Terms Of Reference Podcast

You cannot live in today's world without being witness to the power of networks. Networks are all around us and constantly influence us in ways both conscious and subconscious. Immediate family and close friends, global-reaching social networks, professional networks, passion networks... the list of all the networks you're connected to gos on and on and overlaps and intersects in ways that solve problems, create opportunities and catch us in moments of incredible serendipity. So, as you might guess, networks are a powerful tool for the social sector.    My guest for the 180th Terms of Reference Podcast, is exceedingly passionate about networks. Sara Farley is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of the Global Knowledge Initiative, an organization that builds purpose-driven networks to deliver innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. You're going to love this conversation about how networks can be leveraged to locate resources, enable collaboration, connect participants and, ultimately, find solutions to problems.

I take for granted that I can walk away from my microphone right now, head over to my kitchen and turn on my stove to boil water, bake a cake or cook myself a meal. And, I don't even think about the fact that I have hot water available on demand at any time of the day. I just turn on the tap and its there. This is not the case for millions and millions of people throughout the world. In fact, there is a huge portion of the human population that still relies on burning wood, or charcoal, for cooking and cleaning. This dependence is a massive time suck away from other productive tasks and, as we've heard on other episodes, a considerable health risk. My guest for the 179th Terms of Reference Podcast has a better idea that he hopes will end the use of charcoal. Dr. Sebastian Rodriguez-Sanchez is the CEO and Co-Founder of KopaGas, a technology solutions provider of Advanced Metering Infrastructure for energy utilities. KopaGas has developed and deployed the first commercial pay-as-you-cook platform for propane. I'm positive you'll love this episode where Sebastian and I discuss why propane is a powerful replacement for charcoal, how he company sell and manages their smart meter system, what it takes for a family to make the change to gas and much more.

Even though we work on hundreds of different issues across a similarly diverse group of settings, I think the argument could be made that the work of the social sector is ultimately focused on creating a world where all humans have equal opportunity to flourish. This is at the base of what we’re doing with programing that seeks to improve financial systems, agricultural practices, environmental protections, health systems and education. And, one of the things we know, unequivocally, is that women have received the short end of the stick, almost no matter how you measure it. Here’s the thing: marginalization of women doesn’t just happen in traditional development settings. It’s alive and well in the US, Europe… and, well, every other leading economy on the planet. This is why I’m especially pleased to have Claire Wasserman as my guest for the 178th Terms of Reference Podcast. Claire is the founder of Ladies Get Paid - an organization focused, currently, on empowering women in the workplace. As you’ll hear in the show, I found Claire when seeking to learn more about Red Bull Amaphiko, where she is the Deputy US editor. Red Bull Amaphiko is a is a collaborative platform for social entrepreneurs that is sponsored by the energy drink company of the same name. But our conversation quickly turns to how Ladies Get Paid was founded and has quickly expanded into a phenomenon of 10,000 women... and growing. You're going to love this show where we talk about women rising up to get what they deserve, and how one woman has made the leap to be a leader in that movement.

If you're an ideas person, no matter what your field or expertise, there is nothing I can think of that is more attractive than a clear, tangible problem in need of a solution. As much as we hate to admit it in the social sector, these types of problems are not terribly common and they are almost never the lowest hanging fruit in a given situation. But in those instances where clear problems in need of solutions are identified, the next most attractive thing to an innovator is funding to play with. I mean that in the most generous way of course, given that, at the end of the day, we don't just want to play, we want to find answers. As I think you'll agree after listening to today's 177th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, my guest, Troy Etulain, has a job that seems quite a bit more play than work. He's the project director of FHI360s Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research project, or mSTAR for short, and he's also the head of FHI's digital development unit. While again, Troy doesn't just have funding to play with, he does oversee a mechanism that is built to identify clear problems and then take action to find potential solutions. We talk about wifi that covers 50 kilometers, financial technologies that are increasing inclusion, the new business models that are driving rural mobile network development, mapping the unconnected areas of the world... and much more.

The International Rescue Committee is a well known force in humanitarian aid. As the organization has continued to evolve since 1933, they have literally written the book, multiple times, on how to best serve those in need. My guest for today's 176th Terms of Reference Podcast is Jodi Nelson who is IRC's Senior Vice President, Policy and Practice. Jodi has overall strategic and operational responsibility for IRC program technical units – including Research and Evaluation and Global Advocacy and Strategic Communications. And, for long time listeners, you already know all this as she was also a guest way back in 2014 on show number 33. What I love about this conversation is its focus on how IRC is innovating through three specific lenses: First how do we get get enough of the right aid to the right people, second, how do we shift from planning the help the social sector delivers in terms of activities, to one of outcomes and finally, how do we ensure programming is designed based on the best available evidence rather than inertia and antidote?

Last week, we dove into an especially practical example of innovating to improve the plight of the agriculturalist. Or, more specifically, those who benefit from their yields. I'm happy that this week we have another agricultural innovation around water - but one that works in a very different way, solving a very different problem. My guest for the 175th Terms of Reference Podcast is Sanjay Prasad. He's working in an area where there is abundant, but very intermittent water supplies. His innovation, delivered under the project name SPONGE, captures water from dew and fog and transfers it to the soil where it can keep plants thriving. I hope you'll enjoy this episode where we talk about life in the Himalayas, how an exceedingly simple technology is changing agricultural practices and how his organization is ensuring women and marginalized groups are core beneficiaries of the programme.

One of the things I love most about hosting this podcast is the sheer range of ideas, aspirations and impact I've been lucky enough to listen to over the past three years. In some cases we've talked about a digital future that we can only just now begin to see coming into shape and in others, extremely practical how-did-we-solve-this-problem-today with nuts, bolts and duct tape... and of course everything in-between. Today's show is one of those nuts and bolts conversation. For the 174th Terms of Reference Podcast I speak with Trupti Jain of Naireeta Services about BHUNGROO an unique application of Aquifer Storage and Recovery process for storm water management by enabling farmers to convert challenges like flood/water logging in monsoon and drought in summer into lifelong food security, rural livelihood and climate change mitigation opportunities. I think you're going to enjoy this frank conversation about a service that has literally transformed the potential of the agricultural sector in india, Ghana and elsewhere, and, more importantly, the lives of thousands of  farmers. We also discuss Trupi's journey as a woman in our sector and how that has helped to shape who she has become.

For most of us seeking to innovate in the social sector, solving existing problems in new ways is accomplished by bringing technologies or processes from other sectors to bear on the problems faced by the vulnerable. However, innovators are sometimes also true inventors - devising first of their kind solutions for today's most pressing problems. In these cases, it is not uncommon for the inventor to seek protection for the unique intellectual property contained in their ideas. After all, what benefits those in need may also turn out to be something that is also extremely useful for those with greater levels of disposable income. Patents are one type of protection that are recognized around the world and, assuming you have the financial and legal resources, enforceable. Enter the US Patent and Trademark Office. Since 2012, the USPTO has given awards to businesses, universities, and non-profits using patented technology to aid the less fortunate. My guest for the 173rd Terms of Reference Podcast is Edward Elliot who manages the Patents for Humanity program. For those inventors out there, you're going to find this conversation extremely useful and potentially rewarding. For the rest of us Aidpreneurs, our conversation is a fun and surprising discussion about past awardees and the massive impact they've had on global issues.

Long ago, in the days of yore, when I was completing high school and looking to what was next, college was the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, as it turned out, following that path put me on a trajectory that would take 3 colleges, many majors and an embarrassing amount of tuition to finally spit me out the other side with a degree. And, here's the kicker, like so many others, when I was newly minted, I still didn't really have a clue about how to engage with the problems I wanted to help solve. That took another 5 years to figure out... and is a story for another time. So, long story short, whenever I hear about a new, innovative approach to higher education - especially one that engages students, rather than locking them into a system - I want to know more. My guest for the 172nd Terms of Reference Podcast, Eric Glustrom, is the CEO and President of Watson. Watson is a new university model tailored for next generation innovators, leaders, and social entrepreneurs. Eric tells us Watson protects the courage of the next generation so they can pioneer their education, trail blaze lives as innovators, and contribute to solving the toughest challenges facing the world. I'm hoping you'll be as inspired as I was recording this interview with Eric and left with the hope that all of our institutions of higher education can become more learner driven.

For many years now - and its just crazy that I can say that about this podcast at this stage - I’ve been saying the social sector is filled with lots of very smart, well educated people who truly want to lift up others in pursuit of greater human flourishing.  Almost always, this is a fantastic thing, I mean, having intelligent, thoughtful people on your team is something we all wish for. But, at the same time, something I’ve also noticed over my career is that when we create teams with many highly intelligent, ambitious, motivated people… those teams often miss the forest for the trees.  Reports that could be 2 or 3 pages end up being 100 page tomes, people dive deep into their passions or niches and often have trouble seeing how their initiatives are interconnected with others and, as has been so often pointed out on just this show alone, we frequently forget to just listen to the very people and communities we’re trying to serve. One area where this rings true is in the area of planning. We plan so we can measure. We plan so we can articulate the theory behind the change we expect to see. We plan because of budget cycles and resource allocations. We plan so much that sometimes - and no, I’m not kidding here - we forget to “do”. This partially why phrases often associated with places like silicon valley - things like innovation, iteration and fail fast - have become such buzzwords around the social sector.    So, what if it was your job to lead a US Government Agency that had to operate without a plan and literally embrace the unknown to achieve foreign policy objectives? For most of the people I know in our sector, this would be  highly undesirable. Now, this isn’t a value statement, this is just common sense - most of us look for stability, predictability and minimal risk in what is otherwise a unique career choice. But for people like Stephen Lennon, my guest for the 171st Terms of Reference Podcast, delivering positive outcomes in turbulent situations is his sweet spot. Stephen is the Director of the Office of Transition Initiatives for the US Government. OTI helps local partners advance peace and democracy by providing fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs. If your like me - or really any shade of an Aidpreneur - you’re going to love this conversation  about how OTI operates, how they innovate on the fly in situations across the globe and why sometimes not having a plan is the best plan of all.

When you think of innovation, you think about the future, right? At least, that's what I think about. My mind is usually filled with flying cars, holographic displays and a moneyless world. But, I know, that's just the super geek talking. Innovation is really about solving an old problem in a different way. But the reason I bring up the future is that, typically, when I speak to those interested in innovation they are focused on how we use new - sometimes yet-to-be-invented - technologies, processes and options to solve the issues at hand. Today's guest for the 170th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Muthoni Masinde, is also a future thinker. But she also remembers and knows how to honor the past. Her invention that we discuss on this episode - an innovation to detect drought - combines the latest in sensor and mobile technologies, with the indigenous knowledge of local farmers. I'm sure you're going to love this episode where we talk about her invention (called ITIKI), but also about her path from Kenya to become an inventor and Head at the Department of Information Technology at the Central University of Technology in South Africa.

When I think of innovating for food, well, I have to admit I’m usually focused on how my family can make dinner something special. Finding a way out of the rut of eating the same food as my children is a pain. But I know, that you know, we’re not here to talk about how I can become an Iron Chef. And indeed, in today’s 168th Terms of Reference Podcast episode, we are here to explore how innovation can be applied to making sure people don’t go hungry. My guest for today’s show is Bernhard Kowatsch. He’s the Head of the Innovation Accelerator at the World Food Programme. The accelerator was launched in 2016 to identify, support and scale high potential solutions to hunger worldwide.

I know that I take for granted that I am able to perform financial transactions, around the world via a multitude of channels, essentially any time I want. In fact, only because of my lifestyle, my biggest headache comes from a banking system in the US that often flags my non-US transactions as suspect for fraud. Today's episode is about how we can take a look at individuals and businesses on the other side of that coin (yes, another wonderful pun). I'm referring to the vast majority of people who operate exclusively with cash, are unbanked and have little of any real access to credit. These individuals are not included in the efficiencies and benefits of the digital economy, and the gap only gets more difficult to bridge as time presses on. My guest for today's 167th Terms of Reference Podcast is Badal Malick. Nadal is the CEO of Catalyst, an organization focused on helping India's small businesses and low income consumers unlock the power of digital payments to gain access to broader financial services and create opportunities vital to their future prosperity. This is a fantastic discussion about financial inclusion where we cover both the size and chicken-and-egg nature of the problem, the 4 part solution Catalyst is implementing, Why financial inclusion is a potential game changer for so many and much more.

Most social sector work, if not all of it at this stage, is driven by some type of results framework that is focused on outcomes. Unsurprisingly, when people (or a government or foundation) give you their money to do some good in the world - they want to know that it actually happens… or, as often happens, at least you gave it your best shot. Underpinning these frameworks are theories of change. In this paradigm, gaps in markets or social contexts are identified by the social actor and then the design programmes, products and services in an attempt to fill those gaps. Now, for those of you who have been listening to this show for any amount of time, this is standard stuff and, as you know, we’re here to talk about how we break this system. So, on today’s 166th Terms of Reference Podcast, my guest is Alix Zwane. She and I explore an alternative to the theory of change approach - what she and her colleagues call being venture or entrepreneur driven. Alex is the CEO of the Global Innovation Fund, a $200 million fund that takes a venture capital approach to supporting entrepreneurs and the scaling of evidence-based innovation in global health and development. This is an exciting discussion as we discuss the Fund’s current ventures and the criteria for those investments, how the Fund partners with the private sector, how you successfully exit from investments in social problem solvers and much more.

Its taken me a while to figure out how to introduce today’s topic. Not because its totally radical - but rather, because my brain is freaking out that its something I have to introduce in the year 2017. So, I’ve decided the best approach is just to dive right in: Today’s topic is, essentially, freedom of the press. Now, while I don’t spend my day to day life in the United States, I’m definitely an American. And something that is just a part of who I am is an understanding that we need freedom of speech and freedom of the press to ensure human flourishing. I think there’s a fairly decent consensus on this around the world. As I’ve watched events unfold over the past year related to US politics, and how it has impacted individuals’ ability to distinguish between fact and fiction and, more importantly, destroyed people’s ability to have even the simplest conversations, I’m left wondering if Mike Judge didn’t have an amazing crystal ball when he made Idiocracy. Now, I personally remain optimistic we’ll all come out of this moment in time better for it. But the fact that it feels like we’ve stumbled backwards into the 1940s in so many ways is heartbreaking. My guest for today’s 165th Terms of Reference Podcast is Harlan Mandel. He’s the CEO of the Media Development Investment Fund of MDIF. Their work focuses on supporting independent media around the world and they do this through a variety of investment vehicles.  The work of MDIF has been transformative across the globe. I think today’s conversation is important because we talk about how an organization like MDIF supports freedom of the press, how they have evolved over the past 20 years - especially with the advent of digital everything, how events in the US are reverberating across the world, and much more.

How much money did your government spend in 2016? The Government of the United States spent over $3.5 trillion dollars. China threw down $2.8 trillion and the UK just over $1 trillion. Worldwide, governments spent a combined total of $22.7 trillion. My point here is that there is a ton of money being spent by governments around the globe to procure products and services. It would be great to know where exactly all of that money goes, right? I mean, in most of the major economies out there, there is an expectation that the public should know what their hard earned taxes are funding. And, there are some big figures out there, usually represented in pie charts, that are relatively easy to access. But what about specifics? Governments spend a great deal of money internally, for things like defense, but - especially in a place like the United States - governments rely on contractors for products and services. Everything from vaccines to uniforms. In order to find out what any individual contractor received for their work takes a massive amount of effort… and then the available information often is less than satisfying. As you can imagine, this is unfortunately the beginning of the corruption game. But equally as important, it is also the beginning of the inefficiency game. Honestly, just thinking about the numbers involved gives me the willies, and how to crack this problem? Forget about it. Luckily for us that’s exactly what my guest for the 164th Terms of Reference Podcast thinks about and works on all day. Gavin Hayman is the Executive Director of the Open Contracting Partnership - an organization that seeks to open up public contracting through disclosure, data and engagement so that the huge sums of money involved are spent honestly, fairly, and effectively. And, as the former Executive Director of Global Witness, Gavin knows a thing or two about how to uncover unsavory practices of government contractors. You’re going to love this episode where Gavin and I talk about the origins of the Open Contracting Partnership, the size of the issues they are trying to tackle and how we all benefit when governments (and contractors) get it right. And, personally, I was surprised by some of Gavin’s examples - their just not from where you’d expect to find massive transparency… and I think you will be as well.

Today’s conversation has two themes that I think are important for our listeners. On one level, you’re going to hear about advocating on behalf of health sector innovators, but on another level you’re going to hear about what it takes to pivot a career and take on an entirely new role, in a new sector after almost a decade of dedicated service in another. My guest for today’s 163rd Terms of Reference Podcast is Jamie Bay Nishi. For the past 9 years, Jamie was at DevEx, starting with member support and ending by leading the production of DevEx World. Only a few months ago, Jamie took over the leadership role at the Global Health Technologies Coalition - an advocacy organization in the health sector. This is a story of serendipity. But as with all stories of serendipity, it has its foundation in a great deal of hard work, experience and personal investment. Today’s conversation is about finding comfort with being vulnerable, how you advocate in an environment that may not be receptive, how to absorb massive amounts of information quickly in order to communicate effectively with policy makers and, perhaps most importantly, what is possible for all of us in the social sector.

For as long as I’ve been in the social sector, there has been a consensus that those organizations who depend mostly on grant funding (whether from government or foundations or private donors) need to find better, and more sustainable ways to partner with the private sector, or more specifically, for-profit companies. The main reason behind this drive is the assumption that the for-profit world has resources and capabilities that can help socially focused programming achieve sustainability, inject innovative ideas and provide agility not typically found in the public sector. You’d think after a few decades that this question could be answered - and we’d see a constant mash up of companies and charities. And, to be sure, we do have myriad examples of those partnerships playing out at this very moment. But there is definitely no silver bullet that has swept across the not-for-profit landscape and, I am of the opinion, that there are just some fundamental differences between companies that are solely profit driven, and organizations that are not, which must be negotiated on a case by case basis… or maybe even a person by person basis. Sam Applebee, my guest for the 162nd Terms of Reference Podcast, sees the necessity for this negotiation and understanding between for profit firms and charities as an opportunity. That’s why he founded Super Global, a network of design, tech and data science companies that support and accelerate the impact of social actors. I became aware of Super Global after Sam sent me an article he wrote on why why doing pro bono work might be the worst decision for profit companies can make. Intrigued, I had to learn more and I think this conversation goes straight to the heart of what this podcast is all about - how we’re seeking to break the mold of the social sector. Over the next 45 minutes or so, Sam and I talk about the nuts and bolts of starting an initiative like Super Global, the key points of that negotiation between for profit services and the charities that seek them, and some of the sexy (and not so sexy) project that Super Global has attracted already.

According to the May 6th, 2017 issue of the Economist, data has officially displaced oil as the world’s most valuable resource. If you’re like me, the most surprising part of this declaration is that its taken until now for it to appear. Data drives the business models of most, if not all, of the world’s most valuable companies, governments rely upon data for safety and security issues and data availability is something so many of us take for granted when we’re driving from our homes to an unfamiliar destination. As the world’s most valuable resource, you’d think that data would be locked in safes, or hidden from view or, basically, hoarded whenever possible. And you’d be correct. However, what we also know is that there is an absolutely mind boggling amount of data that is publicly accessible, or “open”, for anyone to access and use. And there is a powerful movement, which continues to gain popularity, that seeks to unlock, set free and make useful as much of the world’s data as possible. My guest for the 161st Terms of Reference Podcast, Pavel Richter, sits at one of the focal points of open data movement. He is is the CEO of Open Knowledge International, a worldwide non-profit network of people passionate about openness, using technology to unlock information, and enabling people to take action on pressing social problems. And, Pavel is no newbie to open data, before joining OKI, Pavel was Executive Director of Wikimedia Deutschland for 5 years, and pioneered the internationally acclaimed Wikidata project which is now the fastest growing project for open structured data. I’m sure you’ll enjoy our conversation, where we discuss topics such as what open data means, the ethics of open data, where open data “lives”, if open data used for “evil” and even how different cultures interpret what “open” means.

You’ve heard me lament more than a few times on this podcast about the fact that innovation in the social sector is often times synonymous with technology. We talk a lot about how phones and apps and data are accelerating change and opening up opportunities for those in need. And, of course, being something of a super geek, I admit I love these conversations. But, I’m also aware of this narrow focus, and so, when I get a chance to highlight other forms of innovation, I pounce. The innovator I’m excited to introduce to you on today’s 160th Terms of Reference Podcast hasn’t created a new technology. Rather, his organization has recognized that prestige is its own type of economy for street kids. So much so, that as the opportunity to earn prestige has flourished through their programs, it has literally transformed the lives of tens of thousands of youth across latin America. My guest is Kurt Shaw. He is the Executive Director of the Shine A Light foundation. Shine a Light teaches digital arts - think video, movie making, audio storytelling - to marginalized children all over Latin America. And, as you’ll hear in our discussion, their work has had serious, measurable impact on street kids in many different countries. Perhaps the quality I enjoy the most about this conversation with Kurt is his humility and recognition that he and Shine a Light are facilitators that help to unlock potential, and the kids they work with are the real inspiration. So much so that their movies, art, comics, books and other productions have won several awards - locally and internationally.

The availability of continuous power - that is, the assumption that you can plug in an appliance, or flip a switch without wondering whether or not electrons will flow - is a hallmark of civilization. So much so, that a great deal of what holds up our global economy would not be possible without the assurance that we can keep the lights on (or at least turn them on) 24/7. So, what do you do when the power goes out? Do you call your local utility? Do you investigate your community breaker box? Or perhaps you view it as a unexpected respite from the daily grind and simply relax. In some parts of the world, utilities have moved to a system that utilizes “smart meters.” These devices not only allow the utility to control access to power, but they can also alert the utility when power stops. But smart meters are expensive and may not be a silver bullet, especially in emerging economies. My guests for today’s 159th Terms of Reference Podcast, Noah Klugman and Jay Taneja, recognized the limitations of smart meters and have created a different approach to understanding when the power goes out, called Gridwatch. Gridwatch harnesses data captured by the sensors in mobile phones to recognize when a power failure has occurred and notify the local utility. I think just talking bout how Gridwatch was born and what they’ve achieved over the past few years would be enough for today’s show. But amazingly, I think you’ll find real value in our conversation about the future of electrification and how a small start up with a high-value product, is now currently iterating that product to serve needs that have been identified by their users as even more important then getting the power back on.

I’d like to start today’s episode with a quick, informal poll. Ask yourself: as a social sector professional, do you regularly receive calls or emails from the people who you’re trying to help where they ask - with great anticipation - about when the next version of your project or programme will be released? While this regularly happens for other sectors, like mobile phones, automobiles, and fashion, for the vast majority of us in the social sector, the answer to this question is, emphatically, no. The disconnect that this question exposes is the foundation that Dennis Whittle, who is my guest for today’s 158th Terms of Reference Podcast, stumbled upon a few years back and which has now grown into a powerful collaborative effort to change how we help those in need. Dennis is the Executive Director of Feedback Labs, an organization that aims to change the norms in development, aid, and philanthropic policy to be more responsive to the people that those policies aim to help. Before Feedback Labs, Dennis was the co-founder of the groundbreaking Global Giving platform. This is an important conversation because after we talk about the origins of Feedback Labs, we get into how they are helping to flip the, generally, top-down approach of the social sector to one that is truly responsive to local needs. The organizations that make up Feedback Labs believe we’re now at a stage where you cannot NOT afford to get feedback from those you seek to help and Dennis beautifully relates common issues faced by organizations and governments in being adaptive. So I invite you to sit back and enjoy this conversation with Dennis that looks to a future where feedback is not only the connected thing to do, but also the expected thing to do.

If there is any one question I get asked more than any other from professionals in the social sector, it is some variation of this: “How do I raise money for my organization, cause or program?” And, there is usually a quick follow up that goes something like, “and, how do I raise money sustainably?” Fundraising, marketing, business development, sales… call it what you want… will always be the greatest problem for the social sector. The reason I know this is because it remains the greatest problem for any business, regardless of the sector. Getting individuals to part with their hard earned cash is never an easy prospect, whether your talking about a new pair of shoes, supporting Syrian refugees or anything in-between. There are many good answers to this question, depending upon a number of variables, and there are actually a ton of fantastic success stories in the social sector. But today’s episode is focused on crowdfunding and how this powerful platform can be used as a part of a successful strategy within the social sector. My guest for the 157th Terms of Reference Podcast, Jason Best, is more than an expert on crowdfunding - he actually is one of the original authors of what eventually became the Jobs Act in the United States, a law that fundamentally changed the investment landscape by allowing crowdfunding for equity, or an ownership stake of a company. Jason is a Co-Founder of CrowdFund Capital Advisors and a Venture Partner at Vectr Ventures. He works with governments and policy makers about how to make online fundraising available, with financial technology innovators about how to create solutions that respond to opportunities created by new policies and regulations and with large institutions and corporations to understand the market shift brought about by crowdfunding. This is an important episode where Jason and I talk about the 460 day campaign to get the Jobs Act signed into law, and how crowdfunding has fundamentally shifted how the social sector should think about fundraising now, and for the future.

A great deal of the actual “work” delivered in the social sector comes in the form of services. Of these services, the lowest hanging fruit is skill building, often known as capacity building. But there are, of course, many other flavors of services - everything from helping to draft policies and plans, to the know-how behind running a power grid, to mapping service centers for at-risk youth. My point here is that delivering services is a tried and tangible means for getting your hands dirty helping others. While not new by any account, one of the more exciting areas of the social sectors is the delivery of products. I think product delivery is especially interesting for a number of reasons. The design and delivery of products offer the opportunity for true leapfrog moments, and the measurement of success of a product is extremely tangible. Finally, in most cases the evolution of a product, as it iterates and is improved over time, is again extremely tangible. But, as we already know, designing, delivering and properly servicing products is a challenging prospect, even in the best of circumstances. When you also add the challenges associated with emerging economies and context, those challenges are multiplied. This is why I’m excited to have Krista Donalson as my guest for the 156th Terms of Reference Podcast. Krista is the CEO of D-Rev, an organization that designs and delivers medical technologies that close the quality healthcare gap for under-served populations. As you’ve come to expect from our guests, Krista has been driving innovation in product design, engineering, and international development for more than 15 years. And, Her work has won her acclaim as one of Fast Company’s Co.Design 50 Designers Shaping the Future, a TED speaker, and a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. You’re going to love this conversation about D-Rev’s origins, the choices made to focus their product lines and the challenges around finding high-quality suppliers and servicing. We also talk about my favorite aspect of their work - the never ending march towards making products that people are obsessed with.

As you may have noticed over the past few months, I’ve been talking more and more about the “social sector.” As I’m sure you’ll have assumed, this has been intentional on my part to begin to reach out beyond my comfort zone of humanitarian aid and international development to the wider community of social actors; people who consider themselves social entrepreneurs, philanthropists and even intrapreneurs who see opportunity within their existing companies and organization to make change that will both serve those in need, but also improve our prospects for human flourishing. It is in this context that I’m excited to introduce you to Lev Gonick, the CEO of DigitalC. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Lev is passionate about how technology can be used as an enabling platform to bring change to legacy cities. Now, like me, you may ask what exactly is a “legacy city”? Here’s how DigitalC frames it: Many communities that were built on a 20th century manufacturing base now face the challenge of transitioning to a digital economy. Communities everywhere need strategies and practical programming that support their transition. So, again as you’ll hear just a minute, places like Cleveland, where Lev lives, were once the pinnacle of modern civilization, but now find themselves with realities that are more akin to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of individual outcomes, like infant mortality or higher education. And, while it comes out clearly in our conversation, I don’t think we could have a better guest on the show to talk about the needs of legacy cities and how powerful solutions can be crafted. From 2001 to 2013, Lev was Chief Information Officer at Case Western Reserve University and his leadership helped create the Case Connection Zone, catalyze national initiatives such as US Ignite, (which was launched by the White House Office of Science and Technology Planning), and Gig.U. As you can imagine, this work has resulted in Lev being recognized and awarded for his achievements in numerous place. I know you’re going to love this show about how Lev’s team is helping people in need from Cleveland to Morocco by helping to build new civic agendas, introducing new technologies and opening access to the promises of big data.

For as long as I have been a social sector professional, there has always been a desire to do more partnering with the “private sector.” And, by that I mean traditional, for profit or commercial enterprises like Coke, Toyota or Airbus. In fact, 14 years ago, the capstone project of my Masters degree at American University was, I’m not kidding, “The Role of The Private Sector in Conflict Resolution.” My point here is that this is not a new topic by any stretch. No matter how you’d like to approach it, the reason why we don’t see more traditional investment in parts of the world where its necessary to send aid or development assistance can be boiled down to one word: risk. Money, or more specifically the individuals who control money, large and small amounts alike, do not like to place that money at risk of being lost. Unfortunately, the places where social sector actors choose to align there sights for action can readily be characterized along a scale of increasing risk. But here’s the thing - the money, or again the individuals who control the money, are also constantly on the lookout for new opportunities that offer potentially high rates of return. And, funny enough, you guessed it, the places where those of us in the social sector live and work are also places that offer tremendous potential markets and high-return opportunities. So what’s an investor to do? Luckily, Joan Larrea has agreed to be my guest on today’s 154th Terms of Reference Podcast. Joan is the CEO of Convergence, an institution that connects, educates, and supports investors to execute blended finance transactions that increase private sector investment in emerging markets. Joan has 20 years of experience in emerging markets investing. She led the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation's efforts to partner with philanthropic and private investors, she was a managing director on the emerging markets team at Global Environment Fund and she began her career as an investment officer at International Finance Corporation. This episode is a fantastic conversation about how Convergence is attempting to breath life into investments that would otherwise be too risky for the traditional private sector. We not only discuss the three ways in which Convergence works, but we also touch on several of the deals they have helped bring to life. We also talk about the reasons why this type of investing can be so difficult for everyone involved and where that trepidation comes from.

Because I am something of a super geek, and what I like to think of as the new-old guard (I mean, I had a TRS-80 in my house growing up), when I hear the term "defragment," the first thing I think of is hard drives. Fortunately, for everyone's sake, that's not what we are here to talk about today. Instead on today's 153rd Terms of Reference Podcast, I speak with Jason Wendle. He is the Director of the Rural and Agricultural Finance Learning Lab, which focuses on identifying more and better financial solutions for smallholders. In our conversation, Jason and I discuss the continued fragmentation of the financial market seeking to serve small hold farmers and how the Lab and its many partners are working to connect the dots between the necessary trifecta of access to markets, knowledge, and finance. I'm sure you'll love this talk about the types of financial difficulties facing smallholder farmers, how fintech is starting to bridge the gap, but also how, ultimately it will also take a conscious evolution from traditional lenders to find true scale and sustainability.

How much do we really embrace failure in the social sector? I ask this question because, as someone who has been lucky enough to be a part of the evaluation revolution over the past decade, embracing failure at an institutional level still remains elusive. Organizations and individuals alike still remain reluctant to lay bare the shortcomings of their efforts for a number of reasons that go well beyond just the fear of losing donor funding or having a black mark on your CV. Unfortunately, I’m not here today with a clear cut answer about how to embrace failure other than doing so ultimately requires the same focus and discipline that you would apply to any other skill. You must not specifically incorporate the recognition of failure into your planning and design, you must also be willing to practice it every day, ruthlessly. The good news is that, like so many other things, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you can create this discipline and practice in your life, you’ll learn faster, be more adaptable and, perhaps most importantly, the successes you do achieve will be that much sweeter. My guest for the 152nd Terms of Reference Podcast, Nithya Ramanathan, is someone who definitely embraces failure. So much so that the organization she co-founded, NexLeaf Analytics, recently published an article that enumerated the company’s failures for all the world to read about. Nexleaf focuses on how we can better use data to make a difference for those in need. More specifically, Nexleaf focuses on the use of low cost sensors to improve things like cold storage for vaccines or cookstoves for rural families, among many other applications. But, as you’ll hear in just a few minutes, while data is important for Nexleaf, it isn’t the true driving force behind their work. And this is where Nithya underscores in our conversation about the need to embrace failure and to continue to evolve your programs, processes and even yourself.

One of my favorite things about data analysis is when trends emerge unexpectedly. So often, when sifting through data we find exactly what we’re looking for. But its those moments when we’re presented with something unusual that are the real special event. This holds for why I love the monitoring and evaluation process in the social sector. So often I start an assignment with a client with a “view” about what will result from the research, only to find that after weeks - or more often months - of living with the data, conversations and documentation, I see alternative views clearly displayed. The trend I’m pleased has revealed itself to spark this editorial is disruption of the social sector. Somehow the universe conspired to allow me to have our past two guests on the show (Paula Kravitz and Chris Blattman), both of whom have specific views on how we can evolve the sector. Today’s guest is, happily, another voice whose decades of experience have lead to our conversation about yet another aspect of our work that is overdue for a rethink: the ever present silos we find everyday in our work. Silos are everywhere - within organizations, across humanitarian responses, within countries accepting development assistance and even within our own minds about how our worldview and approaches to our work. This isn’t a new problem, and one I can personally attest is alive and well. So much so that the term “multi-sectoral initiative” is something donors are interested in hearing and a topic that was a key focus for a recent guest here on TOR - Patrick Fine, the CEO of FHI 360 as he talked about “integrated development.” My guest for the 151st episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast is Tim France, Managing Director of Inis Communication. Tim came to his passion for communicate through the health sector, in which he holds a PhD and has worked for the World Health Organization's Global Programme on AIDS and UNAIDS, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, the Foundation du Présent, and the founding of Health & Development Networks. I’m excited to bring you this conversation about a new tool developed by Inis, called SGD Insights, and how that becomes a platform for Tim and I to talk about the need for disrupting the social sector to break down our silos - and why this has never been more important

Professor Chris Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at The University of Chicago, at the Harris School of Public Policy, as well as a research associate at National Bureau of Economic Research, among many other things. He's a heavyweight in the world of understanding what works - and more importantly what doesn't - in aid and development. As you'll hear on the show, Chris thinks he's a professor because he was a failed development professional. This is actually a lucky turn for the rest of us because he is a critical voice in the R&D department of the development and aid sector. In our discussion, you'll hear us discuss how research finds its way into practice and how we learned that microfinance doesn’t work to alleviate poverty. We also discuss why you can’t test programs and programming, but rather you have to test the assumptions those programs are built on, in order to find out what works. We round out our discussion on what the future of the social sector could look like over the next five years.

There is a beautiful simplicity to the commercial sector. Anyone can create products and services that satisfy a real or perceived need in whatever market(s) they want. Then, with the right marketing and (hopefully) added value from the "better mousetraps" people create, the business can realize a profit. And that, ultimately, is the measure of your success. Unfortunately, finding the same simplicity in the social sector is difficult. While social enterprises, non profits and charities are on the constant lookout for, or purposeful invention of, products and services that satisfy real (or perceived) needs, rather than seeing profit as the end game, the social sector seeks an overall improved human condition. This presents something of a conundrum because we still have so much trouble, as a human community, agreeing about what improvement means. I know there is a lot to unpack in this seemingly simple distinction. But, fortunately, that is exactly why I am so excited to introduce my guest for the 149th Terms of Reference Podcast. Paula Kravitz is a Strategic Advisor for the Social Progress Imperative - a Washington, DC based enterprise dedicated to redefining how the world measures and achieves social progress. Before SPI, Paula spent a decade at the Skoll Foundation where she directed and curated the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. Said another way, Paula has been at the forefront of thinking on the social sector for the last 10 years. And, if I’m completely honest, as I hope comes out in our conversation, Paula is tapped into what is essentially the reason behind why I started Aidpreneur and this podcast in the first place - the need for a shake up of the social sector in order to redefine and align what it is we’re all trying to achieve as a collective body dedicated to human flourishing.

We’ve be fortunate enough to have guests on this show from across the entire spectrum of the social sector and from around the world. One of the common issues we’ve talked about is resource scarcity and how that presents both unique opportunities for innovation and challenges in terms of programming, priorities and management. Today, we’re going to look at the other side of the coin and discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with an organization that’s focused on helping solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, but also has scale, and the very real ability to leverage that scale. My guest today is Jamey Butcher, who is an Executive Vice President at Chemonics and currently leads the Strategic Communications and Solutions Division. I’m excited about this episode because I think it really gives a peek under the hood of what is possible within a large development organization. Just to give you a taste, we cover things like: how Chemonics approaches ICT4D, how they are working to make internal communication and learning sexy, the focus of several strategic partnership, the missing middle in impact investing and much, much more.

Let's say you woke up tomorrow to the sound of someone knocking at your door. And, when you answer, the person standing outside politely explained that they were a representative of a energy company that had recently acquired the rights to extract the natural gas in the area. Oh, and a great deal of that resource happens to be located under your house. Or, what if you were able to track changes in the water your community uses for drinking, cooking, bathing and cleaning physically change over the past few years - from a pure, clean resource, to one that is smelly, polluted or fouled in some other way. And that those changes began when a mining operation started upstream. Now here's the kicker - you are unable to bring a complaint against thees resource extraction companies simply because you lack the time, money or other resources. Or, an even more likely scenario, if and when you do bring your issues to your local or national authorities, you find that the scales are tipped against you simply because the companies have access to seemingly unlimited amounts of time, money and insider knowledge. My guest for the 147th Terms of Reference Podcast, Flaviano Bianchini, is intimately familiar with stories similar to these from around the world. But rather than just listen, he has helped create a powerful solution that has helped communities to fight back and tip the scales in their favor. Flaviano's organization, Source International, helps communities that are adversely affected by resource extraction activities, like mining or well drilling, by providing them with scientific and legal resources. As you'll hear us discuss, the support provided by Source has created profound results - large scale monetary rewards, injunctions against extraction activities and, in one case, completely rewriting mining laws.

How obsessed are you with goal setting? I mean seriously - if you've been living on planet earth you know that, those invested in the science of achievement, have done an incredible of not only convincing, but actually getting us as a whole to adopt goal setting as a lifestyle. And, full disclosure, I am not only a living, breathing product of this paradigm, but I'm also one of its loudest proponents (at least in my mind). Goal setting has become something of an absolute in the design of products, services and programs in the social sector, as well. Just think of how many times you've designed theories of change, conceptual and logical frameworks or SMART indicators. You know what I'm talking about here - the obsession with defining the results that we want to achieve with our work and, perhaps even more importantly, how will measure our progress towards achieving them. While I could hold court on how to improve the way we design programs to achieve social goals for the next 4 days, here's the thing: this show isn't about that. In fact we're about to spend the next hour and change talking about how creating objective goals may be the exact wrong thing to do when trying to achieve something amazing. My guest, and truly the inspiration, for this episode is Dr. Kenneth Stanley. He currently works for Uber Labs while on leave from the University of Central Florida where he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science. Ken focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. I learned about Ken from ISG's Director, Micheal Klein, when he shared an article with me from the 538 blog titled "Stop Trying To Be Creative," that was written by Christie Aschwanden. I'll let you read that on your own, but suffice it to say that I was intrigued and had to know more - and how it might apply to the business of helping others. And, I think that's exactly what you'll get in this episode. The revelation in this podcast should, ultimately, blow your mind. We get started by talking about AI and Ken's pet project (called Picbreeder) and how that led to his discovery that objectively determining what we want to achieve may be the best way to miss out on true awesomeness

Two very common themes in the aid and development community are “resource scarcity” (some even call this resource starvation) and “locally driven solutions.” The particular resource scarcity I am referring to is a lack of funding. This is a conversation you cannot avoid, because the challenges always seem to be greater than the available pools of money, and one that, unfortunately, will only become more acute as we navigate the age of Trump and the new populism. Locally driven solutions refers to an ideal that contextualization of products and services results in solutions that are more appropriate, more readily accepted and potentially more durable, or sustainable. By supporting the development of answers at the local level, it is also assumed that we will foster a greater set of unique ideas, which spurs innovation and invention globally. While these two themes, at least at first blush, seem fundamentally in tension with one another there are a number of approaches that successfully bridge the gap. One of these approaches involves the use of technologies, processes, creative outputs and more that are “open source.” Open source products and services are free, community driven and have a number of incredibly successful examples. My guest for the 145th Terms of Reference Podcast is something of an open source evangelist. Giulio Coppi is the founder of an initiative called High Tech Humanitarians, which purports to be the first free online platform for collaborative humanitarian innovation on open source technology. He is also CEO of Open Focus, a non profit devoted to open source technology for good and is an Humanitarian Innovation Fellow at the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University in New York. As you no doubt have guessed, Gulio deeply believes that open source provides a platform to drive otherwise missing, misplaced or misaligned innovation for the humanitarian sector

While we live in a world of unprecedented prosperity for many, we also live in a world that is experiencing unprecedented levels of humanitarian crisis. You know the examples: protracted violent conflicts, devastation caused by earthquakes or hurricanes, the specters of famine or disease outbreak... unfortunately the list goes on and on. The good news is that we have a humanitarian community that does a fantastic job of responding to these crises with the resources available to them. In large part, supplies arrive, shelter is provided and people receive care until a time in which they can begin the transition back to normalcy. Unfortunately, as with the creation of any system, developing the capacity to address these large scale crises has produced unintended consequences and externalities. One of these externalities is a logistics and supply chain ecosystem that is bureaucratic, expensive and rigid. On this, the 144th episode of the Terms Of Reference Podcast, I talk with Andrew Lamb of Field Ready about how their organization is disrupting logistics and supply chains currently associated with humanitarian aid by helping to solve problems at the source, in the communities affected by crisis. Andrew is the Innovation Advisor for Field Ready. He is the former CEO of Engineers Without Borders – UK, he co-founded and serves as a Trustee of the Humanitarian Centre in Cambridge and he is a Trustee of RedR-UK. You're going to love this episode because it is packed with specific examples about how Field Ready is disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid through design, process re-engineering, 3D printing and more.

We've had a lot of change makers on this show over the past two years - people and organizations that are redefining old systems and creating new products and processes that demand completely new ways of thinking about how we serve those in need. Across these interviews, one of the factors critical to the success of any endeavor is the ability to communicate effectively. This skill not only entails the ability to bring facts and evidence to the table, but to weave these into a narrative that conveys the "why" behind what you believe. While I'm fairly certain that most of you would agree that communication is important, it is still something that we don't properly prioritize, even thought many times it is the deciding factor for convincing someone to join your cause, retain top talent or secure funding. If you think I'm wrong, I challenge you to spend 30 minutes at any event in any major hub of the aid and development sector this week - places like Washington, DC, New York, Geneva, Bangkok or Nairobi - and tell me if you don't witness rooms full of participants spending more time on their mobile devices than engaged in the presentation and speakers who still haven't incorporated even the most basic presentation and public speaking fundamentals. I invite you to share your stories about this challenge in the comments section on Aidpreneur.com for this podcast. But here's the good news: my guest for the 143rd Terms of Reference Podcast is Angus Hervey. He is the co-founder of a new media company call Future Crunch. They're decidedly optimistic mission seeks to help people understand what's on the frontiers of science and technology, and what it means for human progress. You should definitely check out their website, YouTube channel, and get on their newsletter. I'm absolutely certain you'll love this conversation about new media channels and the evolution of journalism, fake news, bringing stories of change and progress to the world and what it means to embrace the hacker culture of today.

One reason that innovation has become one of those words that you just cannot escape in social impact, is the fact that the institutions that have occupied this space for the bulk of history are the anthesis of what we would consider "shiny new objects." But really, if we sit back and think about it, for many (and maybe most, or even all) of them, the rapid or constant change that we associate with innovation is actually the exact opposite of what these institutions we're built to achieve. Seriously. The public relies on public structures like governments and international organizations for setting and maintaining rules and processes that ultimately lead to a common, knowable... and stable... environment in which we can run our lives. Injecting the change associated with innovation into any system or process creates uncertainty, which is the opposite of what the "institutionalization" of something seeks to achieve. All of this is to say that, its no wonder that realizing innovation within this sector is a massive challenge - and one that fascinates me to no end. Luckily, this is something that my guest for the 142nd Terms of Reference Podcast knows a thing or two about. Corrine Gray is an Alternative Finance Specialist in the Innovation Unit at UNHCR, where she leads efforts to engage staff and refugees in open innovation. I'm confident you're going to enjoy our conversation about how UNHCR is working to develop an 'innovation mindset' and how that ultimately makes a difference for refugees.

I invite you to pause just for a second and take a moment to think about the last time you changed your mind about something. Specifically, I'd like for you to identify something that was either very important to you or your worldview, or something that you had taken for granted, that today you have either the complete opposite or at least a very different perspective on. Got it? Now ask yourself, what was it that made you change your mind? And, again specifically, what evidence did you unearth, or were presented with, that made the case for changing your mind? For most of us, a profound change of mind doesn't happen very often, but when it does, the effects of such a change alter lives, communities, and entire belief systems. As a final step in this exercise, I'd like for you to think about the core beliefs you have about the work you do in the social impact sector, and what you expect that work will help achieve for people in need. Now, ask yourself, what would it take to alter those beliefs - even if it meant radically shifting the entire system for how you've expected to serve others? I wanted to start with this exercise because in today's 140th episode of the terms of reference podcast, I'd be discussing the revolution being brought about through the practice of impact evaluation. Impact evaluation holds the promise of confirming, or refuting, the effectiveness of the practices, processes and systems we rely upon in humanitarian and development programming to help those in need. My guest for this show, David Evans, knows a thing or two about impact evaluations. He is a Lead Economist in the Chief Economist's Office for the Africa Region of the World Bank where he coordinates impact evaluation work across agriculture, education, health, and social protection in more countries than most people will visit in their lifetimes. I know you're going to love this show as we discuss how we can design evaluations to learn more, how to make evaluation real time, and, ultimately how do you create an evaluation that will succeed - even if you're working for a small NGO.

So, imagine for a moment that you're a college student getting ready to spend a summer working internationally. Maybe in a hotel in a tropical resort, or as an eco tour guide, or maybe helping teach children in an orphanage. The options are almost limitless if you look hard enough. This is exciting stuff! So, now your bags are packed, you've said goodby to mom and dad and you're on the plane. But, when you land at your destination, it turns out to be nothing at all like what you expected. You're passport and phone are taken from you. You're locked in a hotel room and, rather than serving cocktails to high end tourists, you find yourself being forced to clean fish or... some other job. I've just painted a picture that, in reality, is fairly unlikely for a kid from the US or Europe, because there are systems in place that vet employers, study abroad opportunities and the like to ensure they are legit. Unfortunately, however, human trafficking and exploitation is still a reality for thousands of people around the world today. Often the go-to image of this horror is young women being forced into the sex trade. But exploitation happens in numerous other ways as well - in domestic work, in fisheries, in manual labor of all types. My guest for the 140th Terms of Reference Podcast has spent a career combatting human exploitation. Tara Dermott currently leads IOM X, which is the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) campaign to encourage safe migration and public action to stop human trafficking and exploitation in the Asia Pacific region. This campaign has reached more than 158 million people in less than two years and has helped to not only shape the conversation around exploitation, but also help many people out of it.

The challenges faced by communities in developing contexts around the world are anything but simple. Climate change, protracted conflict, gender issues, food scarcity, natural resource management... these and the hundreds of other topics that development professionals work on everyday are complex by their very nature. Working effectively within these complex system requires an integrated approach that considers the many factors affecting a community, all at the same time. As one, off the cuff example, adequate health care systems require educational support, which requires funding and facilities, which need a sound foundation of infrastructure and policy. And, that's just looking at if from a practical "how to" perspective - adding in cultural, environmental and unsavory factors, such as conflict, weaves a web that is difficult to untangle. My guest for the 139th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Patrick Fine, sees the creation of an evidence base for integrated development as a critical success factor for the future of our sector. As the CEO of FHI360, Patrick oversees a truly global development operation - one that not only implements programming, but also seeks to create new knowledge from which everyone can benefit. I have no doubt you'll enjoy this wide ranging conversation about how FHI360 is positioning themselves for the future of development.

Do you ever have the feeling that your work in the Social Impact sector is akin to "plowing the sea?" That is - despite all of the time and effort you've put into your particular program or project, the effects are less than expected or, worse, completely disappear in a relatively short time? This was a lament of Rainer Arnhold, a pediatrician who, despite having helped countless children around the world and dedicating his life to serving others, felt that his work had not produced lasting change. Upon Dr. Arnhold's untimely death in 1993, his family created the Mulago Foundation in his honor. My guest for the 138th Episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Dr. Kevin Starr, who was Rainer's mentee and serves as the Managing Director of Mulago, has led the foundation in investments that see to create lasting change at scale. With alumni such as the One Acre Fund, RootCapital and Sanergy, its plain to see they understand what it takes to go the distance.

If you're listening to this podcast, you're clearly a part of the digital revolution. Social media is a part of your life. Blogging may even be something you do. And... you even have a host of expectations about what minimum requirements you have for a job or an organization regarding your interaction with all things interweb. But how do we align this increasingly frenetic universe of digital options to ensure that they support the social impact we want to create? Enter Chris Wolz as my guest for the 137th Terms of Reference Podcast. Chris is the CEO of ForumOne, digital agency that works with mission-driven organizations to create the stunning designs, smart messaging, and custom built technology tools they need to realize their goals and extend their influence in the areas they care about most.

Would you agree with me that it is easy to become overwhelmed - in general? If I'm honest, which I always try to be, it actually pains me that this reality is, well, a reality. But, the truth of the matter is we are all a part of this brave new world where information, opinions, new ideas and old obligations are hurtling at us with both unprecedented speed and in abundant volume. So what, then, do you do, when its you're job to coordinate the implementation of innovation - of new solutions to old problems? With the wrong person or team in place, it could quickly become a case study in watching people go crazy as they attempt to absorb all the information about shiny new objects, while effectively staying the course to roll out the technology or process that has been developed for the needs at hand. This is exactly what my guest for the 136th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast does day in and day out. Sean Blaschke is the ICT4D coordinator for UNICEF in Uganda and, as you'll hear in just a second, he has essentially an unlimited amount of stories about how implementing new practices can go wrong - but also what happens when you get it right.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many things in your life depend on the weather? Everything from your mood to your travel plans to whether or not you'll get to wear that awesome brand new pair of blue suede shoes you've been dying to show off. The weather is also, of course, important for farmers. Being able to predict when it will rain (or not) could mean the difference between raising a successful crop or ending up with a field of dead plants. For farmers outside of the tropics, weather prediction has gotten fairly accurate over time (and, no, this podcast is not about global climate change). However, for farmers in the tropics, because of unique micro climates and rapidly shifting patterns, predicting the weather has been troublesome, at best. At worst, it just hasn't been available. Enter my guest for the 135th Terms of Reference Podcast. Sable Bender is the Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategist for Ignitia - the world's first weather forecasting service specifically designed for the tropics. T

What do libraries have to do with innovation for aid and development? Total honest answer from my side: when I was doing my research for the 134th Terms of Reference Podcast, I knew there would be high value in a conversation with Chris Coward - who is the co-founder, Principal Research Scientist, and Director of the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington - but I had no idea that our conversation would be such a fun, far ranging and wild ride. From TASHA's convening of the first tech conference in 1999 about how society will be affected by the "new" interweb, to how MOOCS are used in the developing world, to how adoption of smart phones in Myanmar fundamentally changes that populations view of what computing is all about... to libraries, and how these institutions are becoming - not less - but more and more relevant in the age of information. I know you're going to love this show.

I have a confession to make: I'm fairly certain I under-appreciate design. Especially design as the cultural phenomenon it has become in everything from mobile phones to toilets. If you're paying attention to the same types of feeds as me, (you probably need to get out more) you know that design, as a critical practice for success, has come into its own in a massive way over the past 10 years - ever since Apple took over the hardware space in technology. My guest today for the 133rd Terms of Reference Podcast, Ravi Chhatpar, believes that design also has an important seat at the humanitarian aid and development table. He is one of the co-founders of Dalberg’s Design Impact Group, which is dedicated to helping their clients find creative approaches to breakthrough innovation for social impact. As you'll hear in our talk, DIG's process can help lead to better strategies for innovation, user focused products and services and catalyzing unique and creative outcomes from groups.

I always get excited at the beginning of a new year. I think here is something important about moments like these that allow us a collective opportunity to not only enjoy time with friends and family, but also take stock of where things stand, and what we might like to change. While I remain humbled that you're now listening to the 132nd episode we're publishing here on TOR, I've also spent the closing of last year receiving feedback, working with our team and getting energized for how we will continue to grow, shape and evolve this show to do our part in helping to make aid and development better. As I'm recording this we're standing at the precipice of a time when the aid and development sector will come under unprecedented scrutiny and pressure. With Brexit, and now the election of Trump, it is not a question of if, but when, this will happen. The time couldn't be more ripe for taking bold steps to better define why what we do to help others not only matters, but is effective in ending suffering and creating change. I, for one, am up for the challenge and I hope you'll join me. This very reason, however, is why I'm especially excited to bring you this episode. Because, you see, a little more than a year ago, the US State Department also experienced one of these reflective moments where they realized there was, potentially, a massive source of energy and innovation that had never before been tapped, right in their own back yard. What came out of that moment was the piloting of a office in Silicon Valley to learn how they might contribute to solutions for some of the world's most difficult challenges. My guest, Zvika Krieger, has been at the forefront of that pilot and he's here to tell us what they've learned and what will happen next.

One of the things I love the most about the stories here on the Terms of Reference Podcast is listening to the always incredible, but retrospectively obvious, paths which have lead all of our Aidpreneurs to their current passions. In fact, as I've documented in the eBook "Making It," this is one of the factors that defines those who have created a sustainable and satisfying career in development and humanitarian aid. My guest for the 131st episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Noam Angrist, is no exception to this rule. Noam is the Executive Director of Young1ove, an organization that finds health-related messages that have been shown to create change, through a pile of evidence, and then finds creative, culturally appropriate ways to deliver these messages for youth, by youth. While this model, on the surface, may not seem ground breaking, as you'll hear in just a minute, the results that Noam and the Young1love team are achieving in Botswana through their "No Sugar" program are.

What would you do if your job was to figure out, on a global scale, who doesn't have enough to eat? Or, more importantly, who had insecurity in their life specifically because of food scarcity? Just thinking about the scale of the problem blows my mind a little bit. But then, wait for it, what if you then had to also design and execute interventions that would, to a large degree, address those food security issues. Oh, and did I mention that this is a constantly evolving and changing process? This is exactly what my guest for the 130th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast does along with the team at the World Food Programme's Vulnerability and Analysis Mapping Initiative. Jean-Martin Bauer is a Senior Analyst at WFP, where he leads the mobile VAM initiative, which involves deploying digital innovations to collect food security data in near real time. He has been on the front lines of understanding food scarcity for years and in this episode he tells us about how VAM has evolved since its paper-survey beginnings and where it will go in the future.

For those of you who've been listening to the show for a while, it is fairly obvious that there is, quite literally, a ton of data out there related to development initiatives and humanitarian assistance. If you had the time, money and desire, you could find data about almost any aspect assistance: things like baseline data about a population, damage assessments, geospatial data, demographics of the people affected by a crisis, or things like which organizations, governments and companies are on the ground helping. The problem is, in the humanitarian sector, organizations don't have the time, money and people power to hunt down this data. And, even more of a problem is the fact that the data is locked in spreadsheets on individual laptops, only captured in written notes or, unfortunately, kept hidden as a potential competitive advantage. Sarah Telford, my guest for the 129th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, is on a mission to change all of this. She is the Chief of Data Services at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and oversees the continuing development of a global open data platform called the Humanitarian Data Exchange. The goal of HDX is to make humanitarian data easy to find and use for analysis, and, as of July 2014, has been accessed by users in over 200 countries and territories.