We've seen the crowdsourcing contest model applied to everything from business documents to doughnut design. The latest spotting? One Billion Minds, a prize-led innovation platform that connects problem-solving scholars with solution-seeking companies and non-profits.

One Billion Minds challenges student and alumni crowds from universities worldwide to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. Challenges range from designing a USD 1 teaching aid for the education of children to developing an innovative solution for the garbage disposal problem in Kolkata. Prizes from the participating corporations include cash, professional recognition, and opportunities to interview for full-time or internship positions. Members can compete as individuals or teams.

In public beta as of September 2009, One Billion Minds is on a mission to change the world by unleashing the power of a billion minds on challenges in the areas of design, engineering, science, business, technology and social innovation. Something to get involved in to make that happen? (Related: Crowdsourcing economic solutions for Ireland.)

Website: www.onebillionminds.com
Contact: general.inquiry@onebillionminds.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann 

Some 42,000 people die each week for lack of clean water, and the majority of them are children under 5 years old. Aiming to help alleviate this problem, online wine vendor CellarThief donates 100 days' worth of clean water for every bottle of wine it sells.

Launched earlier this year, California-based CellarThief sells only three wines on its site at any given time, and they're typically available for just 48 hours or until they sell out. All wines are hand-picked from world-class wineries by industry veterans, and CellarThief presents the story of each vintage as well as suggestions for food pairings. Prices are heavily discounted, CellarThief says, and shipping is USD 5 for any order of at least three bottles. Most interesting of all, however, is that the company has partnered with Charity: Water to provide clean water to those who need it. In addition to the donation made each time a bottle of wine is sold, further donations are made each time a wine sells out.

CellarThief's corporate generosity will surely please the discerning palates of the members of Generation G, who increasingly expect such benevolence in return for their business. Currently the company ships only within the continental United States. One to partner with or emulate for the ethically minded oenophiles near you? (Related: Pepsi asks crowds which community projects to fund — Buy a onesie, donate one to a baby in need — Buy one house, give one free.)

Website: www.cellarthief.com
Contact: info@cellarthief.com

Spotted by: Brent Samuels

Earlier this month we wrote about Givv.org, a non-profit that allows donors to support all their favourite organisations from a single location and with a single monthly payment. Launched in January by GlobalGiving.co.uk, the Thousand Pound Club also facilitates one-stop giving, but is exclusively for donors willing to commit at least GBP 1,000 to support a personalised portfolio of well-vetted international charity projects.

Those wishing to join the Thousand Pound Club complete an online questionnaire detailing their interests, passions and charitable preferences. GlobalGiving then proposes a set of charitable projects to be supported through the applicant's "Giving Portfolio". Applicants review the portfolio, make changes to the selection if desired, and then activate it by sending in their donation cheque.

Members of the Thousand Pound Club can log in to their account to read regular email updates on the progress of their projects and find out exactly what a difference their donations are making. One to get involved in, or to emulate for a new model of major giving in your part of the world?

Website: www.globalgiving.co.uk/thousand-pound-club
Contact: sjeevan@globalgiving.co.uk

The internet has made it easier for people to support their favourite causes, but with so many different organisations to choose from, the process of donating can be overwhelming. Texas-based non-profit Givv.org aims to make charitable giving simpler by allowing donors to support all of their favourite organisations from a single location and with a single monthly payment.

After completing the free registration, users set up their monthly giving budget and specify how and to whom it should be allocated. Givv.org then takes care of the distribution—donations are aggregated from various subscribers into a single payment to the charity. Since 'Givv-ers' don't subscribe directly to causes, they don't have to deal with multiple payments, or with the requests for more donations that are typically associated with direct registration with a charity. It’s also easier to stop subscribing through Givv.org than it would be to each individual charity.

Donors can opt to make their 'Givvlist' public, and are able to submit other registered charities to the database, thereby boosting support for lesser-known causes. Givv.org is a non-profit itself, taking no fees from transactions beyond their own payment processing costs. One to get involved in, or to emulate for a new model of convenient giving in your part of the world...?

Website: www.givv.org
Contact: info@givv.org

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Over 1.5 billion people—one quarter of the world’s population—live in areas with no access to electricity, according to a recent UN report. Capitalizing on a sport's global appeal to address this problem, a group of Harvard University students developed sOccket, a soccer ball that turns energy from a kick into electricity.

The portable energy-harvesting device captures the impact energy normally dissipated when the ball is kicked, storing it to charge lights, cell phones and batteries. It works with inductive coil technology, similar to that found in flashlights that power up when shaken. For each 15 minutes of play, it can store enough energy to power a small LED light for three hours. sOccket could eventually help ease the reliance on toxic kerosene lamps in developing nations, thereby reducing the associated health risks.

Currently in the prototyping stages, sOccket has been successfully piloted in Durban, South Africa, and the development team has plans to market a commercial version of the sOccket in Western countries as a high-end tech toy, possibly using a "buy one-give one" model, to subsidize the cost of distributing sOccket in developing nations. Being an all-in-one soccer ball, portable generator, community builder and global health tool, sOccket is another shining example of the functionall trend covered in our sister site’s latest briefing. sOccket has attracted several development funding grants and is now in the process of developing production and distribution partnerships. One to partner with or otherwise get involved in? (Related: Hippo water roller — Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer.)

Website: www.soccket.com
Contact: soccket@ideatranslationlab.org

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau