Student innovation in Indiana, and other stories of nonprofit innovation

Roundup from around the web

The STARTedUP Foundation is creating an ecosystem for student entrepreneurs in Indiana. According to founder Don Wettrick , programming is designed to encourage students to adopt a ‘problems as opportunities’ mindset. Mentors helps students prepare their pitch, build their business plan, and compete in a state wide pitch competition. Read about the remarkable winning innovations here.

A Michigan nonprofit, River Jordan Inc. , supports teens who are aging out of foster care and at risk of homelessness “I went through about 20 different placements and group homes throughout that 11-year stint, and I aged out of foster care at 18 into homelessness.” ?Read the story here, hat tip to The Chronicle of Philanthropy ?

Do you have a seemingly wild idea for your nonprofit?

We shouldn't discount the power of our own ideas. Innovation can be messy and that’s OK. Sheril Mathews writes about how the Iphone was once a dumb idea.

At the nonprofit where I work, our board wisely tells us it is OK to fail as long as we are experimenting and learning. Experimentation, trial and error is just as important for us in nonprofits as it is in the for profit world. I enjoyed this thoughtful piece by Dimitri Glazkov about The Gift of Failure.

What I've been up to...

It was an honor to serve as a cocreation facilitator at a 2-day workshop on Ocean Health. Scholars from a variety of disciplines, policy experts, and practitioners from academia, NGOs, and industry came together to explore solutions for overfishing. ?With roughly one-third of the world’s fisheries overtaxed and the World Trade Organization building momentum for reform, this is an important issue. Thanks to the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh and Mercatus Center at George Mason University for hosting!

What a treat! Honored to speak to thoughtful nonprofit leaders and social change innovators in the Western Pennsylvania region, in the monthly "Call for Community Solutions.” With special thanks to hosts Erin Patton , Hannah Karolak, Ph.D. ?and? The Forbes Funds .

In nonprofits, how do we know if what we are doing is working? Enjoyed a fun and candid conversation this week with the Nonprofit Executive Leadership class at University of North Carolina Wilmington. Thanks for hosting, Dr.? Kara Lawrence !

Pleased to learn that Innovation for Social Change is now in?in a whopping 260 libraries?worldwide!?Thrilled by the many touching?reader reviews on Amazon?and?Goodreads. If you’ve read?Innovation for Social Change, would you please consider leaving a review? So grateful for this community of social change innovators!