What does the term Social Enterprise remind you of? For me, I immediately go to Star Trek and the Starship Enterprise. But our Social Enterprise trainer and consultant, Rolfe Larson assures us that the term Social Enterprise has nothing to do with Star Trek.
The energetic and imaginative changemakers who staff nonprofits are full of great ideas. They’re constantly coming up with ways to make things better and looking for grants to support their vision.
Since reading a 2010 paper by Howard Husock published by the Philanthropy Roundtable, I’ve had this question on my mind. Ruth McCambridge of the Nonprofit Quarterly raised it again not too long ago in a LinkedIn group (Readers of the Nonprofit Quarterly), and I was compelled to peck out a quick reply on my iPhone while waiting for a 6 am flight home from McAllen, TX, where I’d been teaching (yes, there were typos).
CLASSIC ARTICLE - Jed Letterman's Top Ten List of Famous Last Words of Failed Social Entrepreneurs.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - Starting an earned-income venture takes more than a good idea. It also takes careful planning. Rolfe Larson shows how to assess venture ideas and how to decide which ones are worth pursuing.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - What role should the board play in planning and implementing an enterprise? Here's a list of issues to consider and roadblocks to avoid.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - Unlike for-profit business owners, social entrepreneurs cannot measure the success of their efforts in financial terms alone.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - Should a nonprofit corporation form a subsidiary when it starts a business venture? Not necessarily. Creating a subsidiary can protect the parent corporation from liability and might attract new revenue.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - The principles of "social entrepreneurism" have had a transforming effect on New Economy philanthropists. For the social service agencies that embrace those principles, the effects may be even more profound.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - Unlike for-profit ventures, social enterprises need a business plan that addresses both financial goals and social goals. Sutia Kim Alter describes the process of creating such a plan.
