Today’s theme is “If you had 3 months with which to spend $30 million in order to change the world what would you do?”
$30 million is a very nice hunk of change, but I don’t think it’s enough to make a lasting difference. There’s dozens of worthy organizations I can imagine giving the money to, but I thought about this a bit and envisioned a non-profit organization that could provide seed money for many types of causes, from individual start-ups, communities to provide tutoring and after school programs for inner-city students, community programs to provide support to senior citizens, creating mobile health units with low-cost testing to reach people not covered by health insurance, providing additional support to foster children once they become of age…the world needs an infinite amount of help!
Some thoughts about this organization:
- Create and maintain an online network of socially conscious venture capitalists who wish to participate, across the spectrum from micro investment people-to-people situations such as Prosper, private foundations such as the SASI (Strategic Actions Social Investment) that help people become social entrepreneurs to socially conscious banks such as WainWright. Of couse, this would be an international effort.
- Individuals and small businesses can post their projects and would be allowed to approach only X number of investors (so investors don’t get spammed). As well, investors can look through projects and tag those they are interested in. They would be able to see other investors who are also interested in the project. This hopefully would encourage collaboration on funding projects when it is beyond the scope of one investor.
- Projects must have a socially responsible basis, whether non-profit or for profit. There would be an application designed so requests for funding can be submitted in an easily reviewable format.
- The organization would collect fees from the VCs that participate on a sliding scale basis (individuals wanting to contribute a very small investment would not have to pay a fee or else a very nominal one) to support the administrative expenses. A method for strict accountability to keep internal costs low would have to be created. Participating VCs could also sponsor advertising spots for the organization so it can get the word out to small communities and organizations throughout the world.
I haven’t thought this out much more, but I would want to spend the $30 million on creating something to help the world that lasts beyond 90 days. $30 million is certainly enough for that!
More Week of Positive Blogging | Day 4 posts:
Hochmah and Musar
Mes Deux Cents
Life of Maya
SpiritedStrider
Becoming a Woman of Purpose
Rainbows And Butterflies
The Life of Wanda
Boring Black Chick
Musings of a Diva
although $30 million seems like a lot, it’s not enough for me to help the world… i mean, i doubt i can even make a dent. but let’s start with home first… i would help with getting kids off the streets and help them out with role models, goals, dreams, future, etc. i would also try to help veterans, cause i read this article the other day and a lot of vets end up being bums and homeless… and the government doesn’t help them at all…
Jay
DatCurious.com
Good choice of options. Reading your post, I actually thought the same thing when I came up with the idea. Then it came to me that really no dollar amount is really enough. Yet, as your ideas point out maybe it is enough to start something that inspires. Maybe if we can inspire hope that will spread. Now imagine if every blogger who took part in A Week of Positive Blogging were given $30 Million. All of us have different ways we would go about it and it. Each of would hit a different area of need in the world. Now take away the $30 Million and imagine that each of us that took part in this week could inspire hope, give examples, etc. The possibilities are then infinite.
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