During 2019 our total Impact Fund donations from 2019 totaled: $302,064
This included impact fund donation from membership fees, Necker Island trip fees raised and Kenya Impact experience. But this direct contribution is just one part of what we’ve accomplished together – there have been so many more ripples of Maverick impact…
We offset your air-miles for traveling to and from our events this year (190 tons of carbon altogether) through SeaGrass Grow by The Ocean Foundation.
January 2019: M3 Summit Cartagena, Colombia
We kicked off the first of the year in Cartagena, Colombia for our annual M3 Summit in January 2019. Our theme for M3 Summit 2019 was “Root Down. Rise Up.”
While in Cartagena we planted trees with Fundacion CoraJeM, helped to mentor local social entrepreneurs on Day 2, and we had lunch with a behind-the-scenes look at Interno, named in 2018 as one of Time magazine’s greatest places. We are always encouraged by seeing unique models for impact, and Interno is a restaurant adjoining a minimum-security facility for female prisoners. The idea is for inmates to learn hospitality skills designed to aid reintegration into society—including everything from cooking to customer service. It’s a unique model that is really working.
What’s more, we released our 2019 Impact focus for the year.
As you know, 2018 was all about the ocean with Global Goal #14…and this year we focused on Global Goal #17: “Partnership for the Goals.”
We thought long and hard about this and realized that one of the things we do naturally is bringing together different parties to make an impact, just as we’ve been doing for 11 years now by bringing together resources, talents, networks, icons, and cause partners.
March 2019: Hustle 2.0 Impact experience
Maverick members teamed up with MMT for a totally unique Hustle 2.0 Impact experience with co-founder Cat Hoke.
Hustle 2.0 provides incarcerated people with the training and tools they need to transform their lives, make an impact, and hustle. Hustle 2.0’s comprehensive curriculum is co-authored by industry-leading content experts and incarcerated people, with relatable, evidence-informed courses that are directly relevant to incarcerated people’s success while doing time and after release. In fact, the previous program, Cat, co-created with Defy Ventures, has an astoundingly tiny, single-digit percentage going back into prison as compared to the standard 70–80% recidivism rate.
Part of the speed mentoring was each maverick (that’s what program participants are called) sharing their business idea with you and then getting some quick advice from the volunteers. Then, at the end of the three rounds, you had one ticket to give to someone who you thought you’d invest in.
Read more about our Hustle 2.0 day here: https://yaniksilver.com/secondchances/
April 2019: Necker Island Experience with Sir Richard Branson
This year we celebrated 10 years of Necker Island JOY, IMPACT, and MAVERICK MISCHIEF!
The first Virgin Unite brainstorm was for an initiative called “100% Human at Work.” The foundation is for businesses to start thinking of people as human beings and not as resources and to move away from maximizing profits and profitability to focus on how we can help people achieve their highest potential and purpose – which will naturally positively impact the bottom line. We were tasked with the challenge of mobilizing a community of 50,000 businesses to become 100% Human. This then led to another focused brainstorm in New York to develop the strategy for leveraging and growing this initiative.
Even more exciting, in partnership with Virgin Unite, we announced the Maverick Mentorship program. Mavericks had the opportunity to provide guidance, help, and expertise to entrepreneurs who are using business as a force for good.
There are 3 ways to be involved in the Maverick Mentor Program:
1. Just-in-Time mentorship – You decide on the frequency and the format. Get connected with a small business owner that will reach out for advice on a needed basis.
2. Host a Webinar – you choose the topic!
3. Join aboard for 6 months. Help accelerate an established small business with more than $1M in annual revenue into exponential growth. The boarding program is run and managed by the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.
More information to get involved here: www.maverick1000.com/mentor
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Chris Hay at Chris@maverickdna.com
August 2019: Camp Maverick
We celebrated our 5th year of Camp, and this one was truly over the top and filled with tremendous Synchro-Maverick-nicities, starting with a rainbow at the welcome reception. What made it even more special was the theme this year was The Wizard of Oz!
Campers got to participate in a brainstorming session to support Village Enterprise, Conveners.org and Virgin Unite. Each of these organizations is making a tremendous difference in the world and place significant value on the key partnerships and resources we provide.
What’s more, we brought in FoundersPledge to share about a simple way to pledge to causes you care about through either equity pledges or distributions you receive.
If you plan to exit your company via a sale or going public, you can sign the pledge online here.
If you are not planning to sell or exit your business, you can pledge a percentage of your annual distributions using the pledge agreement here which can be signed and returned to Danielle at danielle@founderspledge.com.
This year we also launched the first Camp Maverick Scholarship program. Awarding 6 entrepreneurs with partial scholarships to attend camp that had a greater mission in the world and plan to have an even greater impact.
Check out the highlights from Camp Maverick 2019 here.
October 2019: YOU’volution
Once again Mavericks headed to sacred Taos, New Mexico to meet with Navajo Dine, Pat McCabe.
This transformative experience builds the bridge to merge indigenous wisdom into our modern world of business and commerce. It takes a long time to gain the trust of these teachers and to be part of authentic ceremonies and rituals together.
We were brought in with one condition….
They would share only if they felt it to be truly in service to the Earth at this critical point in our history. So far, everyone who has participated has returned changed and with an increased focus on their role of leveraging business to make a positive difference in the world.
October-November 2019: Impact Experience in Kenya with Sir Richard Branson
Mavericks and invited guests from countries such as Denmark, Ireland, Indonesia, Canada, Croatia, and the U.S, came together for a 7-night experience in Kenya to not only share a once in a lifetime experience but to use their talents, resources, and brainpower to make a difference.
On our first morning in Nairobi, we traveled to Thika Prison to visit with the African Prison Project. The mission of APP is to bring dignity, hope, and justice to prison communities in Africa by providing legal training and services for prisoners and prison staff. Their program is having a tremendous impact.
After an intense morning, we made our way down to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, best known for protecting baby elephants and operating one of the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation programs in the world.
Living Goods: Community Health Empowered Opportunities – Yanik was first introduced to Living Goods doing research while writing the Evolved Enterprise book. He loved the model of providing economic empowerment opportunities to health sector entrepreneurs to deliver lifesaving products to the doorsteps of the poor. It was like an Avon model but used for delivering life-saving health benefits.
We were able to get an incredible “show and tell” explanation of the ways they are empowering their Community Health Workers to support every rural community locally.
From Streets to Significance: The Nai Nami Tour – We walked into a downtown hotel lobby bar and seated in front of us were a 6 young men who were stylish and cool, a little bit like a gang but not quite. Nobody knew what we were doing there or what this was about until one of the leaders explained that each of these young men at one time lived on the streets and grew up in the slums until they found another option with Nai Nami. A way to create an honest way of living…and even thriving.
Nai Nami is a social enterprise created to help former criminals become respectable and admired members of their communities, proving that it’s possible to make a living without crime.
Yoga as Community Connection Tool – Next we visited the Africa Yoga Project to learn how yoga has transformed and brings together hundreds of communities of all socio-economic backgrounds.
The idea is simple, provide yoga teacher training to help provide success skills, a living wage and new opportunity to those who wouldn’t normally have one. The trained teachers are then encouraged to provide free community classes where they’ve “come from.” Over 6,000 people participate in more than 360 community yoga classes taught by AYP teachers representing 19 different African countries.
On our third day in the bush, we ventured out to see different community projects being developed by the partnerships of Maasai and the lodges. Mahali Mzuri itself and the entire region are excellent example of Evolved Enterprise thinking creating a win/win/win for everyone across the board.
Visiting the kids at their school was a highlight for so many of us. Many Mavericks participated in the Pack for a Purpose program which encourages visitors to utilize some of their luggage space for much-needed supplies. We were greeted with lots of smiles, hugs, dances, and high-fives.
On the final day, Yanik planted the seed for the project he has been thinking of, dreaming about and journaling on for 5+ years with the mission of nudging the consciousness of the world by 1-degree through the leverage of business. This will be incubated in 2020 because our world needs it more than ever. Check out more on it here: www.1DegreeNetwork.com
You can read about the full Impact trip recap here: https://yaniksilver.com/kenya
Other Ripples of Impact:
Reducing Single use plastics!
Across all our different events, experiences and retreats we have reduced our plastic use as a company by only using reusable or biodegradable cups, bottles, cutlery and straws at every event. In addition, providing reusable bags as gifts, working with companies that make a difference on location, and setting the standard for no plastic use at venues we work with.
LOVE30x30
Ocean Unite launched LOVE30x30 video that came as a direct result of bringing together filmmaker Rob Sorrenti and philanthropist Elisabeth Fullerton from Camp Maverick. The LOVE30x30 documentary is set to share with the world the love we have for the Ocean and how we need to protect 30% by the year 2030 to help the Ocean sustain itself and thrive again.
Industry Collaboration and Leverage: Be Part of the Story
Maverick member #327, Robert Ste-Marie, was on our Safari trip to South Africa last year and was shaken to his core when we heard about the plight of the Ocean. He immediately realized he needed to do something based on his own assets, industry connections and leverage launching www.be-part-of-the-story.org
With its green-screen technology, 36Pix extracts the background of 15-20 million images per year and is one of the leading school photography companies in Canada. The ‘Be part of The Story’ project aims to educate children and families about the plight of the Ocean and to raise funds to support Ocean Unite’s goal of protecting 30% of the Ocean by 3030 by making fun, ocean-related cartoon backgrounds available for parents to buy for their kids’ school photographs.
“My mission is to leverage our industry and technology to get as many people involved in protecting our most important asset – our ocean.” – Robert Ste-Marie
This is an incredibly exciting collaboration that has the potential to raise significant funds and educate the next generation of ocean protectors! And there is even more potential as Robert has been actively getting confirmations from some of the biggest brands in the photography space to get involved as well.
Robert got a little encouragement from Richard Branson and you can read the full story on this incredible project on Virgin’s blog.
Fund-a-Village
Village Enterprise had their best Giving Tuesday ever almost doubling the amount they raised last year to fund an entire village of micro-enterprises. Village Enterprise trains micro-entrepreneurs and has now lifted over 1,000,000 out of extreme poverty.
The idea and concept to fund an entire village of complementary micro-businesses was something we helped them develop at the Maverick event in San Francisco in 2017. Yanik originally released the Evolved Enterprise book to support funding an entire village and then partner, Anik Singal and Dima Kozlov were inspired to do the same so we could fund 3 different villages originally. This case study was then included in the updated Life You Can Save Book, 10th-anniversary edition released from a researcher, Peter Singer.
Life You Can Save book
Maverick1000 is delighted to feature in the new edition of Peter Singer’s book The Life You Can Save. We believe that business is a force for good and this book persuasively outlines how both businesses and individuals can – and should – do their part to help people living in extreme poverty. You can download your copy here.
Global Goals T.E.A.M.
Our first team member is matched up with a cause partner. Melanie Spring is providing her speaking expertise to help the global team at Land is Life to make bigger inroads in supporting indigenous leaders around the world.
T.E.A.M. stands for Technology, Execution, Amplification, and Marketing.
We are just in the trial stage here so look out for more soon. Excited to see what’s in store for 2020 continuing to make an impact on the world by changing the way business is played.
