Review
Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact: A Social-Entrepreneurship Approach to Solving Social Problems, by Andrew M. Wolk and Kelley Kreitz, offers a guide for charities interested in business ventures, and for businesses whose main goal is to benefit society. This book defines social entrepreneurship as "the practice of responding to market failures with transformative, financially sustainable innovations aimed at solving social problems." Four sections describe how to undertake a business venture, from the initial preparations to putting the business plan into action. The appendices include sample documents, like a business-plan outline, a work plan, and project schedules, as well as a glossary of terms. Additionally, boxed items describe how to find investors, determine what legal advice is needed, and decide whether to hire a consultant to help create the business plan. The book offers checklists at the end of each chapter to help keep readers on track with their preparations. --The Chronicle of Philanthropy<br /><br />The gold standard in business planning for organizations addressing social problems. --Edward B. Roberts, David Sarnoff Professor, Management of Technology, MIT Sloan School of Management; Founder and Chair, MIT Entrepreneurship
Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact: A Social-Entrepreneurship Approach to Solving Social Problems, by Andrew M. Wolk and Kelley Kreitz, offers a guide for charities interested in business ventures, and for businesses whose main goal is to benefit society. This book defines social entrepreneurship as "the practice of responding to market failures with transformative, financially sustainable innovations aimed at solving social problems." Four sections describe how to undertake a business venture, from the initial preparations to putting the business plan into action. The appendices include sample documents, like a business-plan outline, a work plan, and project schedules, as well as a glossary of terms. Additionally, boxed items describe how to find investors, determine what legal advice is needed, and decide whether to hire a consultant to help create the business plan. The book offers checklists at the end of each chapter to help keep readers on track with their preparations. --The Chronicle of Philanthropy
About the Author
Andrew Wolk Widely recognized as a leading social innovator and a pioneering teacher of social entrepreneurship, Andrew Wolk founded Root Cause in 2004 and now leads its overall strategic direction. He has consulted to dozens of organizations in fields as diverse as economic development, education, youth development, the environment, aging, and more. As part of Root Cause's knowledge sharing initiative, Andrew also authored the chapter "Social Entrepreneurship & Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Social Problems" in The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President, Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Advocacy. Andrew is also a senior lecturer in social entrepreneurship at the Sloan School of Management and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He designed and taught one of the first courses on social entrepreneurship in the country for Boston University s School of Management, who recently awarded him the first ever Rising Star Award. Andrew began his career as a private-sector entrepreneur, having built and sold a multi-restaurant delivery business in the 1990s. He holds an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management from Boston University and a B.A. from Lehigh University.
Kelley Kreitz
Kelley Kreitz developed and launched Root Cause's knowledge sharing department in 2006. Kelley is senior editor on the forthcoming publication "Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Recommendations for Addressing Social Problems with Innovative, Results-Oriented Solutions," co-published by Root Cause and the Aspen Institute. Previously, Kelley worked for New Profit Inc. on initiatives aimed at building the field of social entrepreneurship. She has also advised nonprofits throughout the United States on messaging and media strategy, with a national news service for nonprofits. As a writer and journalist, Kelley has served as the senior writer for GreenBiz.com and reported for WRNI, Rhode Island s NPR news station, and KPFA in Berkeley, California.
Root Cause
Root Cause is a nonprofit organization that advances enduring solutions to social and economic problems by building social innovators and educating social impact investors. We do this through business planning and implementation consulting, leadership development, publishing of practical resources, and the creation of professional and funding networks that unite the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
