It was officially announced yesterday that the first SOCAP Europe will be hosted in Amsterdam May 31st through June 2nd of 2011. PYMWYMIC (put your money where your mouth is company) will partner with Good Capital San Francisco as the host. For more information, visit http://www.pymwymic.com/register/.

More often mission driven organizations are adding Environmental, Social and Governance screens to mutual funds in their retirement plans. United Universalist Association even fired Fidelity over their position on investing in Sudan - they refused to divest (read more here). Social(k) is the leading provider for sustainable and responsible companies who actually want employees to feel good about saving for their future. Imagine asking a socialk worker to invest in a mutual fund that holds Wakenhut or Haliburton. Would employees of an organic farm or certifier want Monsanto to be a major holding in most of their fund options? As businesses engage customers on issues of sustainability they are realizing the same efforts are required for employee benefits. The norm no longer works. Learn more by watching this video or by visiting www.socialk.com.

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) released the second version of the Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS), which incorporates significant enhancements to the original IRIS social and environmental reporting framework first released in July 2009. IRIS provides a common set of social and environmental metrics and definitions for reporting the performance of impact investments. The IRIS 2.0 enhancements integrate critical feedback from industry experts, funds piloting the original IRIS reporting standards, and other stakeholders who were engaged during a public comment period. These revisions make the IRIS reporting framework more relevant and accessible for the diverse businesses and funds that receive impact investment capital. This release coincides with the launch of a new IRIS website (http://iris.thegiin.org) which makes it easier for companies and funds to identify specific IRIS performance indicators that pertain to their social and environmental goals. The new website also provides guidance to investors interested in adopting IRIS as a performance tracking tool across investment portfolios. In addition to oversight of the reporting standards, the IRIS initiative includes the development and management of an IRIS data repository, which is a hub for IRIS-aligned performance data from organizations receiving impact investment capital. The IRIS data repository enables benchmarking and other aggregate analyses critical to the growth of the impact investing industry.To read the full press release, visit www.thegiin.org. To learn more about the IRIS initiative and to search the performance metrics, visit http://iris.thegiin.org.

Mango Financial, Inc. is a first-of-its-kind financial services store that recently debuted in Austin, Texas to help underbanked consumers manage their money and achieve their financial goals. The store defines a new standard for meeting the financial needs of underbanked consumers at retail that elevates the experience, provides greater value and service, shows it’s possible to forge long-term relationships with unbanked consumers and makes financial sense for the customer and the business alike.

Mango customers come to the Mango Store to meet their financial needs in a one-stop shop that saves them time and money. Its host of innovative, affordable and easy-to-use products and services include the Mango MasterCard Prepaid Card, high-yield Mango Savings, integrated YAP mobile money features, check loads, bill pay, and domestic and international money transfers. Watch the video to see the Mango experience in action, or visit www.mangomoney.com to learn more.

Blue Planet Network, a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit enabling safe drinking water projects worldwide, has been tapped as a Tech Award laureate for its Peer Water Exchange (PWX) program. PWX is the technology that powers Blue Planet Network’s unique online network to unlock the global capacity and creativity of individuals, philanthropies, businesses and expert water organizations to solve the global safe drinking water crisis. The Tech Awards is an international awards program that honors innovators from around the world who are applying technology to benefit humanity. The Tech Museum, based in San Jose, Calif., along with Applied Materials which presents the awards, recognizes laureates in five categories: Environment, Economic Development, Education, Equality, and Health. Blue Planet Network was one of 15 laureates chosen out of over 1,000 nominations from 54 countries. ‘The Tech Awards is the premier stage for some of the most innovative thinkers of the science and technology world’ said Peter Friess, President of The Tech Museum. Each of this year’s laureates has earned the right to the spotlight that the museum shines on those whose work is dedicated to improving the lives of others the world over. Blue Planet Network has created a global online network with 70 members to implement best practices, build member capacity, fund high potential projects and transparently share impact to eradicate the global safe drinking water crisis. To date, it has enabled sustainable safe drinking water for 350,000 people and showcases $26 million of project data to promote best practices. To learn more, please visit www.blueplanetnetwork.org.