Social Entrepreneurship is one of the new hot kids on the block. There is a lot of discussion and plenty of disagreement about what SE is and specifically a definition. However, the one that I like for it’s simplicity is:
Social Entrepreneur – A person who tries to solve social problems using entrepreneurial skills.
This was from a TEDx video by Andy Stoll (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LVa9pb-n8)
In researching this topic I have found multiple useful links and wanted to capture them in a single location so it would be easy for me to find them at a later date. So this was the starting point for this blog and I will update it with new links as I find them.
- The date at the start of each link is a reference to when it was added to the list, not its original publication date.
- There is no intended sort order for the resources listed
- As far as I am aware all the resources listed are in the public domain and free to access. If you are the content owner and this is not correct, please let me know and I will remove immediately.
- Listing articles in this blog in no way should be taken as an endorsement for the opinions, services, products etc of the organization/person who originally published the article
I trust you will find the follow links useful.
- Solar initiatives
- (Aug 20) The ‘solar canals’ making smart use of India’s space – https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200803-the-solar-canals-revolutionising-indias-renewable-energy
- Changing work patterns
- (Sep 20) Social Entrepreneurship: How to Become a Changemaker Through Business. A pretty good summary of what it means to be an SE – https://www.shopify.com.au/blog/social-entrepreneurship
- (Jul 20) Time for a new C-suite officer – the Climate Change Officer? – https://thefutureshapers.com/time-for-a-new-c-suite-officer/
- (May 20) Coronavirus pandemic exposes fatal flaws of the ‘just-in-time’ economy – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-02/coronavirus-pandemic-exposes-just-in-time-economy/12206776
- It’s the customer value innovation not just product innovation that counts
- (Apr 20) Keepcup, He said it was the stupidest idea he had ever seen – https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52366981
- Plastic pollution
- (Mar 20) The discovery of microplastic pollution in samples collected from Llyn Glaslyn, a remote lake near the summit of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, is a “scary wake-up call” environmentalists have said – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51546978
- (Mar 20) Plastic pollution: Scientists’ plea on threat to ocean giants – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42920383
- The circular economy – stories about a shift from growth to balance
- (Jun 20) How the Dutch are reshaping their post-pandemic utopia. Could the Doughnut model become the compass we need for creating a safe and just 21st century? (video from the BBC) – https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p08hppxt/how-the-dutch-are-reshaping-their-post-pandemic-utopia
- Recycling – trash to treasure
- (Mar 20) e-waste social enterprise wins Premier’s Sustainability Award – https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/About-us/Latest-news/2019/10/09/22/44/ewaste-social-enterprise-wins-Premiers-Sustainability-Award
- (Mar 20) Social enterprises leading the way on ewaste – https://ewastewatch.com.au/2019/04/05/the-role-of-social-enterprises-in-managing-ewaste/
- (Mar 20) This Social Enterprise In Bengaluru Is Recycling E-Waste – https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/this-social-enterprise-in-bengaluru-is-recycling-e-waste-9189/
- (Mar 20) Often led by women, companies such as Green Collect (https://www.greencollect.org/ based in Melbourne, VIC) are turning urban waste into employment for disadvantaged people. Companies in the city’s office towers pay Green Collect to take away hard-to-recycle waste. Green Collect then employs socially disadvantaged people to refashion it into something useful and then sells it back to the companies that threw it out. It’s a double whammy – https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/nov/21/social-enterprises-transforming-recycling
- (Mar 20) Can we fix our way out of the growing e-waste problem? – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51385344
- (Jan 20) Amsterdam has a bubble barrier to catch canal plastic – https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/bubble-barrier-amsterdam-canal-plastic-pollution-waste-river-ocean-sea/
- (Dec 19) How to rehabilitate old oil supertankers. The enormous ships that ferry crude oil around the world embody the fossil fuel era and its legacy of pollution. But can they be transformed to be good for the environment? – https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190627-turning-oil-supertankers-into-green-power-stations
- Share the Dignity – addressing the issues of period poverty
- (Mar 20) Amazing example of social need meeting entrepreneurial innovation. Purely and simply the #Pinkbox Dignity Vending Machine, is a vending machine that dispenses a FREE pack of 6 tampons and 2 pads. Share the Dignity supply the vending machine, for FREE, install the vending machine and keep it supplied with FREE products – https://sharethedignity.com.au/dignity-vending-machines/
- (Mar 20) CSR making a real difference – Woolworths donates five cents from every pack of sanitary items sold, including pads, tampons, liners or period briefs, across its stores nationally. The donated funds are used to install and maintain more of the charity’s world first ‘Pink Box Dignity Vending Machines’ – https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/community/share-the-dignity
- Right, Wrong or just Different?
- (Mar 20) What happens if we are different? Should we be made to conform? Should others be more accommodating? Children on the autism spectrum have a particularly challenging time on places like cinemas. The following is a resource for cinemas offering Sensory Friendly Screenings – https://mycarespace.com.au/resources/sensory-friendly-movie-sessions-for-children-with-autism
- (Feb 20) Effect of menstruation on girls and their schooling
- ‘Period-shaming’ Indian college forces students to strip to underwear – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-51504992
- 23 Million Women Drop Out Of School Every Year When They Start Menstruating In India – https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/23-million-women-drop-out-of-school-every-year-when-they-start-menstruating-in-india-17838/
- Busting the menstruation myths to help Indian girls stay in school – https://theirworld.org/news/india-menstruation-lessons-help-girls-stay-in-school-periods-taboos
- Why Periods Are Keeping Girls Out of School – https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/menstrual-hygiene-day-education/
- Effect of menstruation on girls and their schooling, and facilitators of menstrual hygiene management in schools: surveys in government schools in three states in India, 2015 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6286883/
- Businesses and organisations focused on supporting social impact
- (Feb 20) Social Outcomes are one of Australia’s leading impact organisations. They specialise in researching, designing, costing, implementing, measuring and financing impact – https://socialoutcomes.com.au/
- (Feb 20) Formed in 2009 as an initiative of the South Australian Government, TACSI (The Australian Centre for Social Innovation) is now an independent social enterprise working on projects and initiatives across Australia – https://www.tacsi.org.au/
- Examples of Social Entrepreneurship
- (Mar 20) Cafe opens with robot waiters remotely controlled by people with disabilities – https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/11/26/national/cafe-opens-robot-waiters-remotely-controlled-people-disabilities/
- (Feb 20) The boss putting an end to empty homes – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51546107
- (Feb 20) 8 inspiring examples of social innovation in finance – http://www.limitless.lu/8-inspiring-examples-of-social-innovation-in-finance/
- (Mar 20) The SeaBin project, cleaning up our oceans one marina at a time – https://seabinproject.com/
- Time capsules, posterity and others
- (Feb 20) The future library. An interesting twist on the time capsule idea. A thousand trees have been planted to provide the wood for paper to print 100 books. Each year for 100 years a new book will be commissioned, but the twist is that the trees will not be cut until 2114 and so the books cannot be printed or read until then. – https://www.futurelibrary.no/
- Good intentions do not always mean good actions
- (Feb 20) Design Thinking for Social Innovation. Making sure you think through the specific needs of the receipients of your social programs – https://ssir.org/articles/entry/design_thinking_for_social_innovation
- Carbon Neutral or even negative
- (Mar 20) Telstra’s green new deal, Telstra has laid out an ambitious targets for the company to embrace the renewable economy – https://www.crn.com.au/news/telstra8217s-green-new-deal-538926
- (Jan 20) Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030 – https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/01/16/microsoft-will-be-carbon-negative-by-2030/
- (Jan 20) Companies are lining to have their carbon reduction credentials seen – https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2019/08/26/101-companies-committed-to-reducing-their-carbon-footprint/
- (Jan 20) The CDP’s annual A List names the world’s most pioneering companies leading on environmental transparency and performance – https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores
- Water Waste Management
- (Jan 20) Dutch company Hydraloop won the award for the Best of Best at the electronic technology trade show CES2020 in Las Vegas on 9 January. Hydraloop developed a water purification system that can easily be placed in homes and recycles up to 85 percent of all domestic water used – https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news/hydraloop-wins-best-of-best-award-at-worlds-largest-electronic-show-ces2020
- Awards for Social Entrepreneurs
- (Jan 20) Australian Social Entrepreneurs of 2019 – https://www.socialchangecentral.com/top-stories-australian-social-entrepreneurs-of-2019/
- (Jan 20) The Third Sector Awards: Celebrating the Sector’s Most Extraordinaire – https://thirdsectorawards.com.au/finalist-2019/
- Food waste
- (Jan 20) The entrepreneur stopping food waste, “I was not fully aware of how big of an issue in society food waste really is” – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50974009
- If you cannot get to the hospital why not get the hospital to come to you – Hospital Trains
- (Dec 19) The Transnet-Phelophepa trains are free, mobile healthcare clinics that travel to areas of rural South Africa – https://www.roche.com/sustainability/philanthropy/transnet-phelophepa_healthcare_train.htm
- (Dec 19) The Lifeline Express, or Jeevan Rekha Express, is a hospital train that runs in India that began in 1991 – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeline_Express
- Changing employee attitudes
- (Oct 19) Millennials demand wellbeing clause in wage contracts – https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/personalfinance/millennials-demand-wellbeing-clause-in-wage-contracts/ar-AAIOxiK
- Changing corporate attitudes
- (Oct 19) Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff: ‘Capitalism as we know it is dead’ – https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/10/23/20927076/marc-benioff-trailblazer-book-salesforce-ceo-capitalism
- (Sep 19) The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase … What Exactly? Milton Friedman asserted it is profit – https://hbr.org/2012/04/you-might-disagree-with-milton
- (Sep 19) Link to the article by Milton Friedman “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits” – http://umich.edu/~thecore/doc/Friedman.pdf
- (Sep 19) Purpose before profit: How ethical investment is transforming Australian – https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/company-news/purpose-before-profit-how-ethical-investment-is-transforming-australian-retail/ar-AAHfMxB
- (Sep 19) Indra Nooyi: Achieving Both Financial Growth And Purpose – Performance with Purpose – https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2017/11/21/indra-nooyi-achieving-both-financial-growth-and-purpose-at-pepsico/
- (Sep 19) Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Says The Business Of Business Is Improving The State Of The World – https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2017/01/07/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-says-the-business-of-business-is-improving-the-state-of-the-world/
- (Aug 19) Corporate leaders scrap shareholder-first ideology – https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49400885
- B Corporations – independent certification for businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
- (Mar 19) Global B-Corporation web site – https://www.bcorporation.net/
- (Mar 19) Australia New Zealand web site – https://bcorporation.com.au/
- Social Media and Social Entrepreneurship
- (Mar 19) Here are 5 ways how digital marketing will help your social enterprise change the world – http://anthillonline.com/5-ways-digital-marketing-will-help-your-social-enterprise-change-the-world/
- (Mar 19) Expert Says Social Entrepreneurs Have Social Media Secret Weapon – https://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2018/04/05/expert-says-social-entrepreneurs-have-social-media-secret-weapon
- (Mar 19) Social Media For Social Entrepreneurship – https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249379
- (Mar 19) #Trashtag: The online challenge cleaning places up – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-47536861
- Social Intrapreneurship
- (May 20) A classic example of corporate intrapreneurship leading to corporate social intrapreneurship. Nick Hughes (then Vodafone Head of Global Payments) started what would become M-Pesa, “Africa’s most successful mobile money service. It provides access to financial services to the millions of people who have a mobile phone, but do not have or have only limited access to a bank account” – https://www.vodafone.com/what-we-do/services/m-pesa
- (Mar 19) 2014’s Most Valuable Employee: The Social Intrapreneur – https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/01/24/2014s-most-valuable-employee-the-social-intrapreneur/
- (Mar 19) Cultivating the Social Intrapreneur – https://ssir.org/articles/entry/cultivating_the_social_intrapreneur
- (Mar 19) Can social intrapreneurship add value to your business? – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/better-business/business-sustainability/social-intrapreneurship-value-to-business/
- (Mar 19) Ashoka, a global organization leading the way to an “Everyone a Changemaker” world – https://twitter.com/ashoka
- (Mar 19) League of Intrapreneurs, hosted the first ever global awards for social intrapreneurship in 2013 – https://twitter.com/SocIntLeague
- (Mar 19) Gib Bulloch, established NFP within Accenture, Be the Change You Want to See in Your Company (paraphrase Gandhi) – https://youtu.be/5KYWJdU9Ltw
- Funding links (there may be others in specific sections – just search for fund)
- (Jul 20) What Small Business Grants are Available for Women? – Funding for entrepreneurial opportunities is challenging. However there is sometimes funding aimed at specific areas – the title provides the clue for this one, with a focus on the UK and USA – https://www.aabrs.com/small-business-grants-for-women/
- (Mar 20) There is funding available for sustainability, recycling etc social projects at both the state and federal level. Here are a few links I have found:
- (Mar 20) Microsoft launches the Global Social Entrepreneurship program – https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/02/21/creating-a-world-of-good-microsoft-launches-the-global-social-entrepreneurship-program/ and https://startups.microsoft.com/en-us/social-entrepreneurship/ (check qualifying criteria at bottom) and a summary from ZDNet with short explainer video https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-launches-entrepreneurship-program-targeted-at-social-entrepreneurs/
- (Mar 20) Interesting (short) article discussing options for fundsing social ventures – https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/social-enterprise-idea-action/0/steps/18837
- (Mar 20) Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is a not-for-profit organisation that works with partners to alleviate disadvantage – towards an Australia where all people and communities thrive – https://www.socialventures.com.au/
- (Mar 20) The Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds (SEDIF) offer finance and support to eligible social enterprises to help them grow their business and increase the impact of their work in their communities – https://www.employment.gov.au/social-enterprise-development-and-investment-funds
- (Mar 20) A list of sources for grant money/seed funding for start-up social enterprises – https://www.communitydoor.org.au/resource/grant-moneyseed-funding-for-start-up-social-enterprises
- (Mar 20) Queensland Government, Business Queensland, Social Enterprise Grants Program – https://www.business.qld.gov.au/starting-business/advice-support/grants/social-enterprise
- (Mar 20) ClubGRANTS is one of Australia’s largest grant programs, providing more than $100 million in cash each year to a variety of worthy causes across NSW – https://www.clubgrants.com.au/
- (Mar 20) City of Parramatta Social Enterprise Grants – https://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/business-development/social-enterprise/social-enterprise-grants
- (Feb 19) The Australian government Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds initiative (now managed through 3 fund managers links are in the following) – https://www.jobs.gov.au/social-enterprise-development-and-investment-funds
- (Feb 19) Grant money/seed funding for start-up social enterprises – https://communitydoor.org.au/resource/grant-moneyseed-funding-for-start-up-social-enterprises
- (Feb 19) Accessing appropriate capital is essential for all social enterprises – https://www.socialtraders.com.au/about-social-enterprise/social-enterprise-finance/
- Social Change Central
- (Feb 19) The home page for an Australian centric resource hub for social enterprises – https://www.socialchangecentral.com/
- (Feb 19) There blog has some great articles – https://www.socialchangecentral.com/blog/
- (Feb 19) Social Enterprise Funding 101 – https://www.socialchangecentral.com/social-enterprise-funding-101/
- Taxation
- (Feb 19) Using tax relief to fund innovation in your business. This is general advice and not specifically SE, but still interesting to get you thinking – https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/14157/347137/using-tax-relief-to-fund-innovation-in-your-business
- ColaLife – Innovative Ideas
- (Jan 19) ColaLife won awards for their clever packaging that fitted medicine packs into Coca-Cola crates. This article from 2013 reports on their success and awards https://www.wired.com/2013/03/colalife-piggybacks-on-coke/
- (Jan 19) But by 2014 success overtook them and they needed to pivot in a positive way https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/09/colalife-charity-coke-crate-medicine
- Radio shows and Blogs
- (Jan 19) Australian Radio National – This Working Life – The Jan 22nd show talked to 2 social entrepreneurs at www.Keepcup.com and One Good Street https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/this-working-life/
- Bill Drayton
- (Jan 19) – Everyone a changemaker – https://www.ashoka.org/sites/ashoka/files/innovations8.5x11FINAL.pdf
- World Economic Forum
- WEF Davos – 2020 Event
- (Jan 20) Main summary page – https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2020
- (Jan 20) WEF Youtube home page – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw-kH-Od73XDAt7qtH9uBYA
- (Dec 19) In Rome you can swap plastic bottles for metro tickets (5c discount per bottle). This is the article – https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/rome-recycling-plastic-bottles-subway-fare And here is the associated video – https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/videos/1322760481245980/
- (Jan 19) The Global Shapers Survey 2017 (Youth Matters) – a survey of 30k+ influencers of the future (35 and under) – http://www.shaperssurvey2017.org/
- (Feb 19) Pakistan wants to solve its energy crisis with renewable power – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-hPdWsTWBc
- (Feb 19) Nearly two billion people in india, pakistan and china will soon be at risk of flash floods – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzYhRP-zCH4
- (Feb 19) Indonesia’s rivers are choking on plastic trash – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PivbHg-H9M
- (Feb 19) India is giving away clean cooking fuel to combat deadly indoor air pollution – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_iDRXBRJxg
- (Feb 19) This drone delivers books to Indonesian children – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cKgfdMBEw8
- (Feb 19) This school in Pakistan uses solar power to run night classes – https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/at-pakistan-s-slum-school-child-labourers-can-get-a-formal-education-at-night/
- (Feb 19) Pakistan has planted over a billion trees – https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/pakistan-s-billion-tree-tsunami-is-astonishing/
- WEF Davos – 2020 Event
- YouTube
- (Jan 19) General YouTube search on SE – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=social+entrepreneurship
- (Jan 19) Michael Porter (he of Porters 5 forces) makes the case for the role of commercial businesses (and profit) in Social Entrepreneurship (not just Government and not-for-profits) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iIh5YYDR2o
- Twitter
- (Jan 19) #socialentrepreneur link – https://twitter.com/search?q=%23socialentrepreneur
- (Jan 19) #socent link – https://twitter.com/search?q=%23socent
- Sydney Morning Herald
- (Jan 19) Why Millennials won’t invest like their parents…this is about the convergence of purpose and profit – https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-3-trillion-next-generation-why-millennials-won-t-invest-like-their-parents-20181220-p50nhz.htmlhttps://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/the-3-trillion-next-generation-why-millennials-won-t-invest-like-their-parents-20181220-p50nhz.html
- Harvard Business Review
- (Feb 19) A New Approach to Funding Social Enterprises. Some interesting thoughts and idea generators – https://hbr.org/2012/01/a-new-approach-to-funding-social-enterprises
- (Jan 19) Home page for articles on Social Enterprise – https://hbr.org/topic/social-enterprise
- (Jan 19) Interesting article on Impact Investing “do well by doing good” – https://hbr.org/2019/01/calculating-the-value-of-impact-investing
- Definitions and Introduction Articles
- (Jan 19) Oldie but goodie from 1998 – The Meaning of “Social Entrepreneurship”, J. Gregory Dees et al – http://www.redalmarza.cl/ing/pdf/TheMeaningofsocialEntrepreneurship.pdf
