3 crystal clear cases why social entrepreneurship is an economic development tool
Stop talking about social entrepreneurship as a charity and start seeing it as a powerful tool of economic development. I’m soundly convinced that the true latent power of social entrepreneurship is as an economic development tool with the ability to turn a homeless/poor person from a tax burden charity/aid recipient to a consumer, tax payer and creator of value with the same kind of dignity and self respect the rest of us enjoy in our jobs and daily lives.
Pigeon holing it in the non profit arena is just reinforcing the status quo and gives credence to old, unjust and infective models. For profit social entrepreneurship should be encouraged, celebrated and supported just as much as, if not more so, than it’s counter part in the non profit sector. It should be seen for what it truly is; social entrepreneurship addresses market failures by seizing opportunities and creating tangible goods and services that address real market needs and thus create value, jobs, increases the wealth of all stakeholders, strengthens the economy and lowers burden on taxpayer/aid funded public services. It’s about creating value, not warm fuzzies.
Yup. Social enterprise is not about non-profits making revenue. It’s about changing the way we view organizational goals — for-profit or non-profit. Holistic, systemic cultural shift.
Read this. And skip to the end if you’re looking for a few links to extra examples.
