My Revival

I realised that it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I've recently set up a company, Epiphany Education LLP., with a partner and time just seems to fly by when you have to handle school, work and life.

I've decided to start writing again but this time under my company's blog. I'll be commenting on issues relating to communications, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and financial literacy. If by the off chance you've stumbled upon this blog, check me out here instead.

Have a good one.

Need ideas? Check out this initiative for social innovation.

It's been awhile since I've got the chance to post, project presentations, case presentations and mid-term exams catching up with me. RUN! =)

The competition model (for the lack of a better term) is very popular and has been relatively successful. I'm not sure whether such a term has been coined but lately many organisations have been partnering schools and/or organising competitions amongst students. For example, many companies sponsor student-organised competitions for a chance to recruit interns into their company. Some organisations use competitions to generate ideas for new products/services.

Whilst searching for a project for my Social Entrepreneurship course, I chanced upon this competition which is pretty meaningful.

Dell Social Innovation Competition

This competition is organised by the University of Texas in partnership with Dell in search of the next big idea/innovation that could change the world. The purpose behind the competition is very meaningful as we see a decline in effectiveness of the existing donations-based model of allievating social problems.

All the require is that you are studying in a 4-year university and have a good idea that could work. *Disclaimer* the eligibility criteria is more comprehensive than that so please visit their website for the full one *Disclaimer* There are 3 simple parts to the competition and only 10 more days before the deadline for entry submission.

Round 1: Idea submission
Students submit their ideas online and people all over the world can view their submissions and vote.

Round 2: Social Venture Plan & Video
Those who got through the first round will write a plan and prepare a video to pitch their idea to the panel of judges.

Round 3: Final Presentation
Finalists get to go to the University of Texas and present their ideas to the panel of judges.

I think the idea behind this competition is good because even if teams don't make it through, the ability for everyone around the world to view their ideas and get in contact with them serves as a good platform for like-minded people to get together and hopefully put some of these ideas into action.

In SMU, even if you're not interested in taking part in the competition, you can get some inspiration for LTB & other related projects from some of the ideas submitted by the competition participants. Especially good for those interested in social entrepreneurship or community involvement projects.

The call for ideas is definitely good, now all we need are people who are capable enough to execute some of these ideas and maybe then the world will truly be changed.

Social Networking with a Difference

I am going to make it a point to add some fancy gadget/zhng (upgrade) my blog every time I post. Maybe this will get me some momentum and after awhile, this place will start looking more like a blog.

Today I will begin by sharing a video with you. I can't seem to embed it so I'll just post the link.

http://en.eyeka.com/video/view/409308-Ammado-animation-MP4-web

Imagine having the ability to make a difference in the world at the touch of a button. Imagine being able to stay connected with the organisations that reach out to the people who really need help. I have to admit that I'm not a particularly enthusiastic donor myself, having been a part of our "hey-I-need-CIP-hours-so-lets-do-flag-day" system. But this ties in very much with what I'm interested in... Social Entrepreneurship. It seems as though Ammado has managed to create a platform to benefit non-profit organisations whilst earning revenue through providing software-as-a-service to companies.

I will briefly talk about what Ammado is about, if you are interested to find out more please log on to their website.

Ammado is a social networking site with a difference. It has all the bells and whistles of a regular social networking site not unlike Facebook and Friendster, but it has one additional function - the ability to make donations to its member non-profit organisations at the touch of a button.

It has a feature called the Ammado Giving Circle. It basically records your donations and categorises them into various causes, E.g. Medical, education, environmental etc. This allows your friends to see what causes and non-profits you have donated to.

Ammado also allows non-profit organisations to interact with their doners, giving them thank-you messages or uploading videos and photos of their recent projects. It makes donating much more personal and tangible, when you can see the results of your charity.

From a social entrepreneurship standpoint, the possibilities of Ammado are endless. Different types of projects can spin off from this. Mini ones include having a group of volunteers set up an account and maintaining it for their adopted non-profit organisation until they are ready to take over. Large scale projects could include consolidating all the smaller non-profit organisations and organising a charity drive through Ammado to raise awareness of both their causes and this new donation facility.

My gut tells me that Singaporeans might be more wary of making donations online since the recent charity scandals. However, I believe Ammado might be on to something new... online micro donations. A quick google search will show you the potential of this method of fundraising.

Perhaps one day online donations will become the modus operandi for fundraising in Singapore. But until then, there's always the metal tins held by students along Orchard Road to go to.

Terence Tham