Top Ten Videos

by Nathaniel Whittemore

Published October 05, 2008 @ 06:27PM PST

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.

1. Key Traits of Social Entrepreneurs

John Elkington

In this short interview, John Elkington, the founder of consultancy SustainAbility and author of “The Power of Unreasonable People,” gives a quick overview of some of the “key traits” of social entrepreneurs.

2. Speaker Series – Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Program in Social Entrepreneurship at NYU

Jed Emerson, Blendedvalue.org

Jed Emerson honestly has so many hands in so many pots of the worlds of social investing, entrepreneurship, and enterprise its impossible to give him just one title.  Here he provides students studying social entrepreneurship the broader context of the increased conversations between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

3. Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship Series

This 16-part series profiles a variety of innovators from the Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus to Peter Eigen, the founder of anti-corruption organization transparency international. This series is especially valuable for educators who wish to inspire their high school and undergraduate students with real stories of people changing the world.

4. Hybrid and For-Profit Business Models at Skoll World Forum 2008

Panel including:

Tralance O. Addy, Ph.D., President and CEO, WaterHealth International

David Brancaccio, Host and Senior Editor of NOW, PBS

Priya Haji, CEO and Co-founder, World of Good, Inc.

Liza Kimbo, Director, LiveWell Kenya Foundation

Sebastien Marot, International Coordinator, Friends-International

Tina Seelig, Executive Director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Stanford University

One of the most challenging issues facing social entrepreneurs and their supporters is that many of them squarely between the nonprofit and for-profit world. This often forces entrepreneurs to try to fit themselves into an organizational structure based on tax codes and whether their investors expect a return on their investment or want to be able to deduct their donation from their taxes. Hybrid enterprise models are forcing a broader reevaluation of the separation of “social” from “economic value.”

5. “Social Entrepreneurship” at Google

Bill Drayton, Founder Ashoka

Guest speakers: Karen Tse, founder International Bridges, Victoria Hale, founder OneWorld Health, Valeria Budinich, Ashoka VP

This video of a speech by Ashoka’s Bill Drayton (along with some of the entrepreneurs the foundation supports) articulates their vision that most powerful thing in the world is a big idea in the hands of a talented entrepreneur.

6. TEDTalks: Tackling Poverty with Patient Capital

Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder Acumen Fund

The social entrepreneur behind the Acumen Fund, which invests in businesses developed by and specifically targeted at the poor in the developing world, Novogratz reminds the viewer that aid and relief are only the very first part of the solution of global poverty and that we need to invest in developing world entrepreneurs who are changing the economic infrastructure of their societies.

7. Global X: The X-Interview Series

Example interview: Matt and Jessica Flannery, Founders Kiva.org

Hosted by the Skoll World Forum and Socialedge.org, the X-interview is a great way to get an overview of the work being done by a variety of actors, including not only social entrepreneurs themselves, but also leaders of the funding and other support institutions helping grow the movement.

8. The Faith Line

Eboo Patel – Founder, Interfaith Youth Core

Social entrepreneurship is not only about implementing innovative solutions to intractable problems, but about changing the shape of the cultural landscape to create a more just, equitable future. Eboo Patel’s Interfaith Youth Core is working to make the world a more pluralistic place by helping young people of different faiths learn about one another through common service. More than that, his passionate advocacy for pluralism across government and society harkens back to Social Entrepreneurs like Jane Addams and Florence Nightingale who not only build organizations, they help shift the perception of society as a whole.

9. “Loyalist Critique of Social Entrepreneurship” at Skoll World Forum 2008

Paul Farmer, Founder Partners in Health

After accepting his Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, Paul Farmer levied this “loyalist critique of social entrepreneurship,” in which he reminds his peers that social justice must remain at the core of their work, even when it conflicts with “business strategies.”

10. An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore, Jeff Skoll – Founder, Participant Media

Jeff Skoll founded Participant Productions because of his belief in the power of movies to tell compelling stories that could inspire broad audiences to engage in efforts to change the world. While the studio is young, the sensational success of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth demonstrates how social entrepreneurs can use mass media to reshape the cultural discussion.