I've served on the board of this remarkable organization almost since its inception. Founder Perla Ni is an inspiration, and the organization's mission is close to my heart: offering a viable alternative to the financially-based evaluations of nonprofit effectiveness from the self-appointed watchdog organizations.

My fundraising agency has served the Global Fund for Women for at least a decade, and I was personally involved in the work during the first several years. For an organization of such modest size, the Fund's reach is truly global. As the website says, "Since 1987 we have awarded over $71 million to 3,800 women's organizations in 167 countries." That's an astonishing record, and I've learned about a number of the group's well-chosen projects through contacts I've made in developing countries during extensive travels around the world for most of the past decade.

My fundraising agency has served the Union of Concerned Scientists since 1999, and I was personally engaged in the work for the first five years. I have rarely seen a better-managed or more focused nonprofit organization. As a result, I have become an annual donor, and I intend to continue supporting the organization because I'm convinced that it delivers the best return on a charitable investment in the environmental field.

Ashoka is unquestionably one of the most important organizations in the world to have started in the last half-century. As a prime engine of social innovation, Ashoka has made its mark in dozens of countries. Its 3000 Fellows, primarily in developing countries, form a network of changemakers that is collectively one of the chief sources of new energy in the global movement to build civil society.

I've been a member of SVN since 1990. I've attended most of the group's twice-annual conferences since then and participated especially actively during the past decade, serving on the board for six years, four of them as chair. This has given me a unique perspective on the value of the organization, from the outside and the inside both. I'd sum up that value by noting that virtually every social and environmental innovation I've introduced into my consulting company came about as a result of my membership in SVN. The experience has been equally valuable for me personally. I've formed many close friendships with other people in the network who share my commitment to the Triple Bottom Line.