My guest for the 180th Terms of Reference Podcast, is exceedingly passionate about networks. Sara Farley is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of the Global Knowledge Initiative, an organization that builds purpose-driven networks to deliver innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. You're going to love this conversation about how networks can be leveraged to locate resources, enable collaboration, connect participants and, ultimately, find solutions to problems.

My guest for the 179th Terms of Reference Podcast has an idea that he hopes will end the use of charcoal. Dr. Sebastian Rodriguez-Sanchez is the CEO and Co-Founder of KopaGas, a technology solutions provider of Advanced Metering Infrastructure for energy utilities. KopaGas has developed and deployed the first commercial pay-as-you-cook platform for propane.

I’m especially pleased to have Claire Wasserman as my guest for the 178th Terms of Reference Podcast. Claire is the founder of Ladies Get Paid - an organization focused, currently, on empowering women in the workplace. I found Claire when seeking to learn more about Red Bull Amaphiko, where she is the Deputy US editor. But our conversation quickly turns to how Ladies Get Paid was founded and has quickly expanded into a phenomenon of 10,000 women... and growing.

As I think you'll agree after listening to today's 177th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, my guest, Troy Etulain, has a job that seems quite a bit more play than work. He's the project director of FHI360s Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research project, or mSTAR for short, and he's also the head of FHI's digital development unit.

My guest for today's 176th Terms of Reference Podcast is Jodi Nelson who is IRC's Senior Vice President, Policy and Practice. Jodi has overall strategic and operational responsibility for IRC program technical units – including Research and Evaluation and Global Advocacy and Strategic Communications. And, for long time listeners, you already know all this as she was also a guest way back in 2014 on show number 33.

My guest for the 175th Terms of Reference Podcast is Sanjay Prasad. He's working in an area where there is abundant, but very intermittent water supplies. His innovation, delivered under the project name SPONGE, captures water from dew and fog and transfers it to the soil where it can keep plants thriving.

For the 174th Terms of Reference Podcast I speak with Trupti Jain of Naireeta Services about BHUNGROO an unique application of Aquifer Storage and Recovery process for storm water management by enabling farmers to convert challenges like flood/water logging in monsoon and drought in summer into lifelong food security, rural livelihood and climate change mitigation opportunities.

My guest for the 173rd Terms of Reference Podcast is Edward Elliot who manages the Patents for Humanity program. For those inventors out there, you're going to find this conversation extremely useful and potentially rewarding. For the rest of us Aidpreneurs, our conversation is a fun and surprising discussion about past awardees and the massive impact they've had on global issues.

Whenever I hear about a new, innovative approach to higher education - especially one that engages students, rather than locking them into a system - I want to know more. My guest for the 172nd Terms of Reference Podcast, Eric Glustrom, is the CEO and President of Watson. Watson is a new university model tailored for next generation innovators, leaders, and social entrepreneurs.

For people like Stephen Lennon, my guest for the 171st Terms of Reference Podcast, delivering positive outcomes in turbulent situations is his sweet spot. Stephen is the Director of the Office of Transition Initiatives for the US Government. OTI helps local partners advance peace and democracy by providing fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs.

Today's guest for the 170th episode of the Terms of Reference Podcast, Muthoni Masinde, is also a future thinker. But she also remembers and knows how to honor the past. Her invention that we discuss on this episode - an innovation to detect drought - combines the latest in sensor and mobile technologies, with the indigenous knowledge of local farmers.

When I think of innovating for food, well, I have to admit I’m usually focused on how my family can make dinner something special. Finding a way out of the rut of eating the same food as my children is a pain. But I know, that you know, we’re not here to talk about how I can become an Iron Chef. The accelerator was launched in 2016 to identify, support and scale high potential solutions to hunger worldwide.

My guest for today's 167th Terms of Reference Podcast is Badal Malick. Nadal is the CEO of Catalyst, an organization focused on helping India's small businesses and low income consumers unlock the power of digital payments to gain access to broader financial services and create opportunities vital to their future prosperity.

My guest is Alix Zwane. She and I explore an alternative to the theory of change approach - what she and her colleagues call being venture or entrepreneur driven. Alex is the CEO of the Global Innovation Fund, a $200 million fund that takes a venture capital approach to supporting entrepreneurs and the scaling of evidence-based innovation in global health and development.

Its taken me a while to figure out how to introduce today’s topic. Not because its totally radical - but rather, because my brain is freaking out that its something I have to introduce in the year 2017. So, I’ve decided the best approach is just to dive right in: Today’s topic is, essentially, freedom of the press.

Gavin Hayman is the Executive Director of the Open Contracting Partnership - an organization that seeks to open up public contracting through disclosure, data and engagement so that the huge sums of money involved are spent honestly, fairly, and effectively.

My guest for today’s 163rd Terms of Reference Podcast is Jamie Bay Nishi. Only a few months ago, Jamie took over the leadership role at the Global Health Technologies Coalition - an advocacy organization in the health sector.

For as long as I’ve been in the social sector, there has been a consensus that those organizations who depend mostly on grant funding (whether from government or foundations or private donors) need to find better, and more sustainable ways to partner with the private sector, or more specifically, for-profit companies. The main reason behind this drive is the assumption that the for-profit world has resources and capabilities that can help socially focused programming achieve sustainability,...

My guest for the 161st Terms of Reference Podcast, Pavel Richter, sits at one of the focal points of open data movement. He is is the CEO of Open Knowledge International. I’m sure you’ll enjoy our conversation, where we discuss topics such as what open data means, the ethics of open data, where open data “lives”, if open data used for “evil” and even how different cultures interpret what “open” means.

You’ve heard me lament more than a few times on this podcast about the fact that innovation in the social sector is often times synonymous with technology. We talk a lot about how phones and apps and data are accelerating change and opening up opportunities for those in need. And, of course, being something of a super geek, I admit I love these conversations. But, I’m also aware of this narrow focus, and so, when I get a chance to highlight other forms of innovation, I pounce. The innovator...

The availability of continuous power - that is, the assumption that you can plug in an appliance, or flip a switch without wondering whether or not electrons will flow - is a hallmark of civilization. So much so, that a great deal of what holds up our global economy would not be possible without the assurance that we can keep the lights on (or at least turn them on) 24/7. So, what do you do when the power goes out? Do you call your local utility? Do you investigate your community breaker...

I’d like to start today’s episode with a quick, informal poll. Ask yourself: as a social sector professional, do you regularly receive calls or emails from the people who you’re trying to help where they ask - with great anticipation - about when the next version of your project or programme will be released? While this regularly happens for other sectors, like mobile phones, automobiles, and fashion, for the vast majority of us in the social sector, the answer to this question is,...

If there is any one question I get asked more than any other from professionals in the social sector, it is some variation of this: “How do I raise money for my organization, cause or program?” And, there is usually a quick follow up that goes something like, “and, how do I raise money sustainably?” Fundraising, marketing, business development, sales… call it what you want… will always be the greatest problem for the social sector. The reason I know this is because it remains the greatest...

A great deal of the actual “work” delivered in the social sector comes in the form of services. Of these services, the lowest hanging fruit is skill building, often known as capacity building. But there are, of course, many other flavors of services - everything from helping to draft policies and plans, to the know-how behind running a power grid, to mapping service centers for at-risk youth. My point here is that delivering services is a tried and tangible means for getting your hands dirty...