June 24, 2010
Here is the transcript from our twitrview with GreatNonprofits.
| Tags: | GreatNonprofits, Health, hopelab, Twitter, Zamzee |
| Posted In: | Conferences & Events, Notable News, Uncategorized, Values |
(No Ratings Yet)
No CommentsJune 15, 2010
Thanks to Twitter, we’ve gotten to know the good folks over at GreatNonprofits over last few weeks. In fact they, invited us to join their 2010 Health Campaign , launched in collaboration with Guidestar.
We’ve been so intrigued by what GreatNonprofits is up to, we’d like to invite you to learn a bit more about them via a Twitter interview this Wednesday, June 16 between 9AM and 9:30AM (PST)!
What is a Twitter Interview (Twitterview)?
I’m glad you asked! A Twitterview is a two-way, real-time tweet dialog (140 character question and answer) between two parties (in this case @hopelab and @greatnonprofits ). It’s sort of like texting, but the tweets are out there for all of Twitter to see. We’ll be talking about our missions, using social media to promote health, and more.
Want to know what else is cool?
You can join in! Simply tweet your question and mark it with the #twtrview hashtag!
More on Great Nonprofits
GreatNonprofits is like the Amazon Reviews for non-profits, using social media to help individuals find worthy causes. Create a profile (super simple), and you’re on your way to reviewing non-profits all around the US. Check out our review page here. You can share your experience, volunteer, and even donate all through the GreatNonprofits web site.
Mark your calendars!
What: Twitterview with GreatNonprofits
When: Wednesday June 16 from 9 AM to 9:30 AM PST
Who: @HopeLab and @GreatNonprofits
Hashtag: #twtrview
| Tags: | GreatNonprofits, Health, hopelab, Twitter |
| Posted In: | Notable News, Social Impact, Values |
(+3 rating, 3 votes)May 5, 2010
If you watched our GleeDitty video, then you know we’ve been thinking about changing the name of our gDitty product prototype. After hearing lots of input from kids and parents, scribbling on thousands of sticky notes, and considering hundreds of possibilities (everything from meego to raskle to zamogo), we’ve finally decided!
Now, if you can guess what it is, you could win a (very rare) HopeLab t-shirt. Read on for contest details!
Here’s how it works:
Starting Friday, May 7, we’ll be posting photos to our Facebook page that each contain a letter in our new product name. After all six photos are posted (there’s your first clue!) and you’ve identified the letters, just put them together, and you’ll have the name. To win, be one of the first five people to email us the correct name. It’s that simple!
Some Details:
1. If you want to participate, you must first “like” us on Facebook (in old-school terms, you must be a “fan” of ours on Facebook). If you don’t already like us, just click the thumbs up button at the top of our page.
2. On Friday May 7, we’ll post one photo every hour on our Facebook Page, beginning at 9 AM PST. The last photo will be posted at 2 PM PST on Friday, May 7. The contest will close at 5 PM PST, Friday, May 7.
3. The first five people to email us at communications@hopelab.org before 5 PM PST with the correct answer will win a special HopeLab t-shirt. (I don’t even have a HopeLab t-shirt!)
4. Winners will be announced Friday May 7 after 5 PM PST via a Facebook Page post.
5. We won’t offer hints or clues other than the photos, but as members of the HopeLab community, you can reach out to each other by posting comments on the photo to ask each other questions, make comments, source others for help. HopeLab employees, vendors and partners are not able to participate (sorry, folks – only fair!).
6. For links to contest clues, search Twitter for the #hopelab hashtag.
7. The letters are presented in order.
So be sure to wear your thinking caps on Friday! Should be fun. And be on the lookout for a blog post early next week confirming our new name and some of our thinking behind it.
Questions? Post them below.
| Tags: | contest, Facebook, gDitty, hopelab |
| Posted In: | HL Culture, Physical Activity, Product Development, Values |
(+5 rating, 5 votes)
March 9, 2010
Method, cited in an NPR story on legal efforts to protect double-bottom line companies, has built a thriving business on home-care products and social responsibility.
This morning NPR flashed a spotlight on an interesting, potentially powerful path ahead for social entrepreneurs – legal protections for double-bottom-line companies. Corporate law currently protects the interests of shareholders and holds companies accountable for maximizing shareholder value – i.e. making money. In this environment, companies that also value social good – environmentally friendly production practices, returning a portion of profits to communities, etc. – often see those values compromised as business success puts pressure on their legal obligations to shareholders. (The NPR story highlights Ben & Jerry’s and Method as case studies.)
Now a working group of California lawyers that includes attorney and blogger Todd Johnson is working to change that. Johnson and colleagues are asking, What if companies could truly mix profitability and mission? Johnson and his colleagues are rewriting laws to recognize “for-benefit corporations” that bridge the gap between the money-generating focus of for-profit entities and the social missions of non-profit organizations. It’s a space we’re watching closely at HopeLab. As Pat mentioned in an earlier blog post, we’re exploring ways to maximize the impact of gDitty as both a commercial product and a mission-driven project to fight childhood obesity.
Read or listen to the full story at NPR.org: Protecting Companies That Mix Profitability, Values
| Tags: | gDitty |
| Posted In: | Notable News, Product Development, Social Impact, Values |
(+2 rating, 2 votes)
February 1, 2010
A special post from Pat Christen, HopeLab’s President & CEO
The year past was a roller-coaster ride, full of stomach-jolting ups and downs for many of us. For me, there were a number of special, positive moments at HopeLab that stand out: passing the milestone of 150,000 copies of Re-Mission distributed, the exciting progress in our research and development of gDitty, and an unexpected and moving visit to the White House and Oval Office to speak with President Obama about HopeLab as an innovative social enterprise at the launch of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.
Looking forward, 2010 promises to be another year of courageous experimentation at HopeLab. I recently came across this delightful quote from chemist and former Harvard University president James Bryant Conant:
“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”
In that spirit, we have a number of exciting plans for 2010 harnessing the power and appeal of technology to improve kids’ health as a way to further our mission.
For those of you who follow HopeLab, I’d like to offer a preview of the year ahead and invite you to watch our progress, ask us questions, and share your insights and expertise along the way! Here’s some of what we have in store: Read More »
| Tags: | gDitty, hopelab, Inspiration, Pat Christen, Re-Mission, Research |
| Posted In: | Customers, HL Culture, Partners, Product Development, Research, Values |
(+2 rating, 2 votes)
December 3, 2009
Just before the rush of the holidays set in last week, we received word that Pam Omidyar, HopeLab’s founder and board chair, and her husband Pierre had been named by Barron’s magazine as the No. 1 “Best Philanthropists” on a list of 25 notable givers dedicated to improving the world. Pam was in the office for meetings when the news came to us, and as we discussed the list, she offered a personal perspective on how meaningful impact is achieved through philanthropy.
One question the editors had posed as they prepared their profile of Pam and Pierre and their philanthropic work was, “What’s the secret ingredient that makes a particular project or initiative ‘high impact’?” Pam responded:
“We like to think big. We want to impact many people, in profound and meaningful ways, all over the world. The secret ingredient has nothing to do with us – it’s the courage and talent of untapped individuals that is unleashed through opportunity. We believe everyone is inherently capable but not everyone has equal opportunity. We’re looking to find ways to empower and engage people to ignite transformative change. If we inspire others to join us along the way, that’s even better.”
What stands out most for me about how Pam and Pierre operate are two simple but remarkably powerful things, both reflected in that quote: their deep humility and their consistent focus on the individuals they aim to serve. These qualities they share are deeply embedded in the culture of the organizations they’ve founded – HopeLab, Omidyar Network, Humanity United, and the Ulupono Initiative. In my time at HopeLab, I’ve seen how their values-based approach can do as much, if not more, to drive change than monetary resources alone. An example: Re-Mission is a success, not only because of the vision and resources behind it but because we sought out and incorporated the direct input of young cancer patients throughout the development of the product. Rather than presuming we knew best, we focused on the customer and created something that both appealed to the them and met their needs. That approach has become a hallmark of all our work at HopeLab.
Recognition of the Omidyars’ philantrhopic work is a well-deserved honor, certainly, but I couldn’t help but reflect on how challenging it can be to have measurable impact on some of today’s most intractable problems. Disease, poverty, slavery – all continue to be devastating issues in spite of the advancements of our modern world. The work Pam and Pierre are investing in has potential to improve millions of lives, but change rarely happens over night. Lasting, long-term impact on tough problems requires visionary thinking and patient capital. The Omidyars have been generous with both.
November 18, 2009
I’m Maurina Venturelli, a new member of the HopeLab team. On one of my first visits to HopeLab, a row of words framed and hung on a wall struck me with curiosity. The words read, “Begin anywhere,” Be courageous,” “Be kind.” After further conversation I learned that the words are reminders to HopeLabbers of how we aspire to be as an organization. I smiled. This made my heart feel good.
I am honored and excited to be a part of such a wonderful group. A large part of my role here at HopeLab will be to help spark conversation in social media about our culture and the work we do to improve the health and quality of life of young people.
A lot of my work will be done in 140 characters or less. 140 what a strange number. As many of you may already know, 140 is the number of characters that fit into a “tweet,” a post or status update on Twitter. Here are some of my favorites:
@ankitkhare “What do you mean, my birth certificate expired?”
@deadrooster “You know, I’d give my right-arm to be ambidextrous.”
@DarkoWonderland “Things to ponder. Like would a fly without wings be called a walk? And why does an alarm clock ‘go off’ when it begins ringing??? lol… =I “
So, that’s a peek into my head! I look forward to sharing more about HopeLab and my experiences here in the coming weeks.
Until then, begin anywhere. Be courageous. Be kind.
May 27, 2009
Like the rest of the world, we here at HopeLab have watched and marveled at how social media has become a primary mode of information sharing, personal expression and discovery. And the 21-and-under demographic – the core of our HopeLab “customer” audience – has been raised with these tools at their fingertips. Social media is a great example of how technology, well utilized, can connect and empower people, something we care a lot about at HopeLab.
How could we not jump into the mix?
For more about why we’ve (finally) joined the blogosphere – and why we chose the name “Sticky Notes” for this space – check out our About page. To keep up with us in other spaces, check us out on Twitter, Facebook and Slideshare. See you around!
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