This weblog is continuously attempting to find a balance between progressive compassion and business wisdom. I maintain the view that both are needed.
On 9/25/08, Dr. Jeff Cornwall of The Entrepreneurial Mind wrote again on The New Nature of the Social Entrepreneurship Movement.
The perspective we are hearing from our social entrepreneurship students is that they want to tackle one social problem at a time. They are not interested in massive solutions to problems, as they believe that all this does is create big, inefficient bureaucracies.He cites a post that "challenges how we have conceptualized our past approaches to solving social problems in this world. It clearly echoes what we are hearing from our social entrepreneurship students, from the MakeZen's Weblog:
It struck me soon after how peculiar it was the way the question was formulated: would I like to join them to FIGHT against women violence? Why do we use the word "fight" that implies violence to get rid of violence? FIGHT against poverty, injustice, war etc. is something that we normally hear in the news, in the mission statements of some NGOs, and indeed in the life mission of some social entrepreneurs as well. It surely carries a negative energy and it will strengthen the other opposing energy. I believe it more and more that true and LASTING changes can never take place from a negative state of consciousness because ignorance will grow stronger when it is being attacked!
So don't fight against war, poverty and injustice- rather- work for peace, for fairness and let peace flow through all your actions in order to create true changes! It's possible, even in the most despair situation!
The Entrepreneurial Mind also wrote way back on 4/22/08 that Social Ventures Need to Have Market Relevance.
Social entrepreneur Sam Davidson was offered the following advice from Josh Kelly, one of the founders of a fair trade coffee venture called Higher Ground. Three guys began the dream back in 2002. Now they roast over 89,000 pounds a year and provide a unique fundraising and marketing model supporting the work on nonprofits with several unique blends.It would be moronic to push an issue in the marketplace if you couldn't be competitive with it.
More on Sam's observation at his blog:
That is why, Dr. Cornwall advises, we call them social entrepreneurs -- they need to be effective entrepreneurs if they want to help their particular cause.
It is getting both to work,especially in larger organizations, that can be the challenge.
