Submitted by: John Converse Townsend on 11/08/12

We recognize a good idea when we see it; so do you. Ashoka's social innovators have always been sourced from the crowd, whether through our nominator networks or through the collaborative competitions on Changemakers.com (you may have even voted for a few winners). Unfortunately, we haven’t always made it easy for donors to connect and support these amazing individuals. With the upcoming launch of our latest addition to the crowdfunding marketplace, Invest in Innovation, that’s about to change.

Invest in Innovation will allow you, dear reader, to combine both your philanthropy and goodwill with Ashoka’s expertise in sourcing top social entrepreneurs to support people and ideas that are changing systems worldwide. In other words, you can now directly sponsor your favorite up-and-coming Ashoka Fellows and their high-impact projects, helping them launch their careers in the social good sector. With donations as small as $10, it’s an easy and economical way to help these creative changemakers take their ideas to scale faster than ever before.

You'll be able to search for Fellows projects based on your passions—learn what the Fellow has already accomplished and find out how they plan to step their game up in the future. We’ll also be featuring group giving, which will allow you to pool resources between family, friends, and co-workers in support of a single Fellow. Invest in Innovation will also let users pick out Ashoka Fellow gift cards—we call them gifts that gives back—just in time for the upcoming holidays.

Ashoka has spent the last 30 years supporting social entrepreneurs in their efforts to create an “everyone a changemaker world.” Since Bill Drayton founded Ashoka in 1980, the Fellows have been the backbone of our organization. Our Invest in Innovation fundraising platform provides a unique opportunity to become an even bigger part of our theory of change.

“I didn't realized it at first, but we can all be changemakers, we can create a new society,” said human rights champion and Spanish Ashoka Fellow Ana Bella Estevez. “I remember when the government thought social entrepreneurs were the problem, but we wanted to show them that we are part of the solution. It's support from governments, from communities and from individuals that enables social innovators to share their business models and create a positive value for society.”

Let's make the world better together, changemakers. Get started today.