Warner Bros. and DC Comics are calling all superheroes to help end one of the worst famines in over 60 years in the Horn of  Africa. Network for Good is proud to be the giving partner for the ‘We Can Be Heroes’ campaign, which launched last Monday, January 23^rd and supports the relief work of Mercy Corps, Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee.

The superheroes in the DC Comics Justice League – Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman among them  – are well-suited to tackle humanitarian crises, but even more importantly, they inspire and motivate their legions of fans to join the League and support the cause.  Warner Bros. and DC Comics are to be commended for using the superhero platform to raise awareness for a disaster affecting people halfway around the globe, particularly because the “We Can Be Heroes’ campaign reprises a longer-term commitment to hunger relief.  In 1986, DC Comics released a comic book entitled 'Heroes Against Hunger' and proceeds benefited Ethiopian famine relief.

Imagine a company catalyzing a new approach to student learning and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). And what if the company’s purpose were to prepare students around the world, from all corners and walks of life, to collaborate in solving social and environmental problems, beginning right now?

Imagine the power of the relationships these children will have when they are in their 20s and 30s as they continue to work with each other.

Sound ridiculous to you? Do you wonder: How is this possible, given that one billion children live in poverty, many in remote rural villages, others in densely populated urban slums? When so many children in developed countries aren’t even getting decent educations, much less children in the developing world?

What if I told you that middle school and high school students from some of the world's most deprived communities are already working together on solutions for sustainable energy sources and to purify water? That 250,000 students are already collaborating on STEM projects through 60 schools, universities, and NGOs around the world? And that plans are well under way to scale such educational opportunities to reach millions?

See continuation in Fast Company here...http://bit.ly/xiazbi

As 2012 begins, I derive a great deal of hope and inspiration for a better world from the people I met at Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Global Business Dialogue.  There, I had the honor of moderating a panel on “Sustainable Prosperity: Can Greed Save the Planet.”  And together with more than 1,000 business executives, government officials, social sector leaders, entrepreneurs and scholars, we spent two days engrossed in topics from emerging market growth to entrepreneurship and renewable energy.  
 

That's how Eugene Lang introduced me to the President of Swarthmore College when we met a few years ago. I was startled by the introduction. Standing there in Gene Lang's office in my black suit and black patent heels, that wasn't the introduction I anticipated. I've thought it over many times since then. And actually, Gene Lang nailed it.
 
By the age of sixteen, I could have been the poster child for a crisis nursery, domestic violence shelter, and rape crisis center. On the positive side, however, I grew up in Washington, D.C. in a neighborhood nestled in Rock Creek Park, with friends from many countries, religions, and races. After school, we played hop-scotch and double-dutch jump rope, and roller-skated and biked for hours. On weekends, we went to Carter Barron Amphitheater in the park to see concerts with Diana Ross, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. We also marched for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam. In my home, famous and controversial movement leaders came for dinners and discussions.
 
Continue reading the original Alice Korngold blog on Huffington Post.

Each year we go through the same cycle regarding our health: we get sick, go to the doctor, he or she prescribes us medicine, and we get better in most cases.  This series of events is our idea of being treated for an illness.  In a way, the medicine is the quick fix to our health problems.  This modern approach to taking care of our health however neglects the other things we put inside of our bodies 365 days of the year, the food we eat.

Dr. Preston Maring of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center understands that diet is a critical aspect of one’s health and wellness.  He believes that doctors should make nutrition more prevalent in their treatment of patients.  In order to do so, doctors must also be educated in the growing, buying, cooking, and eating of food.  That is why he started a weekly farmers’ market in 2003, just right outside the doors of the medical center, where fresh and organic foods are sold to hospital staff and those just passing by.  This has now grown to 37 markets in the Kaiser system.  Dr. Maring also has a number of other healthy eating initiatives including a website, blog, and “culinary road show,” across health institutions around the country (1).  “Nothing is more important to people’s health than what they eat everyday,” says Dr. Preston Maring

Turns out he is not the only one with this belief.  This past summer one of our local farmers (Davenport Farms) came out with a “Farmaceuticals” T-Shirt complete with fair balance which we thought was brilliant.

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Since we have been highlighting the issues around medical waste, we thought it was time to discuss some of the innovation approaches some organizations are taking to deal with the issue.  And the timing was perfect as friend of ours just launched PharmaCares™.

With 36.1 million Americans in need of medicines they can’t afford and approximately 200 million pounds of pharmaceutical waste are created each year (1), we need to find some creative solutions.  So what does happen to drug samples and surpluses?  They are in many cases either being destroyed or sent overseas.  In 2005, U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers generated some $4.4 billion worth of short-dated products (2).

So you ask what is PharmaCares™  and does PharmaCare, well we will find out in the coming year as this program gains ground.   In nutshell, PharmaCares™ is a web-based sample closet that makes short-dated or surplus pharmaceutical products available to healthcare providers and not-for-profit organizations and clinics.  This program focuses on bringing medicine to Americans who can’t afford the drugs they need to stay healthy.  This program creates a unique opportunity for manufacturers; maximize the prescription opportunity and donate any excess to those in need.

Imagine the members of a nonprofit board being so committed to the mission that they put the board meetings in their calendars in advance and attend all meetings in person; make financial contributions and ask their company and friends to support the organization; always act to advance the mission; and disclose any potential conflicts of interests.
 
Imagine the board having a highly effective board chair and officers; with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives having the experience, expertise, networks and relationships needed to advance the nonprofit; a clear set of board member expectations and a system of accountability; a sound board structure so that the board is logically organized to accomplish its work; agendas focused to help facilitate the board's work; and a leadership succession plan.
 
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On January 12, all retailers and manufacturers that do business in California will be required to publicly disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains; actress Julia Ormond was one of the key forces behind passage of the new legislation. 

“Julia Ormond, a tireless humanitarian activist and founder of the Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (ASSET), was absolutely instrumental in the passage of California’s landmark legislation to combat labor trafficking through transparency in business-supply chains," said U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), a longtime champion of human rights. 
 
When I met Ormond at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting last September, she talked about having met slaves, including young children, in California and abroad. She explained that every day, we dress in clothing, talk on phones, and eat meals that are tainted by slavery. Ormond also described the solution:
 
See continuation here on Fast Company...http://bit.ly/tn0bwo.

Philanthrocapitalists are to be applauded for their abundant generosity in seeking and funding solutions to some of the world's most daunting challenges, including poverty, healthcare, education and the environment, just to name a few. And all of our personal charity and volunteer service is vital. But to a great extent, we are often trying to fix problems that are being created anew every day.

At the root of these systemic social failures are the practices of some -- not all -- companies that degrade the lives of the poorest people in the world who have no voice. As some leading companies have shown, if other companies and their boards of directors truly commit to a corporate global vision of justice and peace, then businesses can make greater profits than they ever imagined, and people throughout the world would have food on their tables and live in peace.
I'm calling this a Corporate Global Vision (CGV).
 
See continuation here on the Huffington Post...http://huff.to/sX8ZO4.

If you and your organization are looking into cause marketing for the first time you probably have many questions. With so much information out there, its hard to know which resources to trust. To help you become more comfortable with the world of cause marketing, I’ve created a list of 50 of the most reliable books, blogs, organizations and media outlets that can help you out and get you pointed in the right direction.

Blogs

Selfish Giving- The premiere cause marketing blog, Selfish Giving is maintained by Joe Waters, the undisputed Godfather of Cause marketing. Selfish Giving’s goal is to give small causes and businesses the tools and skills they need to execute win-win cause marketing partnerships.

CauseNation – The blog of CauseConsulting, an agency dedicated to strengthening business and impacting society through signature cause programs.

The Causemopolitan – Maintained by cause marketing maven Sloane Berrent, this site offers advice for cause-filled living, cause marketing campaigns, and social innovation.

WhatGives!? – An incredible source of information and tools to help nonprofits raise money and awareness of their campaigns.