I'm using a silent auction to generate end-of-year donations for the Acumen Fund.

That's part of the work of The Acumen Fund.

Any money returned to Acumen Fund is reinvested in enterprises serving the poor.

This is the first in eight months or so, a fundraiser for the Acumen Fund.

On one hand, the Acumen Fund would be a nonprofit charity.

So when Google.org was little more than a Web page promising information to come, the Acumen Fund appeared as its first partner.

In the twin worlds of philanthropy and venture capital, where billion is a commonly used measure, the Acumen Fund can seem modest.

Here's a six-minute video presentation I did on this for the Acumen Fund.

Acumen Fund has been investing in Pakistan since 2001 in companies such as:

All my proceeds, every penny, go to the Acumen Fund.