Four Useful Resources for Social Enterprises

The rising popularity and growth of social enterprises has led to the emergence of a number of resources and tools that such enterprise can use to achieve maximum impact.

The Unreasonable Institute

The Unreasonable Institute was established in 2009, and it has quickly emerged as a good resource for promising social enterprises. It has made partnerships with over 20 impact-investment foundations and funds. The Institute makes a selection of 25 social entrepreneurs through a painstaking screening process. The selected group is put through a comprehensive training and mentoring program that lasts for six weeks. The program is designed to help the social entrepreneurs translate their ideas from concept to operation phase.

Ashoka Foundation

Ashoka has been one of the leading resources for social entrepreneurs ever since it was formed in 1980. Ashoka.org is continually engaged in the task of making social entrepreneurs more competitive in the global marketplace. It grants fellowships to enterprises that are focused on social and environmental progress. Ashoka Fellows receive a stipend that enables them to focus exclusively on developing their social enterprise. In addition to its active support for social entrepreneurs, Ashoka.org provides valuable information and aggregates media from blogs to news feeds.

NYU Speaker Series

New York University's Catherine B. Reynold Speak Series focuses on social enterprises, and hosts some of the successful private and public sector social entrepreneurs from around the world. The events under this series are free and open to all social entrepreneurs. Past series can be accessed via video download on iTunes free of charge.

The Social Edge

The Skoll Foundation's SocialEdge.org was established in 2003, and over the years it has emerged as a global online community for social entrepreneurs. It is promoted by the Skoll Foundation that invests in social enterprises. SocialEdge.org is a hub of information for social enterprises. It features blogs, forums, live discussions, expert advice, job listings and other resources that can support social entrepreneurs in all stages of development.

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