What is Social Entrepreneurship?
Broadly put, ?ocial Entrepreneurship refers to initiatives with two goals in mind: they seek to fill a social need which is not being met by the State or by private enterprise, and to be financially self-sustaining. Social Entrepreneurship can include work in a wide range of fields, including health, education, and cultural production. There is much debate about what counts as Social Entrepreneurship, about its future potential as an economic model, and its historical significance.
Gregorgy Dees, Director of Duke University? Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship offers the following definition:
?ocial entrepreneurs play the role of change agents in the social sector by:
Adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value)
Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission
Engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning
Acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand
Exhibiting heightened accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created
His article can be downloaded here