Ashoka Social Entrepreneurship - Most Popular

Introducing Ashoka and the Social Entrepreneurship Series
A Unique Insight into the Minds of Men and Women Changing the World

Disrupting old patterns of action, catalyzing global change and transforming systems – these outstanding global social entrepreneurs have emerged as beacons of inspiration in the citizen sector. Ashoka’s Social Entrepreneurship Series is an exciting 16-program film series featuring Ashoka and six founding members of Ashoka’s Global Academy of Social Entrepreneurship. These include BRAC’s Fazle Abed, Ashoka’s Bill Drayton, Transparency International’s Peter Eigen, Ethos Institute and the World Social Forum’s Oded Grajew, Social Accountability International’s Alice Tepper Marlin, and Grameen Bank’s Muhammad Yunus.

Bill Drayton recognized the power of individual innovation in addressing social change and founded Ashoka in 1981. Today, 25 years on, Ashoka supports 1700 social entrepreneurs in more than 60 countries. Ashoka's mission is to shape a citizen sector that is entrepreneurial, productive and globally integrated, and to develop the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world.

Ashoka identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs - extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities - supporting them, their ideas and institutions through all phases of their careers. Ashoka Fellows benefit from being part of the global Fellowship for life.

We'd love to know what you think after you have a chance to listen to a few of them.

Learn more about Ashoka's Social Entrepreneurship Series on DVD

The programs published in the weeks to come will appear in the list below. The best way to learn about new releases is to subscribe to one of the RSS feeds below, or to one of the site-wide feeds.

Our publication of this series was made possible by your membership dues and:

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Podcast

Oded Grajew - Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility

As a leading thinker on corporate social responsibility, Oded Grajew is challenging businesses, consumers, and governments to join in acting ethically towards a sustainable social good. With early roots in the Brazilian toy business, Grajew now heads the Ethos Institute for Business and Social Responsibility. In this audio lecture, he shows that business can be a powerful force for positive change and shares methods of enlisting everyone's help to build a sustainable society.

Podcast

Alice Tepper Marlin - Setting the Standard for the Global Economy

Social Accountability International President Alice Tepper Marlin has been leading the push to create a credible, comprehensive, and efficient verification system for assuring humane workplaces around the world. In this audio lecture, she describes the strategies the Social Accountability International's SA-8000 standard has used to get global supply chain stakeholders operating on the same page when it comes to providing employees with safe, equitable, and financially beneficial working conditions.

Podcast

Peter Eigen - Champion for Accountability

Transparency International is a global network with a mission to create a world free of corruption. In this audio lecture, Peter Eigen chronicles the experiences that led him from a directorship at the World Bank to the head of a movement to strengthen civil society by stamping out corruption. He reports on new incentives for good conduct that have made the elimination of corruption a cornerstone in the international effort to promote global equity.

Podcast

Dr. Muhammad Yunus - Banker to the Poor

Muhammad Yunus started a movement that has lifted millions out of poverty. When he formed the Grameen Bank in 1983 and started giving out microloans, Yunus bridged the divide between business and social needs. In this audio lecture, he describes how he created microcredit, collateral-free lending, and began offering other business services to the poor. Yunus lays out the path to his extraordinary vision and success, which is driving global social change.

Podcast

Fazle H. Abed - Innovator for the Poor

The beginnings of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) were fraught with uncertainty. Initially surviving entirely on donations, it has since earned back two pennies for every one it has spent on welfare activities, and is today the largest, self-reliant international NGO, employing more than 97,000 people. In this audio lecture, Fazle Hasan Abed reminisces about the organization's humble beginnings and shares the organization's achievements.

Podcast

Council on Foundations Annual Conference - Philanthropy and Nonprofit Acountability Practices

In the field of philanthropy, are foundations' grantmaking and reporting processes aligned with nonprofits' strategies? In this panel discussion exploring data from a Center for Social Innovation study on nonprofit accountability practices and the costs of conflicting demands, experts debate ways in which evaluation requirements may help or hinder mission delivery.

Podcast

Alice Tepper Marlin - Architect of Corporate Responsibility

Alice Tepper Marlin created some of the most innovative models for corporate social responsibility. Her energetic work over decades has helped provide concrete research and practical methods for bringing companies, investors, consumers, and workers together to address issues of environmental and economic justice worldwide. In this audio lecture, Tepper Marlin traces her own history from her early days on Wall Street to her ongoing work in the not-for-profit sector, providing blueprints for social entrepreneurs.

Podcast

Bill Drayton - Entrepreneur for Society

An entrepreneur combines the vision to see the next thing over the horizon with the restless energy and problem-solving skills needed to set that change in motion. These qualities are shared by business and social entrepreneurs alike, representing a positive force that can help address the world's toughest problems. In this audio lecture, Bill Drayton takes a thoughtful look at Ashoka's mission and highlights its programs designed to nurture the current and future generations of talented entrepreneurs making a difference all over the world.