How to Give Back in a Way That Multiplies

A goal of ours at AFF from the start comes from the old Chinese proverb, "Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime." This is probably the most well known of Chinese proverbs and it isn't without reason. The lesson is timeless and speaks to education in the most survivalist sense.

Microloans offered by nonprofits have become an option for small startups in the U.S. and internationally thanks to Microloan innovator Muhammad Yunus. For readers who don't know Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist, and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. These loans are given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans.

However, before looking for a lender in order to start a business one needs to identify a skill that he or she has that is business-worthy. It could be tailoring clothing, carpentry, or as a marketing consultant for a small business.