w1sd0m is a new online social networking community for impact entrepreneurs, investors, consultants and mentors. The w1sdom team defines itself as a group of “serial entrepreneurs, each grounded in a personal commitment to building a more sustainable (and therefore just) world.” The group is composed of entrepreneurs, advisors and investors, all who share an ambition and passion for working to solve global-scale problems. No issue is too daunting for w1sd0m to tackle; everything from poverty to food security to economic justice is a cause for collaboration.

w1sd0m aspires for continuous improvement; it uses the application of information technology to propel good intentions into real-world outcomes. Team members stress “collaboration, innovation, and profitability” as they apply to generating a more sustainable future. From the w1sd0m website’s team page, one can clearly see that this is a group that values achievements rather than titles. Team members are listed in order of joining, and described in terms of their responsibilities, interests and experience.

The senior staff, consultants and incubators at w1sd0m fulfill different roles in the process of connecting willing change agents with the ventures who need them. These functions include sharing business experience, applying specific subject-matter knowledge, and tracking performance and capital. Personnel focus on three kinds of enterprises through which they can best apply their energy and fervor for enacting real change:

• Earned Income Non-Profit – focus on solving social and environmental problems, usually dealing with international development but having local and regional goals
• Sustainable Business – offer a product or service that promotes the optimal use of human, natural and financial capital, and addresses the needs of all stakeholders
• Green Business – provide a product or service that benefits their community in sectors such as clean-tech or healthcare, but have not yet completely aligned their businesses’ requirements with the values of social justice and resource conservation

Anyone who wishes to join w1sd0m can begin by completing a brief survey on the organization’s website. If selected for the w1sd0m pilot program, one can gain more exposure to organization’s network. From there, the more the participant contributes, the more access to data and connections he or she receives. This process further illustrates w1sdom’s concentration on human connections and exchanges to work towards a better world.

The w1sd0m network of impact investors and social entrepreneurs collaborate in the real world too, at events like the June 2011 Impact Investing Collaboratory. This event, hosted by the 2011 LOHAS Forum, w1sd0m and the William James Foundation, provides an opportunity to network and share knowledge and experiences with other leaders in the emerging industry of impact investing.

Learn more by visiting www.w1sd0m.net.

Singlebrook is happy to share this story of technology for change! If you know of other great examples of T4C, we urge you to join our movement by sharing them in our LinkedIn Group: Singlebrook Technology for Change (T4C), or on Twitter using the hashtag: #SBT4C. Any tweets that use our hashtag will automatically get re-tweeted to our following.