Some of our projects

As you read over the things we've been up to, I hope you keep in mind that this isn't all one guy or one couple running around town trying to do everything at once. There are a lot of people involved in these endeavors. After all, collaboration is what we're all about.


3rd Annual CAN Ride. I've been putting this fun fundraiser together for about 3 weeks now. We now have a list of about a dozen volunteers pitching in, and we'll be adding to that list from now through the day of.

This is vitally important to the success of NSA. I'm getting an education in how to run an event, starting almost from scratch. This is how I have to do things: I master a particular area of endeavor, and then I can coach those who take over for me. Call it Six Sigma if you like.

I'm also getting to know folks around town. I'll know which sponsors to tap first for future events.

For more information on the CAN Ride, held July 14, visit http://www.naplessocialaction.org/. You can print up the registration form from the home page, or register via http://www.active.com/.


1st Annual Animal Lovers' Parade. We've already started putting this together. I'm focused on the CAN Ride, but there's even some overlap here (riders for CAN and participants in the Animal Lovers' Parade will in many cases be the same people.)

To get all the goods on the Parade, go to Sept. 15th on our calendar: http://www.naplessocialaction.org/.


Naples Social Action is about to be spun off of the Coine Foundation - stay tuned for that. As an independent entity, NSA will have two main functions: its calendar, and raising money for other nonprofits. We will host a fundraiser every month toward that end, starting in September with the Animal Lovers' Parade.

NSA will raise funds for the Coine Foundation, and will provide the administrative support it needs. In this way, 100% of the funding our public foundation receives will go directly to those who need our help, through the employment of teachers.

You can't compete with a nonprofit that has a terrific mission and is 100% cost-effective.


E-Newsletter. The first issue of the Naples Social Action e-newsletter was very well received by the 150 people on our emailing list. Issue #2 is due out later this week. You can access our archive on the NSA website.

The newsletter consists of a calendar of events for the next two weeks, general announcements, and our favorite section, "Neapolitans of Note," an interview with one special member of our community.

To get on our email list, contact me directly: ted.coine@coineinc.com.


Immokalee 2020. This is a huge and very compelling project. At the moment, we're developing the concept and involving many of the key players. Once NSA is humming along smoothly, this is where Jane and I will be putting most of our effort.


The Coine Foundation. Currently, Jane is teaching at Immokalee Non-Profit Housing (INPH). She leads the English as a Second Language (ESL) class for mothers while an INPH staffer teaches their pre-preschool children.

This is our pilot class; we've never held a free ESL class, so we're tweeking the model. Our biggest issue seems to be student commitment: we humans don't value what we don't have to struggle for. When you offer a free class, students don't seem to value it as much as when you charge them. Once we get this figured out, we'll expand the program. We have several other nonprofits that are on the wait list for these classes.

I'll write more about the mission and function of the Coine Foundation in a future entry. http://www.coinefoundation.org/.


The Naples English-Language Council (NELC). The theme of everything we at Coine do in our nonprofit endeavors is collaboration. Toward that end, we have formed NELC in order to bring together all of the groups and teachers of ESL in our community. We will share lessons, coordinate efforts among different ESL providers, and serve as an advocate for the needs of the immigrant community. This week or next, we will set the date and location for the first monthly NELC meeting.

NELC has ten member-groups and counting.


Professional Development Seminars. Jane and I travel the country teaching businesses how to become more successful through leadership, culture-building, and customer service. So why not share our expertise here at home, and serve good causes while we do it? Toward that end, we will soon unveil our monthly training schedule. All proceeds will benefit charity.

To learn more about what we do, visit http://www.coinetraining.com/.


Social Enterprise League. This one is currently nothing more than a conversation we're having with some other friends who also own businesses. The gist is that a Social Enterprise is a for-profit business that dedicates all or a significant portion of its profits (minimum 10%) to charity. Coine, Inc. is a social enterprise. Currently, 100% of our profits are dedicated to Naples Social Action and the Coine Foundation. Yes, we pay ourselves a decent salary first. We're not saints, just philanthropists.

The Coine Foundation is working on an annual certification process. Social Entrepreneurs will sign a contract for the coming year, in which they pledge a certain portion of their profits to charity. For that they will be awarded a Social Enterprise certificate, which they can use in all of their literature and on their websites. We will audit those companies at the end of each year to make sure that they have complied. Those that do will be given Social Enterprise status for the following year.

Think this is nuts? Are you saying to yourself, "Who on earth would agree to participate?" Plenty of business owners will not. But some already give over 10%, and some give close to it. There is a lot of random giving - maybe this year, 9%, last year 23%, next year 4%. If we guide that giving through a conscious commitment, then everybody wins.

...And this is how the business owner wins, even if he isn't motivated by altruism: he will attract and keep the best workers. Once their basic needs are met, people immediately seek meaning in their work. Employment with a social enterprise will be more desirable to the vast majority of workers, and so those companies that show their commitment to the community (local and global) will attract the best people.

Companies will be pressured by their employees and customers to do business with peer organizations, rather than non-philanthropic for-profits. Buyers will say, "I can shop at this store or this store. I can buy this product or that product. All other things being equal" - and in the case of mature businesses that sell commodities, all other things are usually equal - "I'm going to patronize the social enterprise."

I wish I'd made this up myself - what a genius I'd be! But I'm just building on the ideas of two visionaries. The first is Paul Newman; Newman's own is a for-profit, because of tax laws: you can't sell salad dressing as a nonprofit, because it competes with the private sector. But they give all of their profits to charity. They've raised hundreds of millions of dollars for just that purpose over the years.

The second visionary is Muhammad Yunnis, author of "Banker to the Poor" and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with microlending. Toward the end of that book, Dr. Yunnis describes his Socially-Conscious Entrepreneur, which I've shortened to Social Enterprise for reasons of catchiness. I can't do his work justice in a few lines. I highly recommend you buy - and read - his book. Click on the Amazon link at www.naplessocialaction.org and a portion of your sale will go to a great cause.