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What is a Social Entrepreneur?

Definitions, Research and Examples

Jul 19, 2007 Bonny Albo

Social entrepreneurship isn't new, but the buzz generated by those who practice it is. Learn more about this emerging form of entrepreneurship here.

A "social entrepreneur" is a business owner who pinpointed a social issue in need of addressing, and used the principles of entrepreneurship to build an organization to attempt implementation of the necessary changes. To compare, business entrepreneurs focus on their profit and losses as measures of success, whereas social entrepreneurs focus on how their efforts have impacted a certain portion of society.

Well-Known Social Entrepreneurs

One of the most historically well-known social entrepreneurs was Florence Nightingale, who created the first ever school for nursing students. Other successful entrepreneurs that focused on social causes include John Muir (founder of the Sierra Club), Mary Montessori (creator of the Montessori method of educating children), and Susan B. Anthony (women's rights activist).

Formal Consensus on the Term Social Entrepreneurs

Although the term was originally coined in the 60's, social entrepreneurship is still without a formalized definition. Many business schools teach social entrepreneurship, but how they define who does, and who doesn't fall into the category is still fuzzy or varies between professors. (For more on defining social entrepreneurship, read Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition [pdf]).

Examples of Organizations Working with Social Entrepreneurs

Numerous organizations around the world currently celebrate, promote, support and educate social entrepreneurs, such as:

Current Social Entrepreneurs

Some currently active social entrepreneurs around the globe include:

  • Al Etmanski, founder of the Planned Life Advocacy Network. "PLAN's work enhances the quality of life and security of disabled persons by building a safety net of diverse programs."
  • Aaron Pereira, who is working on creating a community bank initiative for Canadians.
  • Saleem Samad, a Bangladesh-based writer "organizing motivated rural journalists to use their writing to focus their readers' attentions on key development issues, to go beyond silent event reporting to becoming agenda-setters."
  • Bir Bahadur Ghale, for bringing electricity using hydro-power to a remote Nepalese village.
  • Roger Wilson-Hinds, who created low-cost computer screenreading software geared towards underemployed blind and visually impaired people.
  • James Greenshields, creator of Radio for Development, an organization working in numerous African countries supporting their efforts to make and broadcast radio programming.

Further Reading on Social Entrepreneurship

2005, Social Enterprise Typology, Atler, Kim.

2004, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and The Power of New Ideas. by Bornstein, David. Oxford Publishers.

2002, Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs: Enhancing the Performance of Your Enterprising Nonprofit. edited by Dees, Emerson, and Economy. Wiley Publishers.

2001, Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs. Dees, Emerson, and Economy. Wiley Publishers.

2000, Managing the Double Bottom Line: A Business Planning Reference Guide for Social Enterprises. Alter, Sutia Kim. Pact Publications: Washington DC.

1998, “Charities Doing Commercial Ventures: Societal and Organizational Implications,” Zimmerman, Brenda and Dart, Raymond. Ontario: Trillium Foundation.

1998, “The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship,” Dees, Gregory.

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The copyright of the article What is a Social Entrepreneur? in Entrepreneurs is owned by Bonny Albo. Permission to republish What is a Social Entrepreneur? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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