Here’s Jessica Jackley, KIVA co-founder and Lavin speaker, talking with The Economist about the future of crowdfunding and community entrepreneurship.

Dan Austin, founder of 88bikes, talks with The Oberlin Review about his philosophy of ‘joy-based philanthropy’, and explains why giving a bike to a less fortunate child provides so much more than just a way to “go from point A to point B.”

Here’s a preview of Reza Aslan (founder of Aslan Media) and Jessica Jackley’s (co-founder of KIVA) new talk, The Promise and Perils of Social Media:

Reza Aslan and Jessica Jackley know all about the social web’s remarkable ability to build communities and incite social change. As the founder of Aslan Media, which is altering perceptions of the Arab world through traditional and online entertainment, Aslan has traced the impact of social media in the Middle East. As the co-founder of KIVA, the world’s largest microlending website, Jackley has harnessed the power of one-to-one relationships to triumph over bureaucratic lending models. Together, this husband and wife team explains how social media has irrevocably changed the world, and explores the future of online collaboration. How has social media gone from simple news gathering to revolutionizing the concept of community? What changes must our institutions make—from government to business to education—in order to catch up to our new web-based society? And what can an individual do to ensure that social media reaches its full potential as a force for global change?

A wonderful video. Social entrepreneur Dan Austin talks about his organization, 88bikes—which gives bicycles to children in developing countries—and explains his concept of “joy-based  philanthropy.”

Fashion designer and model Lauren Bush Lauren recently announced that her next collaboration will be with none other than Blake Mycoskie’s TOMS. According to Stylite, Mycoskie and Bush will team up to create a special shoe that in addition to providing a pair of shoes for a needy child as per TOMS’ One for One model, will also “send meals” to them as well. Bush Lauren is just one of many celebrities who have either worked with or endorsed Mycoskie and TOMS, who have recently expanded their product line to include eyewear (which, naturally, helps give eyesight to a person in need for every pair purchased.)

TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie on PBS’s Tavis Smiley show, talking about his new book, Start Something That Matters, and his famous One for One socially conscious business model.

Dan Austin, the founder of 88bikes, recently sent us some pictures and this note from the unveiling of 88bikes latest project on the Navajo Nation:

Just wanted to send along a few pics+recent press from the unveiling of the 88bikeshop on the Navajo Nation that took place yesterday. 50 kids received bikes and the training to maintain them. Today we’re leading them on a bike tour through the desert. We brought down a graffiti artist to paint the shop — he was a huge hit with the kids, creating stencils with which they could them personalize their bikes… Fun!

- Dan Austin