I’m a social entrepreneur, activist, organiser, burner, dreamer and project junkie. I love building initiatives and working with teams when they’re at a formative stage to innovative new approaches to creating social impact. I’ve founded non- and for-profit social enterprises, organized conferences, run election coverage, produced music festivals and worked and consulted for political parties, non-profits, start ups and government entities.
Whilst at university I founded Australian non-profit youth media organization Vibewire and spent almost eight years building the organization and developing numerous projects, including a community/social website (2002), a touring film festival (2003), the first-ever youth correspondents ont he Federal election beat (2004/2007) and opening Sydney’s first co-working space (then called sQuareOne, now the Vibewire Enterprise Hub, 2006).
I departed Vibewire in March 2008 to pursue my dream of living and working overseas. From 2008-2010 I was the first Social and Digital Marketing Manager at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public in Washington DC before moving to San Francisco in July 2010 to become Senior Social Media Consultant at Small Act. In February 2011 I joined the HopeLab Foundation as Manager for Communications and Emerging Media and, that same month (I’m a sucker for over-busyness) launched StartSomeGood.com, a peerfunding platform for social entrepreneurs, of which I am a co-founder.
I have recently returned to Australia with my wife Kate in anticipation of the birth of our first child. I am focused on growing StartSomeGood and do some additional work with progressive communications agency Make Believe. I have also recently re-joined the Vibewire board.
I am a founder of the More Carrot camp at Burning Man (hosts of the Black Rock City Farmers Market) and dabble a bit in film, writing, djing and speakifying. I love music, cycling, hiking, travel, NBA basketball and, of course, my friends and family.
I am deeply inspired by anyone prepared to take a risk to create a better future for their community and am devoted my life to helping them on their journey.
But enough about me! What are you up to?
To get in touch email tomdawkins(at)gmail(dot)com.
This is my long-form blog. See also:
Shorter: “bits and bytes” posterous blog.
Shortest: @tomjd on Twitter.
San Francisco Street Art blog: StreetSideSF
Work history: LinkedIN.
Music I like: blip.fm.
Pictures and things: Pinterest.
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[...] a crowd funds your project? Almost but not quite. Crowdfunding, or “peer funding” as Tom Dawkins from Start Some Good prefers to call it, is a way of using social media and the internet to bring [...]