Ever since Barak Obama managed to raise $6.9 million out of $25 million through small donations on the web, 92% of which were $100 or less, many involved in the non-profit world started to understand the potential of crowd sourcing small “micro-donations” instead of, or in addition to, the traditional approach of getting small numbers of large donations. Micro-donations are generally under $10 per person, with the idea being to crowdsource very large numbers of donors. A good example of an organization that maximizes the potential of micro-donations is Kiva. Kiva’s fund-raising activity takes place almost exclusively on the web, where it allows donors to make small donations to finance small businesses in developing countries. Kiva uses the ...

It's that time of year again: the next Entrepreneur Breakfast meeting is coming up, and we've got an amazing speaker lined up for you. Ruth Shlossman, Principal at the Washington DC-based negotiation consulting firm, Watershed Associates, will be the guest speaker at the upcoming Entrepreneur Breakfast meeting on Monday, September 17, 2007. Ruth will be talking about “Best Negotiating Practices…Learn the basic, universal, key negotiating practices that create a win-win outcome.” Watershed Associates provides consultative training in negotiation skills worldwide, and has served global corporations such as Coca-Cola, General Electric, NASA, and Rolls Royce, to name just a few on ...

[Go to the end of this post to see the original ad] If any of us thought that the West was going to work to stop Iran from developing nuclear capabilities, at least economically if not militarily, then think again. The following pretty much indicates that profit, even the smallish profit derived from newspaper advertising, is way more important then the lives of little ol' you and me. Ad: Looking for ethically-challenged people to build Iran's nuclear reactor Let's say you're a despot trying to build up your nuclear powers. You've got one nuclear reactor in the making that will hopefully soon be able to blow whole cities into oblivion. So far so good. But let's say you want to be able to ...

It is apparent that many women find the work environment to be a hostile place. Stories abound about women being asked all manners of inappropriate questions in interviews, such as if they have children, do they plan on having children, what does their husband think of their career, etc. Employers want assurance that work will come above all else, and an employee must commit to that work ethic or else. For mothers of small children, this approach is particularly problematic. As we know, children are unpredictable. They can get sick, they can have vacations, and they may just want and need attention. All of this demands time and understanding, something rare in the workplace. Many newspapers ...

A recent conversation on the Digital Eve Israel mailing list brought up the topic of pregnancy and the workplace. While the law in Israel states that employers cannot fire pregnant women, this is apparently not enforced and many stories were related by women on the list who were fired when pregnant or upon return from maternity leave. Many didn't sue their former employers because they didn't have the energy, resources, or hope that it would help the situation. Suing, however, can be effective. An article from Haaretz was cited that reported on a case in September where the court ruled that a company ...

Thank You for Smoking is the first good movie I've seen in a long time. The characters are great, the script is brilliant, and it addresses interesting issues like moral relativism, political correctness, and our responsibility to our children. All of this takes place around a man who defends the tobacco industry to the world. We all know that cigarettes are bad for us. They have been linked to diseases, diminished quality of life, and death. The general consensus is that smoking is bad, and therefore someone who spends their life defending cigarette producers is obviously morally questionable. But cigarettes are a clear cut case. How ...

If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die. William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), "Twelfth Night", Act 1 scene 1 Humans are creative beings with a strong creative impulse, and this comes into play in almost all realms of our lives. Even in business, a seemingly dry and uncreative pursuit, art and creativity play important roles. From logos to taglines, businesses use art to peak the interest of clients. In addition, managers of companies often get a "spark" of creative insight or inspiration that drives them to introduce a new product, feature or service for the ...

I hold a lot of business meetings at a certain café on Emek Refaim. This particular café is great because it has wireless Internet, great food, friendly service, and ambience. And to top it all off, they have the Tav Chevrati, which is a kind of social certification indicating that, among other things, their workers get paid minimum wage and on time (in many places the workers have to depend on tips for their salary!), and they meet other criteria like handicap accessibility. Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) stopped by to grab a bite. Ok, it wasn't with me, and we were on either side of the restaurant, ...

If you're in business, one of your main goals is usually to provide an income to yourself and your family. Now, you can't just be in business to make money - you have to love what you do and enjoy "helping" others, i.e. your clients or customers. But this kind of "help" does not fall under the category of charitable giving, where helping takes the form of aiding those who are less fortunate with basics, like food, clothing and health care. I realized recently that a person in business can use their business connections and knowledge to truly help others in a charitable way: by helping people reach a state where they can sustain themselves with their own income, rather than ...