Looking out my office window at the road works below, I see a motorist and a cop arguing. I shake my head knowingly -- we do hold fast to our views, don't we? (I'm not thinking about a certain Florida pastor here, not at all.)
If you want to shake things up -- to start seeing the world in a new way -- you need to book a flight to San Francisco right now. Because one of the most important events on the New Radical calendar is happening there on October 4-6.
It's the third annual SOCAP conference. And it's based on a world-changing idea: that the private sector can help us solve the social and environmental challenges we face. More, that investors increasingly want to direct their resources toward ventures that have a positive impact, not just make money. (I've written about this social capital event before; here's SOCAP 2008 and SOCAP 2009.)
And, my, how it's grown. This year, everyone who's involved in this sector will be there: foundations and corporations, institutional investors and social enterprises, high-net-worth individuals and philanthropic advisors. And people looking to transition their careers to "good works" (I call us "New Radicals" -- for more, please see archived articles). Quite the heady mix of ideas and approaches, all struggling to make it work.
SOCAP is so big that the conference has been divided into five tracks: tactical philanthropy, mobile technology, food systems, sustainable development, new money and impact investing. And all kinds of satellite events are popping up, too.
If, like me, you'd love to be there but can't make it happen, you can still take part. SOCAP community site is a great way to stay connected. You can also follow SOCAP on Twitter: #SOCAP10. Of course, bloggers will be there, too.
And if you really want to stay in the loop from now on, sign up for SOCAP producer and Good Capital founder Kevin Jones' newsletter. The next edition goes out on Monday, September 13th. Sign up on the SOCAP site.
And, finally, if you live in the Bay area, you might like to check out another venture that Kevin helped found, the Hub. It's a great space to work and meet like-minded people. And they're also launching a program called LifechangerU (details will be announced at SOCAP).
Now, it's your turn. Are you going to SOCAP 2010? Are you interested in the "intersection of money and meaning"? Are you a New Radical, or looking to become one? Please share your thoughts by commenting. Or send me a note: julia@wearethenewradicals.com.
Julia speaks at the Canadian Marketing Association "Make Your Mark" Women's Conference. If you're going to be in Toronto on October 7th, please join us.
Julia Moulden is an author, speaker, and columnist. Follow Julia Moulden on Twitter to keep track of the New Radicals, and to hear more about her new book. For more, please see Julia Moulden's HuffPost archive.