From our Blog

25 things we're thankful for this Thanksgiving (2010)

Fellows Friday is a weekly series on the TED Blog that profiles one TED Fellow each week. We have asked the Fellows to answer our question below to share their knowledge and advice with other social entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers who...

Nov

2010

Case Foundation gives thanks by going back to school

The Thanksgiving holiday gives us an opportunity to take a pause from what is typically a hectic time, and reflect on the past year. In 2010, we continue to be wowed by the opportunity we’ve had to work with amazing people and organizations seeking...

Nov

2010

by Rachel Feely-Kohl

Gearing up for a day filled with turkey and gravy, we here at the Case Foundation have realized that we have a lot to be thankful for. We took a break from blogging and finding our favorite pumpkin pie recipes for the upcoming holiday and took a day...

Nov

2010

Creating change on-campus and beyond with Bringing Theory to Practice

by Lauren Scherr

What can college students do to enact meaningful and sustainable change? How can campus-based initiatives boost civic engagement, personal well-being, and transformative learning? Students, faculty members, administrators, and expert speakers...

Nov

2010

How does the world consume the web? [Infographic]

by Josh Tabb

In our recent research at the Case Foundation, we have been trying hard to get a grasp on the different ways people are consuming internet content and how that is subject to change in the next year. The results can be seen in the infograph we...

Nov

2010

Potty talk? Celebrate World Toilet Day

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Shereen El Feki

Toilets are often an awkward topic, but today we're embracing the awkward to help raise awareness for the roughly 2.6 billion people who are without access to adequate sanitation. Our partners at Water for People, who not only do great work to help...

Nov

2010

Thinking of starting an online social media campaign?

Nov

2010

Citizen reporting goes hyperlocal: Bridging online and offline communities with reader-generated news

With the holiday season approaching, we see businesses and organizations launching campaigns daily to take advantage of the spirit of the season. Key components we're seeing are the integration of social media and social good - for example the Gap...

Nov

2010

by Lauren Scherr

What is citizen reporting? You may have heard about it in the context of Twitter. Over at Social Citizens, Kristin Ivie blogged about how Twitter reporting has revolutionized the ways we gather and spread news. With the click of a button, any...

Nov

2010

Weekly news roundup: Facebook Deals, Sparked.com, and more

Why it matters that women give more than men

News from the Case Foundation and what people are talking about in the world of giving, tech and everything in between. Facebook Deals There has been much buzz around the recent announcement of Facebook Deals, which allows users to receive...

Nov

2010

by Debra Mesch, Ph.D.

Every once in a while, a statistic gives you goose bumps. The latest research findings on philanthropy did just that, showing that women are more likely to give and give more than men. Yes. That’s right. Women give more than men: when we hold...

Nov

2010

Dressed to Give: Gucci and John Legend make beautiful music together

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Joshua Wanyama

Last week, I found myself in a Gucci store with a champagne glass in one hand and an impeccably-crafted handbag in the other. And then John Legend walked in. Happily, this wasn't a dream, but a special event to celebrate the opening of the Gucci...

Nov

2010

An opportunity to serve again this Veterans Day

Nov

2010

by Mary Yonkman

The almost 2 million men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan return home to a grateful nation as our newest generation of veterans. That said, they represent less than 1 percent of the total population and are all too often...

Nov

2010

Philanthropy – To be or not to be a profession?

by Andrea Lum

Does a career in philanthropy constitute a profession? Does it need to? And if so, by what measurements and standards? These questions were tackled by a panel at the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal last...

Nov

2010

If James Carville and Mary Matalin can do it, why can’t the rest of us? [Livestream]

by Michael Smith

What is it, you ask? Carville, a Democratic strategist and Matalin, a Republican consultant have diametrically opposed political positions, yet still love one another enough to have been married for almost twenty years and raise a family together....

Nov

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Awab Alvi

Dressed to Give: Vivanista makes giving back fun

Nov

2010

US Bank helps its customers MAKE IT HAPPEN

Party planning tips. Dress swaps. The latest trends. How-to guides. Social event calendars. No, I'm not describing the highlights from my favorite glossy magazine-turned-blog; I'm talking about Vivanista, the go-to community for philanthropic living...

Nov

2010

by Nikolai Stieglitz

US Bank cardholders will have the chance to win up to $10,000 in its MAKE IT HAPPEN promotion by registering their cards between October 15th and November 15th. If you’re a US Bank customer, take the opportunity to win money for your favorite cause...

Nov

2010

Voting smarter with smarter tools this election

by Nikolai Stieglitz

At the Case Foundation we spend a lot of time encouraging citizens to realize that civic engagement is more than just voting and volunteering. But tomorrow it's Election Day, and it’s ALL about voting. So we’ve gathered some of the best voting...

Nov

2010

Social media tools not replacing traditional fundraising, communications channels - but should they?

Trick-or-treat with UN Special Envoy for Malaria and UNICEF to end malaria

Last week, Blackbaud, provider of services and software for nonprofits, released its 2010 State of the Nonprofit Industry Survey. The report covers the state of general operations, fundraising, technology and Internet usage, and accountability and...

Oct

2010

by Sarah Ross

You may not know, but 90 percent of malaria victims are under the age of five, and every 45 seconds a child dies of malaria. The United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria is honored to have UNICEF as a partner in the fight to #endmalaria. Since...

Oct

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Vijay Nair

Follow-up: Ashoka/Staples YSE winners announced

Oct

2010

by Nikolai Stieglitz

In July, I blogged about the Staples Youth Social Entrepreneurship Competition in partnership with Ashoka and its TEDxYSE follow-up conference. The competition is now closed and its winners were just announced last Monday. These winners, aged 17 to...

Oct

2010

Celebrating AAPIP's 20th anniversary and the Cherry Blossom Giving Circle's first round of grants

Over 100 million on Twitter, but is anyone really listening? [Infographic]

Last Wednesday, on 10-20-2010, thousands of individuals around the country joined together – both in person and virtually – to commemorate the Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy’s (AAPIP) 20th anniversary. AAPIP is a national...

Oct

2010

Five questions you should ask yourself before considering a nonprofit career

My colleagues recently passed around the infographic below from Gizmodo, In Twitter No One Can Hear You Scream, that questions whether people are really paying attention to what you say on Twitter. It shows that 71% of tweets get no reaction (...

Oct

2010

by Joseph Gustav

A career working for nonprofits is appealing to many people who want to do more than just work for money in their jobs. No, they want to work to make change in their communities, if not the world, or to further some cause that is extra special to...

Oct

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Peace Anyiam-Osigwe

Ned Breslin rethinks water aid at PopTech

Oct

2010

by Colleen Kaman

This post was originally published on the PopTech blog. Ned Breslin, CEO of Water for People, is a self-professed critic of most water and sanitation interventions worldwide — and has set out to challenge longheld assumptions about the role of...

Oct

2010

Location, Location, Location

by Emily Yu

The phrase “location, location, location” is commonly used to refer to the three most important attributes of property when it comes to real estate. However, these days it seems more appropriate to use the phrase to highlight the significance of...

Oct

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Shaffi Mather

Geek2Chic: Lights, camera, catwalk! [Video]

Oct

2010

by Rachel Feely-Kohl

Yesterday, our very own Vice President of Social Innovation, Michael Smith, made his grand debut on the catwalk at the Geek2Chic event hosted by Microsoft and Bloomingdales. A collection of prominent techie "geeks" based in the Washington, D.C....

Oct

2010

Voices from the Service Sector

by Emily Yu

How do you tackle some of the world’s most challenging and pressing service issues related to cross-sector partnerships, sustainability of programs and integration of technology? If you’re IBM and one of the 15,000 participants who “jammed out” this...

Oct

2010

Meet our newest City Year DC members!

by Rachel Feely-Kohl

Earlier this month, we attended the Opening Day for City Year, Washington, DC (CYDC), where 140 young leaders committed to a year of service to communities within our area. We are the proud sponsors of a City Year team, who will be serving...

Oct

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Kellee Santiago

"High Five" to the Girl Up launch [Video]

Oct

2010

Disruptive Philanthropy – how can foundation communicators help spur “adjacent possibilities”?

What a busy few weeks it has been for our friends at the UN Foundation - starting with UN Summit on Millennium Development Goals, to the Mashable Social Good Summit and UN Week Digital Lounge, and finally closing it off with the launch of their Girl...

Oct

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Tino Chow

I attended last week's Communications Network Annual Conference, a gathering of philanthropy communicators designed to address the challenges and opportunities we face in our work. I was part of the conference’s 2nd annual Gorilla Engagement Squad,...

Oct

2010

How to become a voluntourist on your next vacation

Sep

2010

by Vivanista

This post was originally published on Vivanista. Do you love to travel and experience new places? Are you also passionate about giving back and community service? Then voluntourism may just be your next exciting venture. What is Voluntourism?...

Sep

2010

Participate in Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day

by J. Douglas Holladay

In honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day tomorrow, we wanted to share this message from J Douglas Holladay. Friends, People follow people. One of my mentors frequently reminds me of this fact. Yes, words do matter, as do ideas, but we are challenged...

Sep

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Saeed Taji Farouk

What makes donors tick (and give)?

Sep

2010

by Cynthia Gibson

This post was originally published on The Philanthropic Initiative's Inc.'s strategic philanthropy blog, Deep Social Impact. That seemed to be the question behind grants recently made by the Gates Foundation to two consulting firms for developing...

Sep

2010

TED Fellows Friday - Meet Sanjukta Basu

What will it take to start a BIG Citizenship Revolution? [Video]

Sep

2010

Citizen-Centered Solutions: What we’ve learned from Make It Your Own

Yesterday, the Case Foundation had the pleasure of co-hosting the Civic Innovators Forum, a day-long event with the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), the Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) and Splashlife, exploring the role of...

Sep

2010

by Jean Case

Today, we are pleased to share with you a new report, Citizen-Centered Solutions: Lessons in Leveraging Public Participation from the Make it Your Own Awards. The report takes a look at our experiments to inspire passionate people and teams to...

Sep

2010

We've got your front row seat to NCoC! [Livestream]

Voices for National Service: From nice to necessary

Not able to attend this year's National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) at the Library of Congress? Don't worry about it, you can still join the conference from your home or office virtually! The main conference events taking place September 17...

Sep

2010

by AnnMaura Connolly

For those who believe that we must engage citizens in helping to solve the pressing problems facing our communities and our country, the last two years have been a whirlwind of excitement and achievement. In April 2009 Congress passed and President...

Sep

2010

Weekly News Roundup: Pepsi Refresh in 2011, Challenge.gov, Google Instant and Bloglines shutdown