Social Enterprise - Most Popular

Innovative ways that organizations are using and adapting business strategies to advance social and environmental well-being (more)

Podcast

Anant Kumar - Healthcare for All at Lifespring Hospitals

India has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. This points to an underlying economic problem: poverty. Most poor women in that country simply cannot afford adequate health care. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, Anant Kumar talks about how Lifespring Hospital in India provides quality care to women and children, regardless of their level of income. He talks about how the effort was launched, how it is sustained, and future goals.

Podcast

Jane Leu, Chuck Slaughter, and Morgan Simon - Starting and Growing a Social Enterprise

With the Obama administration's focus on social enterprise as a means of solving some of our most pressing problems, the social entrepreneur has emerged as the chief change agent of our time. In this panel discussion, part of the Stanford 2009 Entrepreneurship Week, leaders of several vital organizations talk about the motivations, successes, and challenges associated with running a social enterprise. They consider what the economic downturn has meant to their missions, and they offer practical advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Podcast

Sonal Shah, Michele Jolin, and Greg Nelson - Social Innovation in the White House

President Obama has sent a powerful message to the American public since taking office: Social innovation can play an important role in rebuilding a stronger country. With the passage of stimulus packages in areas such as clean energy, national service, and climate change, it's clear that the White House is approaching national challenges in new ways. In this panel discussion, hosted by Full Circle Fund and sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, key staff in the Obama administration provide the broad outlines for these exciting changes.

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The Profit in Nonprofit

By Bethany Coates & Garth Saloner 14

Why Kiva chose to be a 501(c)(3), what this tax status buys the organization, and how being a nonprofit poses challenges.

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Social Innovations

The Parent of Invention

By Aaron Dalton

RAMP nurtures local inventors in India, Peru, and Indonesia.

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Social Innovations

Think Passionate

By Alana Conner

Investors screen for entrepreneurial passion when making funding decisions.

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Social Innovations

Platforms for Collaboration

By Satish Nambisan

Some of the brightest ideas for social change grow in the spaces between organizations and sectors. Yet few organizations have systems that make collaboration happen. To foster innovation, organizations need to develop places where they can come together and work creatively—that is, platforms for collaboration. In this article, a management expert identifies three kinds of collaboration platforms—exploration, experimentation, and execution—and then outlines what organizations can do to put these platforms to work for them.