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NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
economic development
YOU decide what gets funded -- a Hands-On Democratic Bank for the Common Good
Challenges Entered:
Common Good Bank™: profits to the community, a social mission with a bank
Common Good Bank™ is a planned online bank that will allow any geographic community to have its own democratic virtual bank easily, simply as a depositor group within Common Good Bank. Depositors in each community will discuss and decide what types of new and expanding local businesses to fund for local self-reliance and sustainability, creating employment for everyone.
Over the course of seven years, Common Good Bank has been collaboratively designed as the framework for a more just economic system. All profits will go to a Community Fund to support schools and other nonprofit organizations -- half locally and half to empower people elsewhere in the world. Depositors in each community decide what to invest in and how to use the bank's profits, using an innovative combination of democratic systems -- an online platform for brainstorming, discussion, and voting.
Location
Common Good Finance Office
PO Box 21
Ashfield, MA 01330United States
42° 31' 16.0716" N, 72° 48' 40.176" W
See map: Google Maps
Mobile Movement
Challenges Entered:
Mobile Movement is a new microfinancing network that promotes global partnerships by giving young social entrepreneurs in the developing world mobile phones so they can connect with donors and participants directly via our network. Capitalizing on the low-cost and flexibility of mobile technology, the entrepreneurs will be able to discuss their projects first hand through SMS, MMS and email. Mobile Movement is a new model of what we call Active Philanthropy: an emergent social movement that aims to bridge the gap between rich and poor through empowerment and relationship building.
Location
Chicago, IL
United States
See map: Google Maps
Mobile Application for Virtual Community Based Complementary Currencies
Challenges Entered:
Develop a mobile phone m-banking application aimed enabling the creation of community based complementary currencies. Using open-source software, FrontlineSMS, the application would operate in much the same way as Wizzit and mPesa.
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