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A Primer on Social Entrepreneurship
What if you could train disabled persons, formerly-trafficked women, and other underserved groups in Cambodia to take on one of the most important and intellectually intensive roles in modern global business?
That was the question Jeremy Hockenstein asked himself when he founded Digital Divide Data, a nonprofit social venture that teaches computer skills to individuals from underserved Cambodian communities and employs them to digitize volumes of hard-copy information from companies around the world. Since 2001, the company has provided its services while its employees receive not only fair wages and benefits, but access to scholarships and career development opportunities.
The ability to identify and seize opportunities has long been the key trait of economic entrepreneurs, but for the last few years, there has been an ever-growing buzz around a new class of change agents referred to as "social entrepreneurs," entrepreneurs who use market opportunities and innovative strategies to create social benefit. The members of this group are recognized as descendents of people like Florence Nightengale, and more recently, Muhammad Yunus, each of whom founded social organizations that fundamentally altered the way we practice and think about social change.
Background Posts on Social Entrepreneurship
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As is the case with every field, not everyone working in the social entrepreneurship realm agrees about everything. In fact with the field so young, many of the core questions – who is and who isn’t a social entrepreneur? How relevant are definitions? can organizations scale and continue to meet local needs? – have not even settled around a standard orthodoxy yet. In other words, the field is wide open for interpretation and discussion, so join in.
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The emergence of social entrepreneurship as a major disrupted force in the world of global problem solving has brought with it an emerging literature that ranges from anecdotal to inspirational to instructive. The books and articles below represent some of the best.
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This list has some of the best ways that interested people at any experience level can get involved with the emerging field of social entrepreneurship
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These statistics provide a snapshot of the field
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The field of social entrepreneurship arose not only from the grassroots efforts of individual entrepreneurs, but also from capital invested by a growing number of funders. In many ways, these social investors have a far greater ability to shape the field than do the entrepreneurs creating change on the ground. In order to understand trends in social entrepreneurship, it’s necessary to look first at the priorities of these major funders and what makes them tick. The funders mentioned below are important both for their individual efforts but sometimes, even more for what they represent.
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From learning about the fundamental characteristics of social entrepreneurs to the emergence of the social capital market which is driving funds to their organizations, these videos are a great way to learn more about how social entrepreneurship is changing the field of social change.
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While Muhammad Yunus, John Wood, Wendy Kopp and a handful of other individuals have brought an immense amount of press to the emerging field of social entrepreneurship, new enterprises with the potential to change the world emerge every day. Here are five social entrepreneurship projects you might not have heard of yet, but we think are on fundamentally transformative paths.
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Ed. Note: Every month or two we’ll add a new profile of an important social entrepreneur throughout history. We’re launching the series with a profile of Thomas Clarkson, one of the most important actors in the late 18th century British abolitionist movement.
Top Five Controversies in Social Entrepreneurship
Top Reads in Social Entrepreneurship
Top Ten Ways to Get Involved with Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship by the Numbers
Important Funders
Top Ten Videos
Five Social Entrepreneurship Projects You Might Not Have Heard of Yet (But You Will)
Social Entrepreneurs through History: Thomas Clarkson
Social Entrepreneurship Guide
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Nathaniel Whittemore
- Evanston, IL
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Nathaniel is the founding Director of the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern University, which works annually with hundreds of students in dozens of countries around the world through curricular programs and student project incubation. He is also the Founding Principle for Do Good Well, Inc, a consultancy focused on fusing business and philanthropy to advance social change. Most recently Nathaniel co-founded AssetMap.org, a web-based startup to help individuals and organizations better harness their assets for collaborative social change.
