Connect With Your Community Presented by Echoing Green

How well do you know the people who will be on the receiving end of the good work you want to do? What are their strengths? What do they like about their community? What would they change? And do they want your help in creating that change? Getting to know the people who will benefit from your work is the first step to effective public service, allowing you to challenge your assumptions and transform altruism into impact.

Would you host a town hall meeting? Conduct a series of interviews? Travel to interact with a community in another region?

Submit an idea for how you would spend $1,000 to better understand and build deeper relationships with members of the community you serve between July 11 and August 8 (noon Pacific Time). Our judges will select which applicants’ ideas pass to the voting round. Then, we’ll open it up to a public vote between August 9 and August 22 (noon Pacific Time). Rally your colleagues and friends to get behind your effort and join the public in selecting the winner of the $1,000 grant.



The winner will also receive a copy of Echoing Green’s Work on Purpose book signed by Lance Armstrong, Doug Ulman, Cheryl Dorsey, and the book’s author, Lara Galinsky.

Connect with this challenge on Twitter at @GOODmkr and @echoinggreen and join the conversation via #workonpurpose.


Work on Purpose is the newest program from Echoing Green, the global nonprofit that has provided more than 500 promising social entrepreneurs working in over forty countries with $31 million in start-up funding, customized support services, and access to our global network of champions.

Submission tips:

• Include a photo or video that represents your idea. Photos should be in JPG, PNG, or GIF format, at least 570 × 345 pixels and no larger than 10MB. To include a video, use a YouTube URL.
• Write at least 3-5 sentences that explain your idea and how the award will enable you to implement it.
• If you have any questions, please review these FAQs or send us an email at maker@goodinc.com.

• This Challenge is open for submissions from July 11 to August 8 (noon Pacific Time).
• Only US-based organizations and individuals are eligible apply. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Submitted projects must be able to be activated with $1,000 within 6 months of receiving the grant. Let us know how you’re going to put this money to work!
• Projects will be featured on this page and public voting will be open from August 9 to August 22 (noon Pacific Time).
• The project with the most votes will receive $1,000 to implement their idea.
• The winner will be featured on Echoing Green’s website upon completion of the project.
• In order to vote, log in with your GOOD account. If you don’t have a GOOD account, it’s free to join. All you need is an email address or a Facebook account to register. You will be emailed a link that you need to click in order to validate your address.
• Read all the rules.