Last month, I attended a great joint Happy Hour put together by ATLANTA+acumen and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Atlanta. "Enterprise for Good" was a great roundtable discussion with representatives from social enterprises and businesses doing good work. Becca Posey, friend of the Foundation Center and founder of ATLANTA+acumen, introduced her group and the four representatives. Each one represents some very cool work happening here in Atlanta:
Blake Canterbury, Founder and CEO beremedy
beremedy is an organization connecting people who need help with those who want to give it via social media. It works from the idea that communities have the resources to address community needs; people just need to know what those needs are. Right now, beremedy uses applications like Twitter and Facebook to let people know when someone in their community needs help. People have responded generously to provide everything from blankets to refridgerators to families in need in the Atlanta metro region.
Thanks to the overwhelming success of beremedy here in Atlanta, Blake and his team are now working on an online system that will automate the work that he and his team do here and allow people to make the same connections in communities all over the country. He demonstrated their new system at during the happy hour, and I've got to say, beremedy "2.0" is going to be really awesome!
Kristen Hard, Founder/Chocolate Maker, Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co.
Cacao is an incredible Atlanta chocolatier infusing their products with lots of love. They focus on using the highest quality organic ingredients and employing time-honored chocolate making processes. Every bite of Cacao chocolate is made with personal care and attention, creating a conscious chocolate experience for all those who taste it. Cacao Laboratoire firmly espouses that chocolate does more than provide physical sustenance; it takes the extra step to provide the soul with spiritual nourishment as well. I loved the whole concept!
Cacao promotes sustainability as well as social and environmental responsibility in both their workplace and their sourcing of ingredients. They promote sustainability by utilizing local farms to buy organic ingredients for their confections, sourcing affordable biodegradable options for packaging, and encouraging regular customers to recycle their own boxes when refilled. In sourcing their beans, Cacao makes sure that farmers and co-op partners and making our chocolates in ways that are socially and environmentally responsible.
Margaret Yuan, Gray Ghost Ventures
Gray Ghost Ventures is one of only six B Corps here in GA. They are an impact investment firm that invests in entrepreneurs who are addressing the needs of low-income communities in emerging markets. They have several focus areas, including: microfinance, social venture investment and affordable private schools.
Gray Ghost has microfinance investments and social venture investments worldwide. Each of the companies they invest in must demonstrate that they improve of the lives of people whom traditional products, services and technologies have ignored. The goal is to create demonstrable social impact, while generating sustainable long-term financial returns.
Jeff Shinabarger, Founder and Creative Director, Plywood People
Plywood People is an innovative community addressing social needs. They seek to match social problems with with entrepreneurial creativity to organize, innovate, and manage ideas that produce change. A great example of this is Plywood's main program, which brings together recyled billboards and Atlanta's refugee community, many of whom were without work, and struggling to make ends meet.
Plywood People brought these together to create wonderful and really innovative solution: a small shop that employs refugees in the community to create bags made out of the discarded billboards. Since then, their team has created thousands of bags, constantly are creating new products, and are learning new skills in the process. Plywood creates bags for retail stores, their own online store, conferences, churches, and organizations all over the world who are hoping to make a difference with their purchases. You can check them out here>>
It was great to meet each of these incredible innovators that are working here in our city. One thing that struck me as I chatted with each was just how different each of the organizations was. I talk to a lot of people who come to the Foundation Center with a ton of skills and great new ideas for how to do good in their community. They often assume that the only way to do so is to start a nonprofit, but the guests at Enterprise for Good demonstrate the breadth of different options:
- beremedy is a forprofit organization that benefits nonprofits and the communities they serve.
- Cacao is a forprofit chocolatier that focuses on environmental and social responsibility (and delicious chocolate, made with love).
- Plywood People is a nonprofit that derives some major social benefits from what is normally a forprofit activity (making bags)
- Gray Ghost uses its financial savvy to promote the growth of enterprises that benefit marginalized populations worldwide.
What skills do you bring that can help you change the world?
Elyse Klova, Program Associate, Foundation Center-Atlanta
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