The United States is at a critical juncture in time. Our government is riddled with historic debt, and the limited resources of philanthropic and non-profit efforts cannot meet the scale of social challenges we face with necessary force.

It is a truly powerful phenomenon when a brand makes a stand for what it believes in.

Done correctly, everyone from individual speakers to large organizations can inspire citizens and customers to spread a message using their own social channels, and in so doing, inspire countless supporters to build their reputation, profits and social impact.

By linking with friends and ultimately strangers and building those relationships, social media is reweaving the social fabric that can then be used to scale your non-profit efforts.

Effectively, change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration, cooperation and consensus.

Millions of people are falling out of the middle class into the ranks of the poor.

Since most corporate competitors have the same problems with sustainability and social reputation, it's worth trying to solve them together.