I am excited about the Unreasonable Institute.  There was a lot of hoopla earlier in the year when the organization came on the scene, promising to incubate top social entrepreneurs in a ten-week crash course that would prepare them and their organizations for making big change – the kind of change that could affect a million people or more.  And as of Monday, the organization has come through in a HUGE way for advancing the field of social entrepreneurship while conducting themselves as effectively and efficiently as possible according to the capabilities of 21st century social media.

First of all, I am in love with the idea of crowdsourcing.  For those of you that are unaware, crowdsourcing refers to the notion of bringing a large, disparate group of people together to take common action towards a common goal.  Here’s why I love it:

It’s 21st century.  It uses all of the available tools of social media, from sending tweets to fellow tweeps to posting status updates on Facebook, to plain old emails to recruit you, and all the rest of the masses, to take action for good.  And here’s another reason why I love it:

It’s 18th century. A contradiction in terms?  Think again.  Crowdsourcing is the return of people power.  It says that you, and I, and the guy in the coffee shop, and the farmer in Montana, can all play a role in coming together to create positive change.  Its says that we’re in this together, and that we’re all able to contribute our voice to the debate, and it will be heard.  Just as Americans selected their first leaders to represent them in a new experiment in democracy, we now have the opportunity to “elect” with our pocketbooks the changemakers that will make the world a better place, according to our collective vision.  Beautiful.

There are 42 Unreasonable finalists.  But only 25 will be able to attend the institute, and what matters is their ability to mobilize you to take action.  Or rather, everyone’s ability to get you to take action.  That’s the beauty of crowdsourcing, like I said, but I’ve said enough about that.  Now I want to focus on the entrepreneurs themselves, and show you how you can get involved.

The entrepreneurs and their ventures are just stunning.  Here are some of the causes to which Unreasonable entrepreneurs have dedicated themselves:  climate change, housing for the poor, rural education, empowering trafficked girls, clean energy, using cellphones to make payments, products the poor can sell, empowering people with disabilities, social entrepreneurship reality TV, education-oriented student hostels, teaching English with mobile phones, jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for street youth, and even non-profit toilet paper for the poor.

Here’s where you come in.  Each entrepreneur needs to raise $6500 in sponsorships in order to be able to attend the Institute.  The first 25 to get there will be able to attend.  This week, the maximum you can donate is $10 per entrepreneur.  Since the entire point of the Unreasonable Institute crowdsourcing experiment is to solicit people to preach about their favorites and get others to donate, I will shamelessly do so.

First I want to mention Kito International.  This organization is dedicated to empowering street youth to become entrepreneurs and earn sustainable livelihoods.  Traditional programs would work as a revolving door.  Street youth would be taken in for a few days, but would then be cast to the street, soon to return to unfortunate conditions and lack of opportunity.  Kito aims to bring street youth in to work for sustainable enterprises, all while learning how to operate their own businesses in the process.  After a year, they gain access to the incubator that helps fund them and get their organizations off the ground.  It is a model for empowerment of youth, and it deserves your support.  I will blatantly and up front say that I know Maria personally, and I think the world of her.  She will do a tremendous job and I think you should support her.  Learn more about Kito International.

Secondly, there are a ton of other great organizations committed to doing serious good.  I can’t write about all 42 but here are a few more of the top donation-getters, and a couple that probably deserve to be there too.

Uber Shelter Project:  They produce emergency shelters creating humane living conditions to people displaced by disasters (and what a timely project in the aftermath of Haiti).  Learn more about the Uber Shelter Project.

Light Up Malawi aims to bring 100% sustainable energy to the country, and make it completely independent and self-sufficient.  Learn more about Light Up Malawi.

APAID: This organization empowers people with disabilities by using sports as a tool for self-respect and -esteem. Learn more about APAID.

Liga Masiva:  This organization aims to bring all the positives of world trade to poor goods-creators across borders, helping farmers increase incomes and develop local economies.  Learn more about Liga Masiva.

Swayam creates a marketplace enabling capable students in rural India to connect with social investors who can help fund their educations.  Read more about SWAYAM.

IDEFOCS: this immensely important organization wants to help former child soldiers reintegrate themselves into society.   Read more about IDEFOCS.

While you may feel free to follow my endorsements, I strongly suggest you visit the Unreasonable Finalists main page and see all of the social enterprises for your self.  It is difficult to remain uninspired after browsing the brilliant and innovative programs that we have before us.  Have a favorite Unreasonable finalist?  Write about them here!  And using the trusty Unreasonable widgets they provide, you can help fundraise on your own website… just like this: