Recap: Top Trends Shaping Social Entrepreneurship in 2009

Published January 02, 2009 @ 10:02AM PT

For the last week, I've been counting down the top trends I expect to shape the field of social entrepreneurship in 2009. Overall, I expect that the language of "social entrepreneurship" will become an increasingly large part of the social change lexicon. The combination of a new administration, an economic crisis highlighting systemic failures in our approaches to business, and a growing frustration with promises to change the world and come up short, the idea of new, pragmatic approaches to tackling our toughest problems will continue to captivate.

The Top Trends were:

Top Trend 2009 #7: Globally-Engaged Education
More universities and management programs than ever before are incorporating social entrepreneurship and social enterprise into their curriculum. At the same time, institutions like Ashoka are stepping up to support youth-led innovation beginning as early as high school.

Top Trend 2009 #6: Measuring Social Impact
Pressure from above and below is forcing nonprofits to think more seriously about how they define their goals and evaluate their progress too them. The days where organizations can get away with anecdotal evidence of impact are quickly fading.

Top Trend 2009 #5: Mobile Technology
Aid and development groups are increasingly viewing mobile phones - which penetrate even some of the remote parts of the world - as little mobile information centers. New technology promises to allow for more effective, accurate, coordinated programs.

Top Trend 2009 #4: Online Action Platforms
The internet is dramatically expanding the ways in which we can aggregate and harness individual people's desire to contribute to change. Online action platforms will continue to grow as social entrepreneurs tap into their networks more creatively.

Top Trend 2009 #3: Blended Value Investing
Any new market needs investors, and the world of social enterprise is getting a major push from a new breed of blended value investors who care about financial, social, and environmental returns.

Top Trend 2009 #2: Green Innovation
With the looming pressure of climate change, venture capitalists predict that clean technology will be the one recession-proof industry in 2009. This blog thinks that a generation of green innovators, particularly those focused on the bottom of the pyramid, will make a big splash in the coming year.

Top Trend 2009 #1: A Partner in the White House
The Obama Administration could be an incredibly important partner to social entrepreneurs across industries. Whether its by supporting their work with a social innovation fund, or adopting their best practices as part of policy platforms, the government should be a partner in scaling social change.

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Comments (7)

This is a great list! I think we are certainly moving toward #3. We are seeing more and more not-for-profits and social enterprises structuring themselves for sustainability through investment from socially minded investors. While it will take some time for this market to mature it is growing exponentially everyday.

Though the 2008 financial markets have bought difficulties in all areas of our economy it has also forced not-for-profits and social enterprises to begin to look for new sources of capital speeding up this process as well.

I look forward to seeing more on this topic this year. Happy New Years to all!

Jonathan Jaffrey,Springbanc Social Capital Advisors
jdj@springbanc.com

Posted by Jonathan Jaffrey on 01/03/2009 @ 10:34AM PT
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Thanks for writing Jonathan and keep up the good work!

Posted by Nathaniel Whittemore on 01/03/2009 @ 06:28PM PT
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Hey Nathaniel,

I agree with the measuring social impact trend #6. That's actually happening across nonprofit and commercial sectors, which is great!

I think, however, that it's going to become abundantly clear that many nonprofits are going to first need training on HOW to quantifiably and accurately measure impact, and subsequently need training on how to use the information gathered to ASSESS and IMPROVE their programs.

Most nonprofit organizations were created based on need. And naturally, the management's focus skewed towards improving programming. Even when working on capacity building initiatives, strategic planning, and/or board development/revitalization--rarely is there a committed focus on quantifying impact beyond surveys, testimonies, attendees, and other common means (that may or may not meet the more stringent impact reporting that is now being more carefully reviewed by donors). Admittedly, it has always been a reporting requirement...but, to use your word, random, anecdotal evidence passed muster.

Now, times are changing for the better. With this change, however, more systematic and scientific measurement training should emerge. This would give organizaitons an opportunity to improve their impact-assessment methods accordingly.

It would devastate, more likely already marginalized communities, to lose quality programs simply because the organization's managment lack the knowledge, resouces or sophistication to measure, and then sufficiently articulate the difference they are making in people's lives.

I know that it's needed...but this trend should be applied with grace.

Lisa Yancey
Arts Consultant
NY

Posted by Lisa Yancey on 01/04/2009 @ 02:03PM PT
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Hi,

Thanks for this post, it's very enriching.

Concerning #4, at Sustainability 2.0 we're aiming at raising awareness on sustainable practices, Web 2.0 and collective intelligence.

Please take a look and learn more here: www.sustainabilitythebook.com

Posted by Victoria Bembibre on 04/29/2009 @ 06:52AM PT
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Hi there. Came across your list and wanted to add one more - social intrapreneurship! People inspired by social enterprise working from inside large organizations to make change. Our recent publication talks more about this, but hoping that people will see they don't always have to leave their current role to make change. http://www.sustainability.com/researchandadvocacy/reports_article.asp?id=1457

Best,

Maggie Brenneke
SustainAbility
www.sustainability.com

Posted by Maggie Brenneke on 05/21/2009 @ 03:44AM PT
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Great point Maggie - that's definitely happening more and more!

Posted by Nathaniel Whittemore on 05/21/2009 @ 07:19AM PT
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Hi,
It's good to know the trend is in the right direction but my research suggests there is a great deal that needs to change if we are to help the poor quickly....

report "Are the rich a waste of money ? " On startup-poor.com

The biggest change may well come through the use of mobile technology which is one solution to helping the poor enter world markets.

Ian

Posted by ian amor on 06/04/2009 @ 12:09PM PT
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Author

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.