Archive for Social Entrepreneurship

  • A Watershed for the Social Capital Market? A Watershed for the Social Capital Market?

    One of the sessions of the RISE Social Entrepreneurship track was a panel of investors who fund social entrepreneurs (both nonprofit and for-profit).  One of the panelists was Scott Collier, Managing Director of Triton Ventures.  Scott has been a venture capital investor since 1991, serves on the ...

  • The Change.org Social Entrepreneurship Blog The Change.org Social Entrepreneurship Blog

    I am delighted to announce that I’ve been asked by the Change.org Social Entrepreneurship blog to become a regular contributor.  It’s a real honor to be part of this phenomenal blog, so I hope that you will check it out and join the conversation. I will still write for the Social Velocity bl...

  • Climb on Board, Austin Climb on Board, Austin

    Today wraps up the Social Entrepreneur track of RISE, Austin’s SXSW-style conference for entrepreneurs.  It was a lot of fun putting together the track with Jessica Shortall, with lots of help from Annie Frierson, Suzi Sosa, Andy White and the many amazing, inspiring social entrepreneurs in our a...

  • Can PRIs Support Fundraising and Capacity Building? Can PRIs Support Fundraising and Capacity Building?

    Lucy Bernholz is hosting a great conversation on her Blueprint Research and Design website called “What Capital When?” As part of their work with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in their Digital Media & Learning initiative, Blueprint is hosting this online conversation arou...

  • The Power of a Case The Power of a Case

    Most businesses that are looking for funding know the power of a case for support, although they probably call it their “pitch” or “deck.”  But most nonprofit organizations don’t have an articulated case for support, and this is a real missed opportunity. A case for support is absolutely ...

  • The Social Side of Entrepreneurship The Social Side of Entrepreneurship

    In less than a month, Austin’s premier entrepreneurship conference, RISE, will be in full swing. March 1st through 5th brings a SXSW-style conference that is quickly becoming the place to be for anyone thinking about launching or growing an enterprise. This year, RISE has added an official socia...

  • Losing the Charity Mindset Losing the Charity Mindset

    Along with the burgeoning social entrepreneurship movement comes a bit of hubris that social entrepreneurs know better how to create social change than do the nonprofits that have been working toward social change for years.  Some social entrepreneurs argue that nonprofits are too set in their ways...

  • Convergence Can’t Be Denied Convergence Can’t Be Denied

    There is a fascinating debate going on in the blogsphere touched off by Michael Edwards, author of  Small Change: Why Business Won’t Save the World and former director of the Ford Foundation’s Governance and Civil Society program. In essence, the debate is about whether the convergence of th...

  • What We Can Learn From Idealist What We Can Learn From Idealist

    At the risk of going against the crowd, I’d like to add my perspective to the Idealist crisis.  Idealist.org is a job site for nonprofit organizations that has been around for 10 years.  It’s a great site that brings nonprofit organizations and aspiring nonprofit job seekers together.  It has...

  • Constraint or Opportunity? Constraint or Opportunity?

    One of my favorite organizations and a critical player in the creation of a well-capitalized nonprofit sector, the Nonprofit Finance Fund, is seeking feedback.  NFF is a community-development fund that makes millions of dollars in loans to nonprofits and pushes for fundamental improvement in how mo...

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