NEW YORK, December 6, 2007 – The PeaceWorks Foundation’s OneVoice Movement announced today that it has been selected by Fast Company magazine and Monitor Group to receive the annual Social Capitalist Awards for the second consecutive year. The organization is among a select group of non profits who use the tools of business to solve the world’s most pressing social problems and who have demonstrated a consistent and unusually large impact on society.
“This year we’ve seen an explosion of diverse experiments, many of them engineered by onetime Wall Street heavies, that attempt to bring new capital – and capital-market dynamics – to the realm of social good,” said Fast Company Contributing Writer Keith Hammonds. “Through these deals, social entrepreneurs and businesses are raising the stakes, creating both business and social impact, and changing old-style capitalism as we know it.”
OneVoice, a youth-led, grassroots movement that runs in parallel in Palestine and in Israel, has been awarded the Social Capitalist Award because of the organization’s demonstrated social impact, entrepreneurial and innovative approach, and potential for growth and sustainability. In the five years since its inception, OneVoice has worked to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by mobilizing the grassroots, in the past year has nearly tripled its membership – now boasting of over 600,000 Israeli and Palestinian signatory members, in roughly equal numbers on each side. The organization is based in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, and Gaza City, with international offices in New York, London, and Tel Aviv.
Darya Shaikh, Executive Director of OneVoice US, said, “OneVoice is proud to count itself among the winners of this award, and therefore among those using innovative tools and approaches to shape the world around them for the better. This has been an important year for us, in trying to mobilize the Israeli and Palestinian populations for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and we are dedicating ourselves now more than ever to our mission.”
The goal of the Social Capitalist Awards is to advance performance measurement and accountability in the social sector in a highly rigorous, data driven, comparative approach. OneVoice is featured in Fast Company’s December/January 2008 issue and will be recognized at a ceremony at the Westin Washington D.C. city Center on January 8, 2008.
Complete information on this year’s Social Capitalist Awards winners, including expanded profiles and links that let you make donations to the groups you find most compelling, can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About the PeaceWorks Foundation & OneVoice Movement:
The OneVoice Movement is a mainstream nationalist grassroots movement with over 600,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in Palestine, and 3,000 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution. OneVoice counts on its Board over 60 foremost dignitaries and business leaders across a wide spectrum of politics and beliefs, joining as OneVoice against violent extremism and for conflict resolution. Learn more by visiting www.OneMillionVoices.org.
About Fast Company magazine:
Founded in 1996 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, LLC, award-winning Fast Company magazine (www.FastCompany.com) covers the ideas, trends and visionaries that are sparking change and creating the future of business. With a total paid circulation of 746,161, Fast Company explores the profound innovation, creative breakthroughs, best and “next” practices that are driving the business world.
About Monitor Group:
Monitor Group is a leading global professional services firm working with corporations, governments, and social-sector organizations to help them drive growth. Employing over 1,500 people in 22 countries worldwide Monitor offers a blend of advisory, capability building and capital services. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, Monitor can be reached at 617.252.2000 or on the web at www.monitor.com