By Liv Froehlich

My brother recently informed me that he had installed new disk brakes on his truck entirely by himself. Albeit an intelligent man, I knew for a fact that he had never performed such an operation before. I asked where he had suddenly gained the skills and knowhow to take apart his vehicle, to which he simply replied, “YouTube.” To my astonishment, searching “1994 Ford Ranger Disk Brake” yielded over 2,000 results, many of which were step-by-step tutorials.

We live in a day and age where, if you’re unsure of what to make for dinner, you can just search “recipes” on Pinterest and be inundated with options. While DIY crafts, home décor tips and BuzzFeed Top 20 lists may not represent technology at its finest, they are indicative of something much larger — the desire of everyday people to share their knowledge. So how does this translate to global development? It could mean a free education, the start of a small business enterprise, templates for new homes, and so much more. Continue Reading

Waldron and the UW Evans School of Public Affairs, both Global Washington members, recently released their second annual Social Sector CEO Trends report after surveying senior executives at U.S. NGOs, nonprofits and charitable foundations.

As the number of organizations in the social sector grows and leaders reach retirement age, the sector is expected to face a scarcity of leadership. The survey examines if and how organizations are planning for these changes and how CEOs’ perceptions compare to Leadership Team perceptions.

Some of the top survey findings include:

• 90% of CEOs perceive their organizations provide next generation leaders with access to development opportunities compared to only 52% of Leadership Team members.
• 87% of CEOs state that succession planning is very important, yet less than 30% have a planned transition policy in place.
• 62% of Leadership Team members aspire to become CEO, but only 27% report they feel ready to take that role today.

Click here to access the full report in Waldron’s Knowledge Center.

By Charlotte Dawkins

In a world where information constantly bombards us, where there is always something “trending,” the concept of megatrends is something that PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is looking at closely. PwC opens Global Washington’s 6^th Annual Conference on Wednesday, December 3 with a presentation of their recent study outlining five megatrends.

PwC defines megatrends as “macroeconomic forces that are shaping the world” and states that they are “factual and often backed by verifiable data.” The five megatrends include society’s biggest challenges and opportunities, and are as follows:^[1]

1. Accelerating Urbanization
2. Climate Change and Resource Scarcity
3. Demographic Shifts
4. Shift in Global Economic Power
5. Technological Breakthroughs

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Ross Reynolds interviews Carolyn Anderman, director of international programs for One By One, a Seattle-based group helping women in Africa recover from a devastating birth complication called obstetric fistula.  Affected women are often shunned in their communities for a condition that can be fixed with a $500 operation.

Listen to the interview at http://kuow.org/post/500-operation-can-change-lives-african-women.

By Jesse Lee

This is the second in a series of articles written by the Adventure in Focus team. While traveling throughout Southeast Asia, AIF is documenting the projects of several GlobalWA member organizations that are working on the ground in the region. Jesse submitted this article from Thailand, while working with Bill Taylor of SE Asia Children’s Foundation.

Bill Taylor, the energetic and affable founder of SE Asia Children’s Foundation, is retired. You wouldn’t know it by spending time with him, though. He spends three to four months each year in Southeast Asia, visiting the projects he works year-round to fund. His foundation, a long-time Global Washington member, is helping children – especially girls – break the cycle of poverty into which they were born and from which they are not likely to escape without outside assistance. Bill’s positivity is infectious and his love for his work is present in everything he does. A former management consultant, he uses the knowledge and skills that he’s accumulated throughout his career to help build capacity, train leaders and strategize for organizations in Southeast Asia that are helping at-risk children obtain a stable and nurturing environment. Continue Reading

By Alyssa Brooks, the Snow Leopard Trust, a Global Washington member

On November 13, a group of executive and program directors gathered for Global Washington’s ED Roundtable to discuss a challenge that all NGO leaders face: fundraising. Brad Rutherford, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), led the lively discussion and talked about the success he’s had in his almost 15 years with the Trust.

“Executive Directors wear many hats,” stated Rutherford. “Fundraising is similar in that it’s never one size fits all.” Rutherford described SLT’s three main sources of fundraising – Snow Leopard Enterprises, donors and subscriptions, and annual events. Continue Reading

by Mark Coffey, chief investment and operating officer, Global Partnerships, a Global Washington member

Mark Coffey (center) meets with a group of 75 Paraguayan farmers. These farmers have formed an association that sells to BioExport. They have also banded together to purchase the tractor pictured. They are hoping that their livelihoods will improve, and that they can one day become a cooperative. Photo © Global Partnerships.

Last week I traveled to Paraguay to meet with social enterprises, agricultural producers and a government official as part of our research into new investment opportunities. Nearly a quarter of Paraguay’s population lives below the poverty line, but the country’s underdeveloped economy is currently experiencing rapid economic growth. With this kind of growth comes the chance to catalyze and expand opportunity for people living in poverty. As I flew over much of the small, land-locked country in a tiny Beechcraft plane, I noticed the flatness of the land, its many rivers, and the countless tracts of well-watered but unused farmland. It is evident that Paraguay’s agricultural sector has tremendous potential for growth.

Social enterprises

During my five days in Paraguay I was able to visit four social enterprises:

• BioExport and ARASY, two agricultural organizations that provide technical assistance and access to (and processing for) export markets. They serve smallholder farmers growing sesame and chia as well as more traditional products like cotton and rice;
• Fundacion Paraguaya, which provides credit and integrated services to people living at the base of the economic pyramid; and
• Elevate Business, which provides business training to young, emerging small and micro entrepreneurs (SME’s) who have high potential to absorb and implement concepts for markedly improving their business. Some of their clients include Fundacion Paraguaya’s clients. In the past decade, many farmers with land holdings under 8 hectares (approximately 20 acres) have realized the benefit of enriching their soil and their incomes by converting from one traditional crop (such as rice, beans, corn, and cotton) to higher priced products such as sesame and chia. Thanks to the efforts of social enterprises such as BioExport and ARASY, hereafter referred to as “outgrowers,” there is a developing export market for these higher-priced products. To scale the opportunity to more farmers, we need to build up an ecosystem where access to financing, technical assistance and markets is readily available.

To read the full article, click here.

By Tim Hanstad, President & CEO of Landesa and board member of Global Washington

China is launching what is perhaps the most ambitious land registration system in history, seeking to document and protect property rights to more than one billion plots of land across the countryside.

Read more: http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1631165/depriving-women-farmers-land-rights-will-set-back-china

By Christine Pinho, Data Analyst at Big Water Consulting, a Global Washington member

We live in the age of data. It’s a well-used buzzword, a trending topic among a wide range of people from marketers and social media experts to business analysts and tech nerds. This is for good reason: data does help organizations manage themselves more efficiently and plan better.

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By Liv Froehlich

Ghana is a nation that has always produced some of the world’s most essential national resources, from gold to cocoa. However, when the country discovered 3 billion barrels of sweet crude oil beneath its soil in 2007, it drastically changed the country’s standing in the global economy. With expected revenues averaging $1 billion per year, the question on everyone’s mind was how the country would choose to spend this revenue windfall.

On Sept. 22, Oxfam America, Global Washington and Seattle University’s Poverty Education Center hosted a panel discussion about Ghana’s Oil for Food Initiative. This initiative focuses on directing oil revenue towards the promotion of sustainable and inclusive development through agriculture modernization. Continue Reading