“These shoes help others get a step up” by CNN

Inspiring!!

“Step into Blake Mycoskie’s shoes for a day, and you might wind up feeling enlightened. Not just because the shoes he wears are incredibly lightweight, but because they transport him to regions of the globe where footwear is a rare, precious commodity.

So what are these magical slippers? They’re called TOMS, and they’re the foundation of Mycoskie’s one-for-one business principle: for every pair of TOMS sold, the 32-year-old gives a pair to a child in need.

The idea came to Mycoskie — who calls himself a “serial entrepreneur” whose first company was a laundry business he started in college — while he was vacationing in Argentina. He says he was overwhelmed by the sight of children living without shoes. But instead of simply starting a charity, he decided he could better serve by launching a for-profit business.

In the 2½ years since its inception, TOMS Shoes has distributed 150,000 pairs of shoes toimpoverished children in Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa and the U.S. via a series of “shoe drops.”…”

article @

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/homestyle/03/26/blake.mycoskie.toms.shoes/

His Web site: http://www.tomsshoes.com/

[pic: http://www.fashiontime.hu/content_files/toms%20shoes.jpg]

“Change the world, one click at a time” Boston.com

I am a big supporter of social entrepreneurship!! Some start ups are real sources of change and inspiration! Check out the following internet startups @:

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/12/29/change_the_world_one_click_at_a_time/

Abstract:

“All the networks, homemade videos, and blogs on the Web have made it a center for socializing, not social change. But a slew of start-ups are using the tech tools and social dynamics that have become the norm online to tackle real-world problems.

Whether it’s through a social network that helps a Nicaraguan woman get a loan to expand her business selling dyed rope, or a website that…”

“Social Entrepreneurs: Who are they, Where are they?” by Sandra Zerbo

Thank you Sandra! Very inspiring!!

PBS has started a series called The New Heroes, which “tells the dramatic stories of 14 daring people from all corners of the globe who, against all odds, are successfully alleviating poverty and illness, combating unemployment and violence, and bringing education, light, opportunity and freedom to poor and marginalized people around the world.” 

On the web page, you can actually read the very inspiring stories of these new heroes, and also (how cool!) play a ‘building a socially conscious business game!” There is also a quiz, and the opportunity to share your stories.   HYPERLINK  http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/  

On the Skoll Foundation’s page titled “What Is a Social Entrepreneur” you can also read on people like Yunus (Grameen Bank), Roy (Barefoot College), and Cotton (CAMFED).  HYPERLINK  http://www.skollfoundation.org/aboutsocialentrepreneurship/whatis.asp

For videos, please visit the Skoll Foundation’s YouTube channel at:  HYPERLINK http://www.youtube.com/skollfoundation 

There is another facet of the broad arena of social entrepreneurship that I would like to bring your attention to. It is called strategic philanthropy and it is defined as the different ways that companies might find to work towards social justice and the improvement of lives through their marketing and other business strategies. 

The Google Foundation ( HYPERLINK http://www.google.org) is a very good example of how a company decided to create a philanthropic arm and is doing great work around the world. The resources in the third and last article of these series will give you more knowledge of the field in general, and outline websites that will help in better defining and maybe making the decision to pursue this path.

Picture – istockphoto

The Social Entrepreneurship Series, By Sandra Zerbo

Thank you Sandra for this well written article. We’re looking forward to reading your next articles – Yopi

Overview

 

The Social Entrepreneurship series is a series of three articles, this one being the first. The following article gives an overview of the field: what is social entrepreneurship and how is it different from business entrepreneurship? The second article, “Meet the Social Entrepreneurs of our Times,” takes us on a world tour of the prominent figures of this discipline, covering their achievements, struggles, and the advice they have for young professionals like us, who are interested in following the same path. The third and last article is a compilation of resources (books, articles, and websites), helpful for getting more information.

 

 

 Article 1: Social Entrepreneurship Defined

 

“Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” (Bill Drayton, CEO, Chair and founder of Ashoka).  

 

Social entrepreneurship can be defined as a discipline that combines the ‘good old’ entrepreneurship, with innovation in terms of social change. Can the two be combined? Well… some years ago, it was practically unthinkable. Not many people could see how entrepreneurs (those business oriented people only concerned with making profits) could even think about social change, especially if it was not in the best interest of their business. Schumpeter described entrepreneurs as “creative-destructive” people who are ready to exploit any “untried technological possibility for producing a new commodity.” Although this definition might sound pretty ‘uncaring for society,’ it is important to note that in Schumpeter’s mind, entrepreneurs are change agents. By trying new things, and/or innovating and improving existing systems, they have the ability to move the economy forward.

This is the starting point of social entrepreneurship. A group of people thought that entrepreneurs can also start new, nonprofit-seeking ventures, which will have the capacity of potentially solving what we have identified as ‘social problems.’ Social entrepreneurs are people who have implemented creative ways of dealing with and/or solving social issues (innovative education methods, poverty reduction strategies, and health care improvement are good examples). Historical figures of the movement (Jane Addams, Maria Montessori and Muhammad Yunus for instance), who we will meet in the second article of the series, show that although the phenomenon has become better known and the appellation “social entrepreneurs” might be relatively new, it has existed for many years. Dees notes that social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents in the social sector by adopting a mission to create and sustain social value, and engaging in processes of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning in order to create the desired outcomes. Social entrepreneurs are said to be ambitious, mission driven, strategic, resourceful, and result oriented. In addition, they “identify resources where people see problems. […] They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they’re serving.” (David Bornstein) Social entrepreneurs have the ability to move society forward, as we will see by meeting some of them next time.