Michael Norton started his career as a scientist, merchant banker and publisher before becoming a social activist. He has spent more than 40 years supporting voluntary organisations, developing creative ideas for a better world and turning them into successful projects, and encouraging others to go out and change the world.
In 1966 he created the first language teaching programme and supplementary school in the UK for non-English speaking immigrant children and their families run entirely with volunteers. In 1975 Michael established the Directory of Social Change, which became the UK’s leading provider of information and training to the non-profit sector.
In 1995, he set up the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action where he has initiated a raft of innovative projects worldwide including: street children’s banks in South Asia; village publishing and village libraries in Andhra Pradesh, India; UnLtd, a UK foundation which makes awards to social entrepreneurs and affilaited foundations in India and South Africa; YouthBank which enables young people to become donors, supporting local initiatives run by young people; MyBnk, which enables school students in the UK to set up and run a microbank for saving and borrowing to help develop financial literacy and enterprise skills; FoodWorks, where students cook donated food in donated kitchen space to provide meals for the needy; and the Otesha Project UK, where young people promote the ideas of sustainable living in a fairer world through cycle tours and theatre.
Michael is currently launching Buzzbank, an internet platform to enable the crowdfunding of social ventures. He is author of 365 Ways to Change the World (which has been published in many editions around the world), The Everyday Activist and numerous books on fundraising.
