New Partners, Global Digital Leaders Join +SocialGood Movement to Connect Global Communities Around Technology and New Media for Social Change

+SocialGood today announced new partnerships with the Caterpillar Foundation, Cisco, and Enactus.

The new +SocialGood partners will provide strategic support to +SocialGood; a global community movement made up of innovators, social entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from more than 120 countries around the world working together to accelerate positive social change through technology and social media.

The Caterpillar Foundation, Cisco and Enactus join Mashable, the United Nations Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, the Case Foundation, and the 92nd Street Y as strategic associates in this global engagement platform.

“Enactus believes that building communities which foster entrepreneurial thinking and creativity is essential to accelerating positive social change,” said Alvin Rohrs, President and CEO, Enactus. “We are proud to partner with +SocialGood through this innovative platform to enable people from around the world to take meaningful action by applying their talents, passions and ideas toward creating a better world.

“At Cisco, we believe the power of people, technology and innovation coming together can multiply the impact of positive change in the world. Our partnership with +SocialGood will help ignite those possibilities,” said Harbrinder Kang, Sr. Director for Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility.

“The Caterpillar Foundation’s partnership with +SocialGood is critical to our work alleviating poverty worldwide by educating women and girls,” said Michele Sullivan, President, Caterpillar Foundation. “We are proud to work with this stellar team.”

+Social Good Advisors and Connectors

+SocialGood also announced its inaugural class of +SocialGood Advisors and +SocialGood Connectors. The Advisors and Connectors are pioneers in new media, technology and social change from around the world. They bring proven track records for bringing together big ideas and new opportunities, and creating impact in their communities through technology and social media.

Advisors and Connectors will help to foster a diverse and truly global community from around the world, identifying emerging voices, ideas and projects that are making a difference around the world, and empowering the broader +SocialGood community to network across issues and regions.

The +SocialGood Advisors will provide strategic counsel, connections and help identify social good innovations emerging within their communities and networks.

The inaugural class includes:

•     Maria Ressa, Founder and CEO of Rappler.com, Manila, The Philippines
•     Esther Agbarakwe, Activist and founder of the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition, Abuja, Nigeria
•     Sartaj Anand, founder, EgoMonk Bangalore, India
•     Carolina De Andrade, Director, Social Good Brazil, Florianopolis, Brazil
•     Ismaël Le Mouël, founder of Mail for Good and Social Good Week in France, Paris, France

To learn more about the +SocialGood Advisors, visit http://www.plussocialgood.org/Article/Tag/Advisors/.

The first class of +SocialGood Connectors are leaders in their social good communities who are facilitating convenings and conversations that are bringing together entrepreneurs, innovators, institutions and ideas to tackle global issues and create opportunities. The +SocialGood Connectors have planned meet-ups in their home communities and are making connections with the worldwide social good movement to share lessons learned and identify ways that people are driving positive social change. They include:

•     Ismail Chaib, Algeria
•     Nishe Modoyan, Armenia
•     Holly Ransom, Australia
•     Jennifer Corriero, Canada
•     Julian Ugarte, Chile
•      Hazem Khaled, Egypt
•     Mac-Jordan Degadjor, Ghana
•     Meera Vijayann, India
•     Hiroyasu Ichikawa, Japan
•     Mark Kaigwa, Kenya
•     Grace Clapham, Singapore
•     Aurelie Salvaire, Spain
•     Sebastian Lindstrom, Sweden
•     Noa Gafney, Switzerland
•     Nicolò Wojewoda, UK
•     Ruben Cantu, USA
•     Yangbo Du, USA

To learn more about the +SocialGood Connectors, visit: http://www.plussocialgood.org/Article/Stream/Connectors/.

About the Community

Social Good is a global community inspired by the Social Good Summit. Since its launch in May 2013, more than 1500 innovators, social entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from over 120 countries around the world have come together around a shared vision: Leveraging the power of technology and new media to collaborate and partner to make the world a better place.

Through a dynamic mix of online connections and real-world events, +SocialGood provides a place where connectors can collaborate, share best practices, influence local and global agendas, and find new ways to translate their vision into action. More than 50 independent +SocialGood events have already taken place or are being planned.

Watch this video and learn more about +SocialGood: http://www.plussocialgood.org/Post/a4feb39e-d678-4e5d-96d5-af4d20b1e68b/.

The community will come together this September 22-24 around the Social Good Summit in New York with close to 100 meetups already slated for the week.

To learn more about the partners, please visit: 92nd Street Y, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Case Foundation, the Caterpillar Foundation Mashable, United Nations Foundation, UN Development Programme, Cisco , and Enactus.

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92nd Street Y
92Y is a world-class nonprofit community and cultural center that connects people at every stage of life to the worlds of education, the arts, health and wellness, and Jewish life. Through the breadth and depth of 92Y’s extraordinary programs, 92Y enriches lives, creates community and elevates humanity. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y in New York City annually and many more connect through digital and social media, live webcasts of events, and an extensive archive of stage programs and original content produced for the web, all available on 92YOnDemand.org. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its heritage and enthusiastically welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. For more information, visithttp://www.92Y.org/.

Sarah Morton, smorton(at)92Y(dot)org, 212-415-5435

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

media(at)gatesfoundation(dot)org, 206-709-3400

Case Foundation
Established by Jean and Steve Case in 1997, the Case Foundation invests in people and ideas that can change the world. In our efforts to address social challenges, we unite the principles of entrepreneurship, innovation and technology to identify, test, prove and scale ideas and models designed to create exponential impact.

Allyson Burns, allysonb(at)casefoundation(dot)org, 202-467-2059

Caterpillar Foundation
Caterpillar Inc. supports the philanthropic efforts of the Caterpillar Foundation. Founded in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed more than $550 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by providing program support in the areas of environmental sustainability, access to education and basic human needs. To learn more, please visit: http://www.caterpillar.com/foundation/.

Lisa Miller, Miller_Lisa_M(at)cat(dot)com, 309-675-1000

Cisco
Cisco is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected.

For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.

Enactus
Enactus is an international NGO dedicated to enabling progress through entrepreneurial action. We provide a platform for teams of university students to create community development projects that put people’s own ingenuity and talents at the center of improving their lives. Guided by educators and supported by business leaders, our students depart the comfort of the classroom and the ambiguities of theory to improve the lives of others by taking the kind of entrepreneurial approach that empowers people to be a part of their own success. Our work transforms both the lives of the people we serve, and, in turn, the lives of our students as they develop the character and competence to become values-driven leaders.

Mat Burton, Chief Marketing Officer, Enactus, mburton(at)enactus(dot)org

Mashable
Mashable is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable’s 25 million unique visitors and 11 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged online news communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.

Trevor Gowan, Trevor(at)Mashable(dot)com, 646-747-6796

United Nations Development Programme
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in 177 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

Boaz Paldi, boaz.paldi(at)undp(dot)org, 212-906-6801

United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals.

Joshua Lamont, jlamont(at)unfoundation(dot)org, 202-887-9040