51% Show # 1125

Albany, NY – The recession has been hard on everyone, but it's not surprising that one area that's been hardest hit has been non-profit organizations. Back in 2008, NYU's Paul Light predicted that a hundred thousand non-profits would be wiped out by 2010. It's happened, and then again it hasn't. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, up to 40 thousand charities go out of business each year but that many are created as well. One organization that is thriving is the Discover Hope Fund of Austin Texas. They have a unique microcredit program in Peru which has a 100% payback record. Maggie Miller is the founder of Discover Hope.

10:44 Maggie Miller Discover Hope

Maggie Miller is the director and founder of Discover Hope. Find out more at lendhope.org.

Are you a farmer at heart? Nanne Kennedy left a life of mortgages and the career rat race to pursue a strict system of "bioregionalism". This system, however, has its snags and compromises. Scott Ladley reports.

6:05 Wool PRX

That story came to us from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

And finally, Feb 3rd marks the start of the Chinese New Year. Author and feminist.com founder, Marianne Schnall, thinks it might be an opportunity to reset that resolution to something more productive.

4:08 Schnall

Marianne Schnall is the founder of feminist.com - which now also hosts a regular 51% column. Her new book is Daring to be Ourselves. Find out more at daringtobeourselves.com