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In October, Vera CEO and Co-Founder Zak Kaufman attended Chicago Ideas Week as a Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellow. Throughout the week, the four Fellows had opportunities to engage with leaders in business, politics, and philanthropy. Highlights included lunch with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, workshopping with other BHSI Fellows to help
10th December 2014
Though Vera helps partner organizations increase efficiency and impact with customized data systems, many of the big questions we ask before implementing a Vera system don’t involve technology at all. In fact, they revolve much more around our partner organizations’ approaches, methods, and processes. Before diving into configuration and development,
11th November 2014
This post first appeared on the website of our partner organization, Zacchaeus 2000. Z2K’s work focuses on helping vulnerable debtors and addressing the causes of poverty through individual cases, lobbying for improvements to the legal and benefits system in the UK, and providing training to volunteers and NGOs in helping others
6th November 2014
Vera has just begun work with our 100th partner organization – an exciting milestone as we prepare to celebrate our fourth birthday. This week, we were pleased to kick off a project with Tugende, an innovative Ugandan social enterprise. Tugende increases the financial independence of boda boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers
19th September 2014
We’re thrilled to announce that Vera’s co-Founder and CEO Zak Kaufman has been selected as a 2014 Bluhm/Helfand Social Innovation Fellow. Created by Leslie Bluhm and David Helfand, the BHSI Fellowship recognizes socially conscious young leaders who have developed sustainable ventures addressing civic needs. Zak and Vera were chosen from
11th September 2014
Vera is honored to announce our selection into the Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program as Taylor Downs joins the select cohort of social entrepreneurs chosen to participate in the two-year program. The Mulago Foundation awards these fellowships to memorialize Rainer Arnhold, a physician who dedicated his life to delivering quality healthcare to children
22nd August 2014
Vera takes pride in welcoming the eight members of the 2014-2015 Fellowship Program, the second cohort selected for this year-long, hands-on consulting experience. Nikhil Kalambur, Lexa Koenig, Aleksa Krolls, Caroline Liegey, Vivaan Misra, and Josh Wunderlich will be based in our growing Mumbai hub, while Katie McCloskey and Ayo Oti
12th August 2014
Population Services International (PSI) is a global health organization dedicated to improving the health of people in the developing world using Social Marketing. Central to PSI’s approach is the principle that health services and products are most effective when they are accompanied by robust communications and distribution efforts that help
5th August 2014
Vera is pleased to welcome Alethea (Tilly) Josephson as our India Country Director and the newest member of the growing Vera team. Tilly joins Vera from the Salesforce.com Foundation, where she was the Regional Lead for the Asia Pacific region, responsible for bringing salesforce.com’s innovative 1/1/1 philanthropic model to life by
28th May 2014
We’re proud to announce that Vera has earned its second B Corporation certification. Vera first earned the certification in 2012 from B Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a community of socially and environmentally conscious businesses. Certified B Corps are as concerned about generating impact as they are about
5th May 2014
More than seventy-five percent of Kenya’s population lives in rural areas, where many families rely on smallholder farming for both food and income. Honey Care Africa is a social enterprise working throughout East Africa to help smallholder households increase their incomes through commercial honey production. Working with both traditional beekeepers
10th April 2014
Vera was honored to receive the first annual Social Impact Award at the 15th Harvard Social Enterprise Conference this weekend, March 29-30, 2014. The award, presented by keynote speaker and Echoing Green President Cheryl Dorsey, highlights individuals and organizations who have especially strong track records of providing innovative and impactful
31st March 2014
Despite India’s rapidly growing economy, characterized by burgeoning middle and upper classes, widespread poverty remains endemic across the country, and especially so in rural areas. Of the country’s 269.3 million people categorized as poor, nearly 216.5 million live in rural areas, often with limited access to vital resources, ranging from
18th March 2014
With applications open for the 2014-2015 Vera Fellowship program, we sat down with Jill Shah, a current Fellow in Vera’s Mumbai office, to provide potential applicants with insight into her Fellowship experience. Born in Mumbai and raised in northern New Jersey, Jill attended Northwestern University, where she discovered her deep
