What is a Social Entrepreneur?

We often get asked the question, "What is a social entrepreneur?" and it is not an easy question to answer. Last week, James and Cassie attended a session at the Teach For America alumni event in Boston this weekend where Harvard Business School professor Stacey Childress shared the definition that they use in the classroom:

"A 'Social Entrepreneur' is one who pursues opportunities to create pattern-breaking social change without regard for the resources that she/he can currently control."

She explained that where as traditional nonprofits had sought to meet community needs by institutionalizing support systems for those in need, social entrepreneurs generally endeavor to change the way the world itself works in an attempt to root out the primary causes of social ills. They will not rest until they have done this, and they will rarely stop to consider if they have the necessary funding, capacity, workforce or support to get something done. They just dive in and get to it.

Will It Take Social Entrepreneurs to Rebuild New Orleans?

We recently had the opportunity to visit New Orleans and meet with a number of social entrepreneurs who are instituting amazing innovations to rebuild the city, especially its education system. In the period since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, an amazing number of public schools have been reopened as charter schools, supported by the outstanding work of New Schools for New Orleans. Additionally, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu has opened an Office of Social Entrepreneurship in his staff, which is believed to be one of the first government offices in the country at any level to be devoted to promoting this field. Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools, and City Year are also doing amazing work in a vibrant city that is very much on the path to rebuilding things even better than they were before the storms. In fact, many people we met felt that there were more job opportunities for social entrepreneurs to make an impact in New Orleans right now than in any other city in America.

Are you one of those people? Contact us and we may be able to help connect you with some local opportunities.

Also, we are curious, what are the factors that would pull you toward New Orleans right now and what are the concerns that would make you hesitate? What type of assurances and/or support would you need to consider relocating to New Orleans if the right opportunity was available? What other aspects of life in New Orleans could benefit from an entrepreneurial approach? What innovative models from other organizations or cities could help? Leave a comment and let us know.