View source for Social Enterpirse Meeting Notes 2-22-12

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	todays notes
Date: 	Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:21:24 -0500
From: 	elise moussa <elise . moussa @ gmail . com>

Attendees: Elise, jk @ redsunpress.com, laurie . gta @ gmail . com, eric from allston, Monica Poole, Estelle, eli , Liam, Martin Dagoberto staceycordeiro @ gmail . com, terry mollner, bill @ billcimbrelo . com, Matt Carroll , Terra Friedrichs, john ford, Ravi Mishra Rene Perez 

from Elise...

I would like to thank each and every one of you for connecting, sharing ideas, your passion and desire to make our world, our community a better place. Thank you 


Here are tonight's notes: 

To access, please create a google account and if I missed notes, feel free to edit. Note: you need a google email account I believe to access the notes. If you can't, please see the notes below. Thank you 



* purpose of meeting<br>

- connect<br>
- $<br>
- how<br>
- needs<br>
    
*intros (please insert your answers into the google notes)
<br>
- who are you?<br>
- what do you want to do?<br>
- what do you bring to the table?<br>
 
*opportunities
<br>
- occupy the economy<br>
- take movement to next phase
<br>
- education / using media<br>
- close waste / loopholes<br>
- beyond human capital<br>
- full system thinking<br>
- space<br>
- progressive left splinters<br>
- cultural zeitgeist<br>
- taking advantage of "the brand"
<br>
- timing, widespread discontent
<br>
- lack of jobs
<br>
- need-survival
<br>
- crisis → obviously not sustainable
<br>
- co-ops are better
<br>
- hope of freedom from capitalist strategy
<br>
- freeing talent
<br>
- edge of the earth
<br>
- tech skills<br>
- web<br>
- document our experience to guide the next wave
<br>
- regionalism
<br>
- age of adaption
<br>
- solutions to bring to the movement
<br>
- grow power by sharing
<br>
- freedom from tyranny
<br>
- co-ops can start with little money / resources by growing together<br>
- co-creation customers
<br>
- status quo no longer an option and its a matter of fact now that we have to do something different
<br>
- moment has come where we no longer point to the problems but devise solutions, co-ops, social enterprises to address social problems<br>
- process of innovation and social contribution<br>

    
* challenges<br>
- how to structure
<br>
- no traditional stake<br>
- “property”
<br>
- left splintered / ing<br>

    
* tasks
<br>
- educate
<br>
- fine space to operate
<br>
- next meeting?
<br>
- find templates/case studies for successful operational models for the group to read/explore<br>

    
* Resources
<br>
- Terry will send an article about the Mondragon cooperative<br>
- lists of advice and funding shared onsite. see Social Enterprise Group page at the bottom for links.  see also below<br>

    
* operational models<br>
- models for success<br>
- everyone need separate building or desk, computers, experts<br>

    
* talent<br>
   
* list of questions for those seeking to start co-ops<br>
   
* How to get money by Terry
<br>
- most people use money from friends & family, credit cards with 0%
<br>
- Boston Community Loan Fund – their job is to make loans to businesses 550 million all over the USA (Boston is one of most progressive ones)
<br>
- CDFI – nonprofits set up across USA that make loans to businesses in low income areas, but now anything that creates jobs is OK for them, especially cooperatives
<br>
- Terry is a founder of the Social investment $6 billion and loaned to many business only that are socially responsible companies
<br>
- we must plug in to the resources that already exist
<br>
- start with Boston Community Loan Fundraising
<br>
- Mondragon (umbrella to 250 co-ops) makes a loan to start a business always start with a grup of people, they choose a group that gorups chooses a member to get trained to run the business for 2 years and buy enough land around the factory, they person stays for 2 years to put business together<br>


*what's so beautiful about what they do is no equity, 13%loan interest for first loan, second at 7% and stay with people, down to just giving money. If these fail: management, employees, capital product – they never abandon the original people so if product doesn't work out, they get a new product
<br>
- there is a ration of highest paid person (5:1)<br>
- culture of joy so they retain talent<br>
- take priority to common good, create more jobs
<br>
- because the workers own the company they aren't afraid of heirarchy (note that we could use different language – hierarchy by process NOT people)
<br>
- they gave priority to the social good and that's why they survived<br>
- they treasure talent rather than be threatened by that<br>
- they have their own school, university, you never get fired, when economy is bad, they send you back to school because that is a contribution to the common good
<br>
- capital flow is key<br>
- note: doesn't have to be a co-operative as long as it has a priority for the common good
<br>
- the millions of people around the world that paid attention to Occupy said we are ready for the next stage of human evolution → we are all in this together, giving priority to the common good it's no longer about capitalism OR socialism (at full maturity that's why people responded)
<br>
- the human species is fully ready<br>

* there are 3 stages:
<br>
- outrage first (occupy did it in 2 months, MLK in 10 years)
<br>
- unilateral action
<br>
- political resolution<br>
- to get this out there, DO IT & pay attention to how you do it
<br>
- just how Laurie, Liam, & Elise do it for example<br>


* we could also do workshops
<br>
- Culture is here, occupy is the culture
<br>
- Elise mentioned social entrepreneurship and provided resources on it & suggested Boston start something like Mondragon in Boston & a pool of money for social entreprises to start in Boston
<br>
- Boston Community Fund can help start a Boston Mondragon & see below for options Stacy provided for other sources of funding<br>


* Stacy speaks:
- ICA group does consulting & some lending
<br>
- cooperative fund of new england & an equity fund
<br>
- they have a lot of money that they need to get out (collaterized loans)<br>
- Chomsky says that cooperation is inescapable and fundamental in nature, and we don;t have a choice but to give priority cooperation<br>
- Ghandi: primary intentions is belief, secondary intention and behavior<br>

    

* next steps/goals for next meeting:<br>
- to have people talk about their organizations and businesses for ten minutes like Investor Circle in two sections<br>
- one those that are ready: .i.e. Liam, Elise, others to give advice, give feedback, brainstorm
<br>
- those that are ideas to start<br>


* Terra to take a task to find co-ops that need workers & find a way for people that what to offer something, job board<br>

* education platform (Elise)<br>

* Stacy has a list of co-ops<br>

* list resources of books etc, talent matching<br>

* facilitator for next meeting<br>

* Terra proposed to get conference room with investors there for people to present or a smaller workshop for co-ops/social business proposals<br>

* next step: to meet again in 2 weeks for us to talk about our plans or ideas for group feedback<br>

* set up a doodle poll or email for meeting in 2 weeks<br>

* Bill Drayton tomorrow at harvard http://www.law.harvard.edu/calendar/opiaevents/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d98634864
<br>