Social Impact Summit

The Collegiate Association of Unreasonable Social Entrepreneurs (yes, we swaggerjacked Unreasonable from the previous quote) is proud to announce the first annual Social Impact Summit on April 5, 2013 at the Barsema Alumni and Visitor's Center at Northern Illinois University. Chew on this for a second: Over three billion people live on less than $2.00 per day, around one billion people do not have access to clean water - an estimated 1000 children die every day in India alone due to polluted water, an estimated 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped into the ocean each year......

You get the point; we could go on forever. Our world is faced with immense societal and environmental issues that governments and big businesses are not going to solve for us. It will be up to us, the unreasonable, common citizens to develop sustainable business models that address these societal and environmental issues while driving economic value. Plain and simple, it is no longer enough for businesses to just make money. They create real value in terms of the effects they have on people, the effects they have on our planet, and the amount of monetary wealth they create for shareholders.

3 Goals: Educate, Inspire, Network

CAUSE developed the Social Impact Summit with the goals to Educate students and social practitioners about the applications of social entrepreneurship, to Inspire students and social practitioners to find ways to enlarge their societal and environmental impacts or just plain get started in the social space, and to facilitate Networking among students and social practitioners who are passionate about making a difference and changing the world.

Who's it for??

The Social Impact Summit is targeted at practitioners in the social space (those that work or are highly engaged in Non Profit or For Profit entities aimed at solving social and/or environmental issues) and students who are interested in a career in which they can make a social impact.

We aim to create an environment where practitioners can network with and learn from one another. We hope that some partnering or supporting relationships can be established as a result of the Summit.

We aim to provide students an opportunity to learn about how they can get involved in the social entrepreneurship. We want to increase student awareness about the opportunities that exist in the social space and provide an opportunity for students to learn from practitioners already making a significant impact. We hope students will connect and engage with the social entrepreneurship organizations and find inspiration from the work they are doing.

Who will be there??

CAUSE has put together a stellar lineup of Social Entrepreneurial Studs and Studettes who are developing and furthering cutting edge business models that are changing the world. Be prepared for one heck of a day because this isn't your normal conference, and these aren't your everyday entrepreneurs. Here is the lineup to the first annual Social Impact Summit:

Chuck Templeton: "The Rise of the Impact Entrepreneur"

Description: Fresh off his first round as Managing Director for Impact Engine, a 12 week accelerator program supporting "for profit businesses working to address today's societal or environmental issues," Chuck Templeton will explain why he believes that "business as usual" is dying. Profits are no longer the end all be all; our world is pressed with enormous societal and environmental issues that we can't count on governments and big business to solve for us. It is the Impact Entrepreneur that Mr. Templeton believes will answer the bell to solve social and environmental issues we face through the development of innovative, sustainable, and *hold your breath* profitable business models. Mr. Templeton will also expand on his experiences working with Impact Engine's inaugural class and explain how they embody his vision of the Impact Entrepreneur.

About Chuck Templeton:

Mr. Templeton gives The Most Interesting Man in the World a run for his money. We salute him for the three years he served in the U.S. Army where he became a Ranger and Sniper qualified. He obtained his MBA from Northwestern's prestigious Kellogg School of Business, and has as extensive of a business/startup resume as you will find. He is the founder and former CEO of OpenTable (OPEN) which he founded in 2002. OpenTable is one of the global leaders in restaurant reservations which operates in all 50 states and over 12 countries. OpenTable went public in 2009 and is now a $1.2 billion company. Since his days at OpenTable, Mr. Templeton has served as the CEO of multiple companies and founded two websites. Mr. Tempelton has been involved in over two dozen other startups as an investor, board member, or advisor. Aside from being the Managing Director for Impact Engine, he is currently a Board Member for three companies (I-Go Car Sharing, Getable.com, and PVPower.com), a Director for TaskRabbit, an Advisor for Menusim, and he serves as the Chairman of the Board for GrubHub. Mr. Templeton is currently married and is the proud father of two daughters.

Megan Kashner: "The Power of One"

About Megan Kashner:

Benevolent works with nonprofits whose clients often face critical one-time challenges as they pursue their goals of work, education and personal sustainability. Through their digital portal, Benevolent offers a secure and transparent means for us to donate funds and help someone when it matters most.

Founder and CEO of Benevolent, Megan is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 20 years of strategic management, community partnership building and organizational planning. She has spent her career leading organizations and programs dedicated to bringing innovation to the nonprofit sector and to improving social service support for women and families living in poverty and at risk. She has served as Executive Director for the Taproot Foundation, leading the work of delivering of high-quality professional services to nonprofits in Chicago, New York and DC. Earlier, she served as the Executive Director for the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston, Chief Development Officer for Chicago's Deborah's Place and Program Director for organizations including the Howard Area Community Center, Methodist Youth Services and the Heartland Alliance.

Megan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a BA in Public Policy and American Civilization from Brown University, a master's degree from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

A frequent panelist and presenter at conferences, Megan most recently presented at the White House Forum on Philanthropy Innovation, at the Council on Foundations and at TedX. Megan has been a guest blogger on Beth Kanter's Blog, Ashoka's Starting Empathy Blog, and on the TakePart Blog.

Alan Hurt: "Out of the Dark, into the Light"

Join Northern Illinois University graduate Alan Hurt for a discussion about his incredible journey that led him from volunteer trips to Africa, to being an NIU student, to winning NIU's first ever Social Venture Competition Course, to leading one of the brightest 'up and coming' startups in the social space, Light Up Africa. Alan and the Light Up Africa team will talk and field questions about what it has been like taking an idea and launching it into an actual social business, Light Up Africa's unique, multi-faceted business model and the company's distribution strategy which encourages entrepreneurial spirit in its customers. The team will also address the major hurdles Light Up Africa has encountered in launching in Africa.

About Light Up Africa:

In Africa, over 500 million people have no access to electricity. Nearly 80% of Kenyans are not connected to electrical infrastructures including land- line telephones, power transmission lines, or broadband internet and use an unhealthy, unsafe and environmentally damaging energy source, kerosene. Others have tried to solve this problem with solar products. In Kenya alone, there are over 50 imported solar lantern products saturating the market. The market penetration of these products has been meager. Off-grid Kenyan families are averse to working within the limitations of stationary, static solar power sources because of concerns securing the devices from theft and balancing the chances of inclement weather while keeping the product in direct sunlight for hours per day to achieve full charge. Any user error or cloudy weather forces Kenyans to choose between darkness and their only other alternative, kerosene. With this evidence, it is time to prioritize energy as a human right in Africa. Light Up Africa's mission is to eliminate light and energy poverty through the combination of a platforms and a clean, cheap, user-friendly product that provides access to energy off the grid. Our product is a grassroots response to bridge the energy gap in rural African communities that provides a mobile power source adapting to Kenyan lifestyles instead of demanding a change in their activities. The energy generated by daily movements powers lights and charges mobile phones allowing Kenyans access to power in their own homes and eliminating their dependence on expensive, external sources.

Amanda Britt of Panzanzee: "Tell Me What It Takes: Get Real with Practicing Social Entrepreneurs"

Social impact work is an inspiring field; if you look closely, it's hard work balancing mission and profit in a fast-paced marketplace. In this panel moderated by Chicago's social impact incubator and coworking space, Panzanzee, you will meet 4 active social entrepreneurs in early-to-growth stage companies who get real about what it takes to run a social enterprise. Join us for a candid discussion about their successes, failures, and lessons learned.

About Amanda Britt and Panzanzee:

Amanda Britt is the Founder of Panzanzee, Chicago's social enterprise incubator, co-working space and continuous community. At Panzanzee, Amanda Britt and her team blog about ideas, people and stories they feel are inspiring, meaning and worth discovering. Amanda believes in connecting people to purpose and achieving lasting impact on the local and global communities. Entrepreneurs are always discovering what the next step will be and wrestle many pressures to grow, manage and survive. Entrepreneurs battle fear, isolation and limited resources to meet these needs. Amanda saw a big gap in meeting these needs and started a company that would foster the Panzanzee tone and environment for entrepreneurs, business professionals seeking their own answers.

Green Panel:

Jan Ludolf Heeres: Manager-Sustainable Business Solutions at PwC

Jan is a financial auditor, specialized in sustainability and climate change assurance and advisory services. In particular his expertise focuses on the areas of carbon and corporate responsibility reporting and assurance of non-financial information.

Jan started working for PwC Amsterdam in 2003 as a financial auditor, serving global companies in various industries ranging from financial services to retail & consumer and industrial products. Since 2010 he focuses on sustainability reporting advisory and assurance services.

Jan's extensive sustainability reporting and assurance experience covers companies across the globe. He has provided sustainability assurance and advice to nine global airlines, several U.S. power and utility companies and is currently working on e-waste audits at a large telecom provider.

He has performed a significant amount of research into Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Greenhouse Gas reporting, both for PwC as well as for the Environmental Investment Organisation in London.

Robin R. Randall, AIA, LEED AP BD+C,

Robin is a licensed architect, educator, and environmentalist. Founder and president of ED lab INC, she is dedicated to connecting personally to each project and designing environments that support a culture of inquisitiveness, client community and sustainability.

Robin is an educational design expert with 25 years experience programming, planning and creating learning places. Frequent speaker, author and award winning designer she is inspired by learning strategies and environmental research through application in projects. Her leadership in a client focused process integrates the science of learning, the language of nature and the art of innovation to create customized environments for all learners.

Robin is a leader in sustainable design practice providing educational seminars on project design and application, coordinating sustainability client workshops, developing resources for practice and advocating regenerative architecture. As a Professor at Judson University she provides practical experience in application through design, programming, planning and research. Her recent professional programming and research practice class will explore the impacts of Living Building Challenge to design and client communication. Students work with Community Client Collaborators to provide outreach in sustainability and practice and in applied research. Design studios investigate how environments work as teaching tools for environmental responsibility.
http://www.edlabinc.org/leadership.php

Corinne Bodeman, MS, LEED AP

Corinne is a 30-year veteran of the construction industry and has provided technical knowledge to the architectural industry for the majority of that time. She is a certified AIA Continuing Education provider and has presented hundreds of times over the course of her career. She has significant experience in the environmental, code, specification, or construction communities, and in her capacity with AES acts as the liaison between the design community and the design team at AES. She has an undergraduate in Marketing from the University of Illinois and a Master's of Science in Environmental Management from Illinois Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing a second Masters from San Francisco Institute of Architecture in the Economics of Sustainability.
http://www.appliedeco.com/

Patty Morrissey: "How to Inspire Action"

Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming a growing focus of organizations across industries. Join an engaging discussion about a CSR arm thats as active and innovative as it gets, the Groupon Grassroots team. Learn about its evolution to this point as well as its process of organizing a campaign start to finish. You'll also get a peek under the hood of Groupon's new social innovation lab!

About Patty Morrissey:

Patty Morrissey, Head of Social Innovation, leads the corporate responsibility arm at Groupon since joining the company in May 2010. Harnessing the collective action platform, Patty developed Groupon's signature philanthropic program, Groupon Grassroots, to turn deal seekers into do-gooders by tapping into the collective power of the group to respond to local community need.

Passionate about volunteer involvement and crafty with online engagement, she has led Grassroots in raising funds and awareness for local organizations across the world. Patty developed Groupon's global social innovation strategy which aims to connect the dots between the core business and its footprint on the world through company-wide initiatives such as the Employee Volunteer Program and Green at Groupon

Patty discovered her passion for community development and civic engagement through her experience developing service-learning and experiential education programs for high school and college students. She went on to produce corporate volunteer programs while pursing work in mental health and social service agencies. Patty approaches corporate citizenship and civic engagement from a social work perspective and seeks to create innovative ways to solve social problems through sustainable for-profit models.

In 2012 Patty was appointed Chair of the Outreach Committee for the IL Governor's Task Force on Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Enterprise, as well as joining the advisory team for Impact Engine, a 12-week accelerator program that supports for-profit businesses making the world a better place.

Patty has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from James Madison University, as well as a Master's degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. Her hobbies include braving the elements during her year-round bike commute to work and spending time with her husband, Brian, and daughter, Vivian Rose.

About Groupon Grassroots:

You know Groupon. Now meet Grassroots.
Groupon Grassroots evolved out of Groupon's collective action platform as a simple way to discover and support local causes. Building on Groupon's foundation of e-commerce leadership and local business development, Grassroots focuses its power to do good on keeping money in local communities.

It's simple: Keep it local. Every dollar spent on Groupon goes directly to a local merchant instead of being diffused outside the region, spurring greater economic impact at the local level. Groupon Grassroots uses that same model to aid neighborhood advancement by mobilizing local people to raise funds for specific community projects. As a result, the spending stays local and the community grows stronger.

Plant the seeds of lasting relationships.
Grassroots campaigns inspire behaviors that make communities better places to live. We love uncovering the hidden talents and interests of local do-gooders and change-makers in a way that ensures each campaign is just the beginning of something bigger. The discovery of long-lasting relationships is the basis of sustainable community renewal, and we want to help those bonds take shape.
https://grassroots.groupon.com/