Yesterday, I asked myself an honest question: “Why does it seem that the American people cared more about the revolution in Egypt than the one that is currently going on in Libya?” And then a scarier question: “Does the fact that Charlie Sheen is on Twitter this week have anything to do with it?”

I pondered the questions while I continued to read the Times and then posed the questions to my Twitter followers.  I got some great responses.

Some of the points that struck home with me:

1) It is amazing what kind of response you get to a truly honest question.

2) I need to get add some new sources of information since a lot of my current sources seem to be saying the exact same thing.

3) In the world of constant and instant information, our ability to care about one thing that doesn’t directly effect us is increasingly short. Especially if the trend, in this case revolutions, is some what similar to what we cared about last week, we want something new.

This last point resonated with me and actually brought up a point that I had made in a conversation last year around the time of the floods in Pakistan. We are a fickle bunch that likes having our cause de jour but don’t want to be tapped for more than that.  And, because of the earthquakes in Haiti earlier in the year, we were all tapped out when it came time to jump in on being a part of the relief in Pakistan.  We had all texted when Larry King and the Red Cross asked us to in January, so we were a little busy in July when asked again by those on the ground in Pakistan.

All of this continues to push me to believe that there must be a better way to change the world than the current nonprofit systems that rely on the fickleness of the American public. There needs to be more to motivate true change than a celebrity asking you to donate for their birthday, a news anchor using their “oh so serious” voice, or one of a dozen “we know it is the end of the year and you need a tax write off” postcards that I get each December from well meaning charities.

There needs to be a shift and a bigger way of thinking about things than our current filters.  There needs to be more to our news cycle than Charlie Sheen and his #Winning.  There needs to be a story bigger than ourselves that we believe in enough to sacrifice short term entertainment for long term gain.Tweet

There are over 1.4 million registered nonprofits in America alone.  That is far too many.  The redundancies and competition for the donors’ almighty dollar are actually slowing down the needed solutions.  That is why, I think it is time to start helping charities go out of business.

“Pragmatism often does not appear in the nonprofit field… The industry often is led by passionate hearts, not logical minds. Groups interminably squabble over scarce resources and fail to create long-term change.”  wrote Jonathan Greenblatt, founder of Ethos Water. (read his piece on why nonprofits should consider merging HERE)

“The main reason that many of them still exist is the ego of their founders and their board, not the cause that they were originally created to tackle,”  was the perspective of a very successful nonprofit executive I recently spoke with.  She shared with me that here in New York City there were two organizations both built to help cure the same disease.  A donor put up over $2 million dollars to negotiate a merger so that greater good could be served.  After four years and countless ego driven battles, the organizations are still separate entities and still competing for donors’ dollars.

Scott Case, Co-founder of Priceline.com and founder of Malaria No More, had a great perspective on why charities should set their entire organization’s goals around going out of business.  Here are the top five reasons:

5) It is what everybody wants. No one that you serve wants to be dependent on you.

4) It allows you to prioritize your cause, mission and the ultimate outcome that you seek ahead of the “brand” your organization spends too much time defending.

3) It frees up creativity and you will be much more willing to take risks.

2) It will free up resources to help solve the next big problem.  Everyone who helped solved your problem can then be free to go help solve the next problem.  We are not going to run out of problems to solve.

1) We should celebrate our successes.  Ending a problem in the world is a great reason to have a party.

To see Scott’s 10 minute talk with further details, go HERETweet

Growing up, I always waited with some fear and trepidation for “that” gift on Christmas.  I am sure you have received “that” gift at some point as well.  The one sent from the well meaning relative, co-worker of your dad, or awkward neighbor.  The one you can’t take back and the one that you just don’t know what you are actually suppose to say when you open it while the giver looks on with uncomfortable anticipation of your reaction.

This year, I asked for something from my family that, 15 years ago, I would have considered to be “that” gift.

This year I asked for gift cards to Kiva.  Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending. I got started lending money on Kiva about a year ago and have been slowly but surely increasing my portfolio of loans and entrepreneurs that I have helped across the globe.  It is really cool to read their stories and why they are asking for the loan they are and what their business plan is to pay it back.

The money that I have put towards these loans has now been used a couple of times.  The first Chilean entrepreneur that I lent the funds to has already repaid the loan from the profits that they generated.  I then reloaned those funds to a lady in Costa Rica.  I also have lent money to entrepreneurs in Peru and Bolivia and I was hoping to make some loans to a couple folks in Nicaragua and Mexico this week with my Christmas presents from my family.

When I went to Kiva’s website to make my latest rounds of loans, I was greeted by an amazing screen: they have helped EVERY SINGLE PERSON that has asked for help through their field teams.  There is not currently anyone who doesn’t have their request for a loan satisfied.  The Kiva community has fulfilled 100% of the loans that have been asked for and their is now a waiting list of folks willing to lend more money as soon as entrepreneurs ask for it.

Can you imagine if a traditional non-profit put that up on their website?  ”Sorry, we can’t accept any more donations, we’ve helped everyone that we possibly can.”  It just wouldn’t happen because of the unsustainable donor model that they currently operate on.  A model that, especially at this time of year when budgets have to be made, depends on the generosity of individuals who may or may not still be in the position to be generous based on this year’s bonus check. But, because the funds that are lent through Kiva are repaid at an incredible 98.8% repayment rate, those funds stay in the Kiva community and are made available again to help more people.

This is the future of sustainable social change.  This is a way that you can be a part of the big $183,585,975.00 worldwide community that Kiva has created over the past 6 years.  If you haven’t ever made a micro-loan, check it out: http://www.kiva.org/

1/3/2011 – UPDATE: Kiva and their field partners have added almost a thousand entrepreneurs to their site since I first wrote this post.  I was finally able to share “that” gift this morning with people in Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

Check out my Lender Page to see where I am investing: http://www.kiva.org/lender/andyellwoodTweet

I recently had dinner with a good friend of mine.  He has more degrees than he needs and is over qualified for his current job at non-profit.  But he believes in the mission of the organization and has really made a huge impact on their community in the short time he has been there.

And he is being fired.

It was explained to him that due to budget limitations in 2011, his services were no longer wanted or needed. In fact, if he hadn’t fought like a bear, his termination letter would have also been his last day on the job with no severance or assistance in moving on to what will come next.  And, the worst part about the situation is the people that didn’t get let go.  The person one notch above his, without a degree even remotely associated with the work they do, much less two masters degrees like my friend has, will be keeping her job because of her marital relationship with someone on the board.

Now, I am obviously biased in my perspective on the situation, but it is an unfortunately prime example of why I often ask the question: What if non-profits were run like businesses and held to the same standards as for-profit business?  What if there were actual expected rates of return for the monies donated to these organizations? What if the use of funds was a question that the average giver knew to ask?

If that was the case, not only would the woman married to the board member lose her job instead of my friend, so would the head of the organization who has not grown the reach of the community or found ways to build a sustainable donor base.  And, as the majority of this current community is aging and moving away from their prime earning years, my friend was the only link to the young vibrant families and professionals that had considered associating themselves with this organization.

This isn’t an isolated case and my friend isn’t the only one put in tough spot by the ridiculousness of the standard-less standard of so many non-profits.  There has to be a better way.Tweet

Steve Case is one of the three or four people that I have had on my radar screen as I have sought to define what are the traits and behaviors of current and future philanthropreneurs.  I have looked up to he and his wife Jean as role models in giving for impact and learned a lot watching how they have repurposed their wealth to leave a sustainable impact on this world.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I was asked to guest blog on the Case Foundation website about the work that Gowalla is doing this month and the way that we are giving back to charity: water during our holiday gift giving campaign.

Read the full post here: Gowalla giving back with Gifts to GoTweet

I recently discussed some of the bigger ideas behind being a Philanthropreneur with the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M, my alma mater.  It was great to be able to share some of the motivations I have behind the concept of marrying the hustle of the entrepreneur and the selfless passion of the social change causes that are sweeping our generation. There is so much room to innovate and think bigger, it is a blast to be a part of the discussion.

The full article can be read here:

Philanthropreneurship: Andy Ellwood ’04 discusses sustainable philanthropyTweet

I recently quoted Matt Damon on the need for Thicker Passports.  At the end of his statement, he says that “there is no substitute for actually going and seeing things.” And in a recent interview with Conde Nast Traveler, Tony Blair echoed very similar sentiments when speaking about the Middle East and his campaign to bring peace to the region.

In his opinion, the path to peace won’t be “built just by people sitting in a room negotiating.” But instead:

“It’s built by what happens on the ground. If we could develop tourism in the way that it should be developed in the Holy Land, where Israelis and Palestinians were working together to exploit the common potential, that would be a major bonus for peace… We need a joint plan for tourism so the Israelis and the Palestinians can come together to develop sites and market them properly. Second, we need changes in policy. We need to let visitors and tourist guides—both Israeli and Palestinian—move around freely.”

And then he said something that really fits into some of the bigger ideas of combining entrepreneurship and social change that I love speaking about, the ideas of the Philanthropreneur. He said:

“If people start to get a stake in the future, they will have a self–interest in peace, which is why the growth of the Palestinian economy is so important. Palestinian people on the West Bank are thinking that if they start getting somewhere, then they’ll become more prosperous, be better able to raise a family, do the things they want to do.”

When people believe that their actions influence change in their lives and the lives of people that they care about, they will act more boldly.  But, when they believe that their actions will undermined by forces greater than themselves, such as governments or corrupt religious officials, the majority will play the role of victim, not hero.  With a vested interest in their community and an idea bigger than themselves, the barriers of ignorance and racial tensions will, eventually, be overshadowed by mutual success and the realized promise of a better life for all.Tweet

Lat month I had the chance to be a part of CMJ 2010 here in NYC by moderating a panel called “How to Start a Movement.”  It was a really privilege to be a part of the event and share the stage with some incredible talents whom each are making big waves in their industries.  The room was packed and when our session was over, there was a sense that we could have continued the conversation and Q&A with the audience for another hour or two.

The panel was made up of (L to R) the man on a mission Kenny Laubbacher of Invisible Children, rock star designer Jac Vanek, visionary Constantine Roussos of (dot)music, tastemaker extraordinaire Nic Harcourt and myself.   As the five of us met in the green room before we got on stage, I realized the opportunity that we had to really share some big ideas with our audience and I furiously scribble notes as on top of my outline to make sure that no good ideas went unshared.  My hope was to give our audience of passionate young musicians, artists, and visionaries an real understanding of how each of the panelist took their ideas from concept to reality and share the challenges and victories along the way.  We talked about the problem that prompted their decision to take action, the plan they began with, and the people that were the most important to their success thus far.

There is a great recap of some of those thoughts HERE and Jac’s thoughts on the day HERE

The name of this panel was inspired by a talk given at TED in Long Beach, CA in 2010 by Derek Sivers.  In his talk he breaks down what it takes to start a movement.  Check out this 3 minute video for a great break down of his thoughts as well.Tweet

Last week I returned from spending a week in Argentina with a team from TOMS Shoes, AT&T, and Gowalla.  My biggest fear before the trip was not yellow fever or being separated from my iPhone for 5 days, but that I wouldn’t have the words to describe the trip when I returned.  That fear has been realized.

For the past week, as I have talked with family and friends about the trip, I have resorted to words like “amazing,” “awesome,” and “incredible” to capture the sentiments of my memories and in place of the ability to truly convey the life changing experience that took place.  It is a strange place for me to be; without words.  It is a humbling place to be, to know that I experienced something that, naively, I had hoped I’d be able to capture in 140 characters or a succinct summary for a blog post. And it is a refreshing feeling to know that the story we began in Argentina has only really just begun.

I wish I had the words to describe what it is like the first time you get down on your hands and knees in front of a little eight year old girl named Clarissa and take off her hand-me-down hole-filled shoes and place a brand new pair of TOMS on her feet.  I wish there were words for her smile as she admired her new shoes for the next hour knowing the they were hers for forever and that they were beautiful.

I wish I could show the highlight reel from a soccer game that I organized with 20 boys and a new soccer ball.  I would love to show the pride that I felt when I, in completely broken Spanish, and with the help of a great kid named Andoline, convinced them to all line up, shoulder to shoulder, from “Grande” to “Pequeno,” and then split them into two teams, “Unos” and “Doses.” The pure raw talent that came out on the field, the joy that something as simple as a new soccer ball brought, the images of all these boys running faster because of new shoes on their feet: how can I show that?

I wish I had the words to capture the pride in Juan Carlos Sr’s eyes as I placed a brand new pair of TOMS on 5 year old Juan Carlos Jr’s feet.  I wish I could capture the pure joy on Juan Carlos Jr’s feet as he took his first steps EVER with shoes on.  There aren’t words for that kind of joy or the feeling I had when he started to run like he’d probably never run before, feet protected from the rough earth below.

As I fight for to recount the images, stories, and people who impacted me in Argentina, I am fighting even more with the responsibility to live up to the knowledge that I now carry with me.  The knowledge that one simple idea can change the world…  That one passionate attempt to help 250 kids 4 years ago has led to an adventure that has now helped over a million…  To see firsthand a model of sustainable giving in action and have my hypothesis on business as force of change validated…  To know that the bar for potential impact on this world has been set that much higher…

Those are the words that I am fighting to find.  And it is the fight that I look forward to fighting.

(photo credits: Josh Williams)Tweet

I have often shared that one of my favorite things to do in the entire world is “Connect Good People with Great Opportunities” and that I do my best to be in the right place at the right time to do so.  Well, it looks like I am going to have the chance to do both next week in Argentina!

With the success of Gowalla’s recent campaign with AT&T and TOMS Shoes, it was a true privilege to be asked to join their teams for a week long trip to Argentina for the TOMS Shoes’ 1,000,000th Shoe Drop.  It is no secret that I have been a big supporter of TOMS for years and it is really excited to get to take part in the face to face good that they do around the world.

It really is an honor to be a part of this trip and look forward to sharing the stories, pictures, and big ideas that take place in Argentina when I return.  If you don’t own your own pair of TOMS, check them out here: TOMS SHOES

UPDATE: Josh Willaims, Gowalla CEO, and I will be experimenting with some cool new technology down in the jungles of Argentina and taking Gowalla where no check-in has gone before: Check it out on the Gowalla BlogTweet