The Cape Fear region has a new way to give and get business advice – by tapping into a pool of ‘givers’.
 
Adam Grant, renowned author, organizational psychologist, and Wharton professor, delivers a powerful message in his bestseller, Give and Take. His research proved: Those who ask for—and more importantly, give—help, are stronger for it and, ultimately, more satisfied and successful.
 
His next step was developing a concrete, scalable way to support the spirit of giving.
 
Introducing…Givitas, a knowledge-sharing platform that offers a simple path to give and get help. The technology is based on Grant’s findings, and the work of Wayne and Cheryl Baker, creators of the Reciprocity Ring, a program that encourages collaboration.
 
“I met the Bakers in 2005 and we set up a Reciprocity Ring at the Ann Arbor IT Zone to spur collaboration among our tech ventures,” says Diane Durance, Director of the UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, “I’ve been a fan of their work ever since – and I’m excited to launch Givitas in our entrepreneurial ecosystem.” Starting with a group of 36 mentors, the CIE is jump-starting the network this month and will be opening it up to everyone later this summer.    
 
Here’s why it works:

1. Givitas is purpose-built to reduce the stigma of asking for help and make it easy to be a giver.
2. Givitas leverages social science that proves connected, generous groups outperform others in satisfaction, efficiency, and overall business performance.
3. You don’t have to know who to ask, and the responsibility of generosity is spread across the community with no undue burden on a few givers. Everyone has equal access to mentors and experts.