fund specific World Vision programs in Africa. The funding comes from the sale of direct trade coffee through The One Cup Project here in the United States. Through buying coffee, a commodity many of us consume on a daily basis, we have an opportunity to help fund social change. Melu said that Africa has the natural resources to help themselves, but their physical needs outweigh the former.
What needs to we have? We have the need of transformation. We can transform our legacy and the future of our country by helping those in need. I'm not saying go to Africa and help create an orphanage for children affected by AIDS. Not everyone is called to do it. Acts 20:35 says, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive." Does it get any simpler than that?
I'm reminded of a portion in Donald Miller's book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years". In the introduction, Don talks about his friend Bob, who has written down countless memories over the course of his life, some 500 pages worth. Don explained that when Bob got to heaven, he could envision God and Bob going on for hours upon hours about everything he had done in his life. What is my story? What is your story? What is our legacy?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
What does it mean to be a "more than profit" organization?
Since starting my internship w/ The One Cup Project (Seattle, WA) about a month ago, I've been trying to nail down what it means to be a "more than profit" organization. After researching various media outlets, wikis, and business models, I found there was little information regarding any sort of characteristics of this growing business trend. So what do we know?
A "more than profit" organization is one that sells or distributes a product or service for a profit while simultaneously funding social change. Take a look at the business plan for Tom's Shoes. For every 1 pair Tom's Shoes sells, the company gives 1 pair back to a child in need. It's a great plan, and a great story. It's also an example of "more than profit." The One Cup Project sells a 1 pound bag of coffee for $11. $2 of that purchase goes to World Vision. Through matching grants, the $2 is turned into $11, all of which goes to fund World Vision programs throughout the world. It's an innovative dollar for dollar strategy. These are just two examples of companies that employ this kind of business plan.
A "more than profit" organization is one that sells or distributes a product or service for a profit while simultaneously funding social change. Take a look at the business plan for Tom's Shoes. For every 1 pair Tom's Shoes sells, the company gives 1 pair back to a child in need. It's a great plan, and a great story. It's also an example of "more than profit." The One Cup Project sells a 1 pound bag of coffee for $11. $2 of that purchase goes to World Vision. Through matching grants, the $2 is turned into $11, all of which goes to fund World Vision programs throughout the world. It's an innovative dollar for dollar strategy. These are just two examples of companies that employ this kind of business plan.
When considering what it means to be "more than profit" we can also consider what is means to be a social entrepreneur. According to Wikipedia, a social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change. On that note, I came across an interesting organization while sifting through recent business trends. Calfee Design is helping entrepreneurs in the developing world make locally sourced bamboo bicycles for domestic and international sale. Through the Bamboosero initiative, Calfee set up two bike-building groups in Ghana who build frames using locally sourced bamboo before shipping them to the US. The Ghanaian entrepreneurs earn about $150 for every frame they build.
Social change is indeed a growing business trend, which is evidenced by the popularity of some of these organizations. Whether you call it "more than profit" or social entrepreneurship, it's happening now, social change is afoot. I'm interested in seeing where this trend will take us in the near future.
Social change is indeed a growing business trend, which is evidenced by the popularity of some of these organizations. Whether you call it "more than profit" or social entrepreneurship, it's happening now, social change is afoot. I'm interested in seeing where this trend will take us in the near future.
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