What is Social Enterprise?
Here's a collection of definitions on social entrepreneurship
and social enterprise:
Social Enterprise Alliance,
www.se-alliance.org
"Social enterprise: An organization or venture
that advances its social mission through entrepreneurial, earned-income
strategies."
Ashoka Foundation,
www.ashoka.org
“The job of a social entrepreneur is to recognize when a part of society is stuck and to provide new ways to get it unstuck. He or she finds what is not working and solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. Social entrepreneurs are not content to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”
“The job of a social entrepreneur is to recognize when a part of society is stuck and to provide new ways to get it unstuck. He or she finds what is not working and solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution and persuading entire societies to take new leaps. Social entrepreneurs are not content to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”
Peter Brinckerhoff in
Social
Entrepreneurship
“The core of social entrepreneurship is good stewardship.
Good stewards don’t just rest on their laurels, they try new things, serve
people in new ways, are lifelong learners, try to have their organizations be
fonts of excellence.”
“Social Entrepreneurs Have These
Characteristics...
- They are constantly looking for new ways to serve their constituencies and to add value to existing services.
- They are willing to take reasonable risk on behalf of the people that their organization serves.
- They understand the difference between needs and wants.
- They understand that all resource allocations are really stewardship investments.
- They weigh the social and financial return of each of these investments.
- They always keep mission first, but know that without money, there is no mission output.”
J. Gregory Dees in Enterprising
Nonprofits
“Social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents in the social sector, by:
“Social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents in the social sector, by:
- Adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value),
- Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission,
- Engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning
- Acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand, and
- Exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created.”
National Center for Social Entrepreneurs,
www.MissionMoneyMatters.org
By adopting entrepreneurial strategies, social entrepreneurs are able to:
By adopting entrepreneurial strategies, social entrepreneurs are able to:
- Identify and expand their most effective and
needed programs:
‘Productively’ dispose of their more peripheral programs - Selectively identify new programs where there is an identified need…and revenue to support them”
- To actually start new business ventures that are rooted in the core competencies of their organizations
- And become increasingly self-sufficient
financially – less dependent on government and charity.”