Small business owners, take note: For the $99,000 it spent on social media marketing and public relations, Seventh Generation, the eco-friendly laundry detergent, had sales of $27.5 million (not including sales at Walmart), a 1 percent share of the laundry detergent market.

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How do Small Businesses Grow? Experience and Money

by Geri Stengel on Jan 20, 2011 - 12:11am

federal reserve job creation networking Small Business small business loans small business training

"The U.S. economy looks to be in better shape, but a full recovery will only be achieved once small firms begin to prosper" and "We do want businesses that are viable and have good business plans and lots of experience backing them up to get loans."

Both those statements come from Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve as quoted in The Wall Street Journal.

Collaboration, Social Media: They're Happening Already

by Geri Stengel on Jan 18, 2011 - 12:11am

collaboration FITE integrity Kiva micro-finance Nonprofit Social Media social media women entrepreneurs Women Entrepreneurship

Synergy: That's the word that comes to mind when I read about the new micro-finance program to help women businesses here and abroad that brings together the knowledge and skills of a nonprofit, a for-profit, social media, and public figures who generate a lot of buzz.

Wikileaks Raises Questions For Nonprofits, Small Businesses

by Geri Stengel on Jan 13, 2011 - 12:20am

content ownership free speech internet security net neutrality Nonprofit Small Business Social Media social media privacy

The Wikileaks controversy no longer is just about state secrets. It now involves Twitter, Google and Facebook as well as internet freedom, and limits on journalism. Anyone who uses social media or email should be concerned.

I certainly am.

Just What Is a "Socialpreneur?"

by Geri Stengel on Jan 11, 2011 - 12:17am

social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship social media socialpreneur Trends values-driven

It's the era of word creation: anything beginning with "i" as in iPhone or "e" as in e-marketing and, it seems, anything ending in "-preneur" as in solo-preneur.

But with no one standardizing definitions, the process has gotten out of hand; conglomerate words are taking on multiple meanings. Case in point: socialpreneur.

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NPR Is Lesson To Us All: Policies Must Be Clear, Known

by Geri Stengel on Jan 7, 2011 - 12:20am

Commentary / Opinion free speech journalism policy Social Media social media

Act in haste, repent at leisure. NPR is the living proof of that.

Having fired its reporter, Juan Williams, for a comment made on Fox News, the radio station opened itself up to vilification by everyone the left for Williams allegedly anti-Muslim comment and the right for violating the free speech rights of Williams.

Impact Investing Gets A Boost From JPMorgan Chase

by Geri Stengel on Jan 6, 2011 - 12:12am

Commentary / Opinion Impact Investing impact investment JPMorgan Chase Scaling Social Impact Social Entrepreneurship social impact social responsibility Social Responsibility

Whoa, wait a minute: Am I dreaming? Is this Christmas Future still dusting my eyes with what a wonderful life it could be?

No, I'm awake and the dream-like fantasies are hard facts, well, maybe not hard facts but publicized statements of the socially responsible world to come.

Mission Fit Essential in Cause Marketing Programs

by Geri Stengel on Jan 4, 2011 - 7:54am

cause marketing guidelines Nonprofit nonprofit integrity Tips

Good news! Companies will have spent $1.61 billion on cause marketing in 2010, up 6% from 2009, according to International Events Group.

What's not to like about increased income for nonprofits and increased customer loyalty for businesses?

Nothing, as long as the cause-marketing partnerships are genuine, compatible, and do what they say they will do for the cause involved. Anything less calls into question the integrity of the nonprofit and may harm the ability of the sector to use this very good fundraising technique.