Social Entrepreneurship : The Art of Mission-Based Venture Development (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "You already have a lot to do: budgeting, supervision, dealing with the board, the community, your funders..." (more)
Key Phrases: social entrepreneur team, vocational services director, entrepreneurism model, Enterprise Janitorial Services, Unrelated Business Income Tax, Applying the Lessons (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Until very recently, popular belief held that business skills were not needed at charitable organizations. No longer. Far from interfering with an organizations ability to provide needed services, techniques such as marketing, cash flow analysis, property management, and good use of technology all contribute to a charitable organizations mission capability. Unlike a not-for-profit that thinks of itself as a charity, the successful not-for-profit is really a mission-based business. In an era of rapid change, increasing competition, and the need for more accountability to governments, foundations, insurers, and donors, knowing how to innovate, compete, and take reasonable risks on behalf of the mission is critical. It is, in short, the era of the social entrepreneur.

The skilled social entrepreneur has the ability to get the most mission out of the resources at hand–including traditional business techniques. Finally, here is a book that will help you learn their techniques. In Social Entrepreneurship, you will learn how successful social entrepreneurs:

• Focus on community wants and needs
• Match those with core competencies to provide the quality services
• Assess risk and gauge opportunity
• Develop new project ideas and test their feasibility
• Write a business plan
• Project finances in the plan
• Tap into new sources of funding
• Develop the idea of social entrepreneurship throughout the organization
• Make sure that mission, not money, is the bottom line

Also included are the seven essential steps of the not-for-profit business development process, real-world case studies, sample business plans, and a self-assessment process to determine if your organization is ready for social entrepreneurism. In addition to entrepreneurs, middle managers, policy setters, volunteers, and a host of other important staff members will get value from the mission-beneficial information in this book. Most important, Social Entrepreneurship will help you to help your organization succeed and thrive–and make your job more interesting and productive.Praise for Social Entrepreneurship
The Art of Mission-Based Venture Development

"A great read . . . contains both the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications that those of us in nonprofit leadership badly need. I will share it with my management team and board."–Joseph M. Hafey, President and CEO, Public Health Institute

"A sound, practical guide for developing social entrepreneurs. Brinckerhoff makes taking mission-related business risks on behalf of the people served less risky with the step-by-step application of business ideas and techniques. Warnings, real-world examples, and hands-on advice keep the reader on track to sensible risk taking."–Connie Kirk, President and CEO, Tommy Nobis Center

"Peter C. Brinckerhoffs new and masterfully written book has a lot of practical information in it for any organization that wants to learn how to become and stay entrepreneurial. Brinckerhoff provides the right kind of information to any organization interested in succeeding in a highly competitive and service-oriented environment . . . [and] stresses the importance of an organizations encouraging innovation and risk only if it does not lose sight of its core values, its strengths, and its mission. That is excellent advice for any organization and for anyone who ventures into entrepreneurial waters."–Andrew H. Souerwine, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Management and Organization The School of Business Administration, University of Connecticut

From the Inside Flap

Until very recently, popular belief held that business skills were not needed at charitable organizations. No longer. Far from interfering with an organization’s ability to provide needed services, techniques such as marketing, cash flow analysis, property management, and good use of technology all contribute to a charitable organization’s mission capability. Unlike a not-for-profit that thinks of itself as a charity, the successful not-for-profit is really a mission-based business. In an era of rapid change, increasing competition, and the need for more accountability to governments, foundations, insurers, and donors, knowing how to innovate, compete, and take reasonable risks on behalf of the mission is critical. It is, in short, the era of the social entrepreneur. Skilled social entrepreneurs have the ability to get the most mission out of the resources at hand—including traditional business techniques. Finally, here is a book that will help you learn their techniques. In Social Entrepreneurship, you will learn how successful social entrepreneurs:

• Focus on community wants and needs
• Match those with core competencies to provide the highest quality services
• Assess risk and gauge opportunity
• Develop new project ideas and test their feasibility
• Write a business plan
• Project finances in the plan
• Tap into new sources of funding
• Develop the idea of social entrepreneurship throughout the organization
• Make sure that mission, not money, is the bottom line

Also included are the seven essential steps of the not-for-profit business development process, real-world case studies, sample business plans, and a self-assessment process to determine if your organization is ready for social entrepreneurism. In addition to entrepreneurs, middle managers, policy setters, volunteers, and a host of other important staff members will get value from the mission-beneficial information in this book. Most important, Social Entrepreneurship will help you to help your organization succeed and thrive—and make your job more interesting and productive.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 0272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471362824
• ISBN-13: 978-0471362821
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #318,654 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Nuts-and-Bolts Start-Up Guide, July 6, 2000

By	Doug Kenshol (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a must for every not-for-profit executive director, financial officer, board member, or business manager who is thinking about starting or expanding a mission related enterprise.

I will recomend it to all of our clients. I manage the Urban Enterprise Fund, a revolving loan fund with a mission to provide capital and management assistance to companies (nonprofit or for-profit) that create jobs for the hard-to-employ.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for Future Planning, April 9, 2003

By	Nicole Harpe "NicH" - See all my reviews

We can't assume that we will be able to support our programs simply because we do good work. Each non-profit has to closely examine how it is funded and how it expects to be funded tommorow and the day after. Brinckerhoff gives a great outline here on how to think like an entrepreneur and start your organization thinking like a business instead of a charity. If you're looking for pro-active means of moving your non-profit forward, then this book is a must. It's practical, straightforward and honest. Best of all, Brinckerhoff is readily available to talk to you via email from his website. If you have any questions about what you've read, you can go straight to the author for clarification.
This is a must have book for non-profit managers.