I just returned from the 11th Social Enterprise Alliance Summit+ World Forum in San Francisco. A record 700+ attendees from around the world attest to the growing strength of this vibrant sector. I met folks from Canada, the UK, Australia, the Philippines, Africa, and South America.
In an earlier blog I described social enterprise as a trillion dollar sector, and that’s just in the US. Now it feels more like a trillion kilowatts of energy, with all the electrons moving in the same direction, toward greater social impact, and in its wake, toward changing the world, one social enterprise at a time.
So many workshops, I was only able to attend a few. One that really caught my attention involved five teenagers of color from severely economically distressed sections of East Oakland. All had experienced urban violence first hand; one of them had been shot four times. They discussed their experiences launching their own ventures, from music to groceries to recycling, in affiliation with Ashoka’s Youth Venture. All I can say is if they can do it – and they were doing it – all of us can surely succeed in our own work.
Another workshop I attended included a presentation from RSF Social Finance, which borrows money from foundations, companies and individuals and lends it out to nonprofits to increase their social impact. They earn 90% of their costs from making those loans (goal is 100% within two years), have $70 million in outstanding loans, and have a tiny loss ratio (something like ½%).
If you want more information about the SEA Summit, be sure to check out the conference’s blog site at: http://www.sea-alliance.blogspot.com/ And to those flying back to their homes around the world, safe travels!
Rolfe Larson provides consulting and training in areas such as strategic planning, market research, feasibility analysis, business planning, marketing and implementation strategies.