What is a social entrepreneur?

[global77]

I found a definition of social entrepreneurship at PBS.ORG. Cool!

"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."

Bill Drayton, CEO, chair and founder of Ashoka"

"Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they're serving."

David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

A social entrepreneur identifies and solves social problems on a large scale. Just as business entrepreneurs create and transform whole industries, social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for society, seizing opportunities others miss in order to improve systems, invent and disseminate new approaches and advance sustainable solutions that create social value.

Unlike traditional business entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs primarily seek to generate "social value" rather than profits. And unlike the majority of non-profit organizations, their work is targeted not only towards immediate, small-scale effects, but sweeping, long-term change.

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.

Identifying and solving large-scale social problems requires a committed person with a vision and determination to persist in the face of daunting odds. Ultimately, social entrepreneurs are driven to produce measurable impact by opening up new pathways for the marginalized and disadvantaged, and unlocking society's full potential to effect social change.

The past two decades have seen an explosion of entrepreneurship and a healthy competition in the social sector, which has discovered what the business sector learned from the railroad, the stock market and the digital revolution: Nothing is as powerful as a big new idea if it is in the hands of a first class entrepreneur.

This revolution is fundamentally changing the way society organizes itself and the way we approach social problems.

The stories featured in The New Heroes showcase the work of social entrepreneurs whose innovations are bringing electricity, water, medicine and other life-changing tools and resources to people in the developing world. Each story illustrates the results possible when an innovative idea is coupled with a strategy for action and an entrepreneur's indomitable will.

[ErickB]

From a document I prepared:

Social entrepreneurship (SE) represents an “explosion of diverse experiments” that combines the resources and resourcefulness of traditional entrepreneurship with a mission to improve society by creating and implementing sustainable solutions to important social problems. Social entrepreneurs are finding their own balance between the desire to make a social contribution and the personal need to capture an economic return.
Broadly defined, “social entrepreneur” encompasses two distinct types of organizations:

1. Non-Profit Charities
2. For-Profit Businesses – businesses with a vision for significant social / environmental impact.

There is significant research devoted to evaluating and understanding the non-profit sector. Some key facts:

• In 2006, there were 1.5 million nonprofits registered in the US, (1.17 million with less than $100,000 in total assets).
• Non-Profits employ 12.5 million of the nation’s workforce.

There is a dearth of relevant statistical information regarding social entrepreneurs. There is no agreed upon core criteria for defining the social entrepreneur, no unique tax code or formal government acknowledgement of social entrepreneurialism (although there is a movement in the academic circles to petition the government to create a unique B corporation filing status specifically for socially motivated enterprises.)
However, what we do know is that:

• Arthur Brooks, Director of nonprofit studies at Syracuse University, estimates that there are 9 million social enterprises that are not formal nonprofits.
• In 2004, there were about 20 schools actively teaching social entrepreneurship courses. Now, there are over 250 professors actively teaching or researching in SE.
• There are dozens of student competitions, websites, and resources and a significant increase in foundation activity and press attention, all focused on SE.

[sidakep]

is social entrepeneur including the recycling company??

[global77]

sidakep: What type of recycling company do you have in mind? A recycling program that is run by the government is not. Terra Cycle is a great example of social entrepreneurship. Terra Cycle collects used 2 liter bottles, and uses them for worm poop which is sold in places like WalMart and Home Depot. It's sustainable.

From TerraCycle.com:

It all started in 2001 when two Princeton University students set out to change the way people do business. Inspired by a box of worms, these students had a dream: a company could be financially successful while being ecologically and socially responsible.

Co-founders Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer were determined to turn the worm box concept into a real-life, commercially viable process. That summer, they developed prototype equipment and proved their concept was feasible by reprocessing solid waste from dining halls at Princeton University.

[the] story is a reminder about following your dreams. The pot of gold may require dealing with a ton of crap." -- CBS Evening News

[Pete V]

The concept of social entrepreneurship is one that all businesses should understand. The goal of all businesses should be to create something of value for their customers while being socially responsible.

[TheCEOandPresident]

Interesting thread. As an individual who is interested in establishing a successful non-profit any information is good information.

[JaytheCreative]

The concept of social entrepreneurship is one that all businesses should understand. The goal of all businesses should be to create something of value for their customers while being socially responsible.

Agreed. But, this is more of a revolutionary social development. Where the business is 100% social purpose where success is literally measured by positive humanitarian activism.

I love it! I've been grappling, personally, with my career choices. I love economics, and finance, with a passion as do I love marketing. But, I've worked for CitiGroup, and WellsFargo, and a few other corps. And, being the analytical and the civil rights activist I am, I understand where these major financial institutions and other conglomerates are literally working to screw people over. And if not blatantly, I can see where they are persuading people to make financial decisions that sounds beneficial, but in the long-run is more hurt than good.

Which is why I have a dream of creating a "people's bank", where the people are the shareholders (kind of like a credit union), and the bank's decisions must be under the best interests of the community (instead of a bank that's a subsidiary of a larger financial firm, with a Board of Directors and wealthy Shareholders who are willing to hurt the pockets of others to pull a profit).

And, a function of this financial institution would be having open public records, and have programs to educate and help people understand the macro and micro economy, as well as their finances.

[westonbergmann@yahoo]

Social entrepreneurship is any profit/non-profit entity with positive social implications.

[operaentre]

Thanks for the information.
Social Entrepreneur are meant to recycle companies which are not at their best.
Any I don't have that much knowledge on this. I asked you for more details about this.

[MichaelMelen]

As for being socially responsible to the environment, I think it's actually easier than ever right now because of the whole green movement and the positive publicity these companies get.

[ferrer76]

Social Entrepreneur is nothing but the entrepreneur who builds the communication between two business organizations in order to develop their business and development.

[ChadSBK]

A good example of social entrepreneurs would be the men and women who founded ShoreBank (whom I represent) in 1973. They saw needs in their community, had the means to initiate change, and received a return on their investments. Today, ShoreBank finances business, individuals, and organizations whose goals are conservation, environmental sustainability, and enhancing communities – all while turning a profit.

[MarkWilliams]

A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change.

Right from Wikipedia.com

[jonrubin]

i think social entrepreneurs are exactly what i set up my website for.. einvolved.com .. this is exactly what i love, business with morality and a purpose. i believe in the free market and making profits as well, but to recognize the human aspect of customers, clients and all parties involved and showing that you value this is imperative to being a social entrepreneur. please join my site and contribute to the blogs and discussion boards. i have 0 members currently and I am looking for people to help build it and beta test it to discover errors before public release. it is einvolved.com and you can create a free account, let me know if you do and thanks. look forward to talking much here as well!

[stevensaliba]

Social entrepreneurs are very important in our society. We need people to give value to others.