Find your passion, take action

Springboard Innovation supports Portland’s budding social entrepreneurs

By Rebecca Robinson
The Portland Upside
October 2009

Springboard Innovations’ changeXchange website is designed to get good ideas launched by exposing social projects to a community of potential investors.

Although the world’s problems can feel overwhelming at times, more and more ordinary people are stepping forward with creative ideas and a passion to make a positive impact in their local community. Rather than focusing on making money, they focus on making a difference. These innovative thinkers—who seek social rather than financial profit—have earned the label “social entrepreneurs.”

Yet even when the will is strong, the knowledge and skills are often missing. Many aspiring social entrepreneurs lack the business and marketing know-how necessary to bring their visionary ideas to fruition, let alone sustain them over time.

So how does Portland nurture these new social entrepreneurs?

One local organization, Springboard Innovation, has two signature programs to do just that. Local Agenda and changeXchange dovetail to benefit communities by nurturing sustainable, innovative ideas into reality.

Local Agenda is a 12-week course that anyone can take. For those with a passion for social change but no specific ideas, Local Agenda helps them find their niche. For those with a dream, like Cheryl Lohrmann, Local Agenda provides leadership skills and the support necessary to keep a great idea going.

Cheryl created Leave No Plastic Behind (LNPB), a community arts initiative that focuses on reducing the consumption of single-use plastics. LNPB was a successful start to Cheryl’s work, but she knew she wanted to expand her vision. After taking Local Agenda, she fleshed-out her ideas and founded a broader-reaching organization called Create Plenty (See “Cheryl Lohrmann leaves no plastic behind,”).

“I was looking at the Mercy Corps Northwest website for information on their business model,” says Cheryl, “because I had an idea but it came to the point where I realized I had to start some kind of work on developing it. I saw a description for Springboard’s Local Agenda program, and I clicked on it.”

Cheryl signed up for Local Agenda in the fall of 2008, where she learned how to put her ideas into action through the development of a sustainable business model complete with organizational name, purpose and budget.

“I am not a business person; I am an art major,” explains Cheryl. “But I don’t want to be a nonprofit dependent on grants from foundations which may fail. Which is why it was great to work with Springboard to develop a sustaining strategy… and get listed on changeXchange.”

changeXchange is a website designed to get good ideas launched by exposing projects to a community of potential investors. Seed funding is one of the biggest challenges social entrepreneurs face, and changeXchange helps bridge the gap by putting ideas together with start-up capital.

changeXchange allows anyone to review the projects listed and invest shares of $5 each in any of them. Once investors purchase shares, they can connect with the project launchers through an online forum called the Roundtable. Here they interact with the launchers and fellow investors, strengthening community ties and creating dialogue between the social entrepreneurs and their financial backers. Being included on the website gives projects like Cheryl’s Create Plenty the visibility and funding opportunities needed to get off the ground.

Cheryl sums up her experience with Springboard Innovation:

“It’s great to have Springboard to help build energy for the projects and keep the momentum going. They’re a great support network.”

Started in Portland, Springboard is a pioneer for educating and supporting social entrepreneurs, and its message is spreading. In March 2010, Springboard will hold a training to teach other cities around the country how to use Local Agenda to benefit their own communities.
_____

For more information about Springboard Innovation and changeXchange visit
www.springboardinnovation.org and www.thechangexchange.org or call 503-452-6898.

Rebecca Robinson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor based in Portland. Have a story that needs telling? Contact her at rebecca.michelle.robinson@gmail.com