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Enterprising Non-Profits: An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship combines the desire to positively impact society with the use of business-planning and management skills. Rather than placing profit at the center of the enterprise’s motivating structure and goals, social entrepreneurs prioritize the accomplishment of one or more social goals—seeing the alleviation of problematic conditions as the reason for their enterprise and the main factor propelling the enterprise forward. Many social entrepreneurship initiatives operate within the legal status of “nonprofit” or “not-for-profit” institutions. However, like for-profit firms, they pay considerable attention to economic dynamics, business planning, management of resources, and the overall economic viability of the initiative as they conceptualize and pursue their goals. This course introduces students to the potential, challenges, and problems of this growing field.