OTEF is not a traditional charity, it’s a nonprofit dedicated to teaching entrepreneurship skills, and we are trying to develop into a true social venture: a business with a double bottom line (a mission and a margin). We have two annual fundraisers, both of which are educational.

I’m excited to announce that Robert Scoble, the famous former Microsoft blogger and now the vlogger from Podtech who just got off the John Edwards presidential announcement plane (covering how technology and social media will change politics) has accepted our invitation to keynote the next Arizona Entrepreneurship miniconference, “The Revolution in Marketing,” scheduled for March 1, 8-11 AM in the Ethington Theatre at Grand Canyon University. This is a real coup for us, as Robert and his wife Maryam (who grew up in Iran and is an expert on “Girl Geeks”) are both bloggers and experts on the use of social media. We have also planned our Second Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference for Nov.8. This is our major fundraising event.

This conference is part of the Kauffman Foundation’s initiative, National Entrepreneurship Week, and will benefit the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation. We haven’t decided yet on how much to charge, because that’s determined by the cost of such items as food and expenses for speakers. It will probably be in the neighborhood of $75.

Only 300 people can fit in this conference venue, so mark your calendar, and we will let you know as soon as we have details for registration.