There has been a lot of interest in the so-called socially responsible investing (SRI) approach to investing. One report I saw [can’t remember source] is that 10% (or $1 out of every $10) is now invested with this philosophy representing north of US$2 trillion. Almost all of this money to date is invested in what… Continue reading Socially Responsible Investing v2
GlobalGiving.com was setup as a grassroots organization to match small-scale donors with entrepreneurs addressing social problems in developing nations. They describe themselves as an “online marketplace for international giving.” They address projects in categories including healthcare, the environment and education. Donors can browse and select by geography. Global Giving is a non-profit, so gifts are… Continue reading Personalized Development Donations
I discovered a new microfinance service called Kiva which is attempting to truly enable person-to-person loans between a loan provider in developed countries and a low-income borrower in developing country. I am very interested in these kind of innovations because there are currently very few options for middle-class North Americans to invest (not donate) their… Continue reading Personalizing Microfinance
A number of people have asked me about whether there are options available for people to invest their savings in ways which are helping to defeat poverty. Investment is different than making a donation. The assumption with an investment is that there is an expectation (although not without risk) that your capital is returned and… Continue reading Investing in Poverty Reduction
