Profile of a Social Entrepreneur

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What is your vision for the world?

Our vision at UniversalGiving is to: "Create a world where giving and volunteering are a natural part of everyday life." And at the core of that, each one of these connections through the UniversalGiving Web site contributes to service, and then peace. World peace happens through one-on-one connections. If one person at UniversalGiving can connect with another and increase their understanding, compassion, respect for others, then we are on our way to a world that recognizes, and lives, peace.

Pamela, that's a pretty strong calling. Would you mind sharing with us how you got started on this pathway?

Service has definitely been a thread throughout my life, which I saw with my parents and how they helped others in so many ways. They were and are models to me of loving, giving people. Over the years, I have learned that service is about how you treat people, and that it's not just volunteering. It's how you listen, serve, help, and even build together with others. I did have a pivotal moment at an early age when this idea of service became embedded in my life.

We were on a family vacation in Mexico, near a traditional marketplace. My father and I wandered off, and just a few paces away we were confronted with a cul-de-sac of unwashed, handicapped, begging children. I remember the word "UNACCEPTABLE" flashing across my mind. So I began volunteering at the age of 12 and continue to do so all over the world as an adult: working on microfinance in India, with handicapped individuals in Cambodia, farmers in Guatemala, and earthquake survivors in El Salvador.

These have been some of the most meaningful experiences I've had in my life, and they have instilled an overwhelming sense of gratitude in me. Not only can we help, but we also have much to learn from people all over the world. Truly, those who give also receive. It's a continuous, humble circle of service, which I believe will lead to greater world peace and understanding.

Thank you Pamela. This has been a truly inspiring interview! Readers, you may contact Pamela at phawley@universalgiving.org and www.universalgiving.org.

Readers, please share your comments and reflections on giving and receiving with me.

Marshall Goldsmith is the New York Times best-selling author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There—a Wall Street Journal No. 1 business book and Harold Longman Award winner for Business Book of the Year. His newest book, Succession: Are You Ready?, will be published by Harvard Business Press in February 2009. He can be reached at Marshall@MarshallGoldsmith.com, and he provides his articles and videos online at MarshallGoldsmithLibrary.com.