Is your organization a social enterprise?

What is a social enterprise?

Social enterprises are organizations whose primary purpose is to serve the common good, and whose strategy applies business disciplines and market-based strategies to achieve social or environmental missions.

Social enterprise models

There are two social enterprise models: Non-profits and For-profits.

Non-profits utilizing business models and the power of the marketplace to pursue a social mission.

For-profit businesses whose primary purposes are to improve social or environmental causes.

According to the Social Enterprise Alliance, there are three characteristics distinguishing social enterprises from other business models:

  • It directly addresses a social need and serves great causes, either through its products and services or through the number of disadvantaged people it employs.
  • Its commercial activity is a strong revenue driver, whether a significant earned income stream within a nonprofit’s mixed revenue portfolio, or a for profit enterprise.
  • Its primary purpose is the common good, literally the heart of the organization, trumping all other missions.

Why partner with social enterprises?

I’ve chosen to work with a company that has a deep held belief that we exist to make a positive impact. That’s the whole reason I personally chose to move away from typical Corporate America industries. As a top-tier strategy, design and development firm, CauseLabs focuses on rapid problem solving and finding ways to leverage technology to advance social and environmental missions around the world. We partner with social enterprises because we are a social enterprise. Our organization’s mission is to use our skills, knowledge, and innovative technology to serve great causes and to have a global and lasting impact with our work. What impression would you like to leave with your work?

 

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