May you have inspiration and impact in 2016!

The end of any year is as much about wrapping up (at least temporarily) ongoing activities and drawing conclusions from past year´s experience, being both grateful for and regretful of what happened, as it is about planning, dreaming and being anxious concerning the new year that is just about to begin.

As mostly anyone working in the sphere of social entrepreneurship manages to be terribly busy all the time, taking time for reflections at least at the end of each year is of enormous value: to contemplate upon one´s calling in life as well as everyday work and – if needed – to reconsider it.

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Christmas elf bringing some extra inspiration to a social entrepreneur (photo: Jaan Aps)

 

As a small Christmas present as well as a spark of inspiration for your own New Year´s reflection, please find below some of my recent meditations on drive and changing the world.

Isn’t drive the word used for people that have actually made a difference? What does drive mean to me?

My drive is a practically inextinguishable source of vitality as well as almost constantly itching unrest. It sets a direction, mobilizes tremendous amounts of energy to move there; if not controlled, exhausts my mind and wears out my body.

Yes, drive is indeed considered to be an essential characteristic of any changemaker. Like most people who learned about social entrepreneurship in 2000s, my entry point was flipping through David Bornstein´s book “How to Change the World”. There, he quotes Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka: “The core psychology of a social entrepreneur is someone who cannot come to rest, in a very deep sense, until he or she has changed the pattern in an area of social concern all across society. /-/ They simply will not stop because they cannot be happy until their vision becomes the new pattern.”

They simply will not stop… That summarizes appropriately what the effect of having a drive – that is, being driven – is all about. I remember my emotions while digesting the quote, finding it inspiring and scary at the same time, feeling myself inadequate, and yet strangely content with the conclusion of not considering myself as being “one of them” that the book was about. Looking back now at everything I have experienced about the drive since touching Bornstein´s non-fiction novel, I´m surprised how precisely those initial feelings previewed some of the most important lessons I have learned about those who are driven and those who are not, and the variety of possible consequences, wonderful and terrible, of both.

Those who are driven feel that rejecting the calling of their drive would mean neglecting what the loved one – the self – needs the most. They feel that the call of the drive reaches their rational mind from the very depths of their soul.

The beloved self needs “to drive” to a certain destination to be nourished, to be fulfilled… sometimes – just to survive (mentally, spiritually if not physically). The journey will become the life of a driven individual, may she be an artist, mother, medical researcher, or serial killer.

I believe that no matter what big words grey-haired (or simply bald) speech-givers utter about serving others (poor children, dolphins, God as an abstraction or a specific entity), first and foremost they have served themselves, choosing to succumb to (or take advantage of) their drive.

“Drive” grows and lives in the most intimate spheres of any individual being. For many, it would be easier to demonstrate one´s imperfect bodily nakedness than to reveal the – conflicting, distorted, hazy – sources of energy flows that form their drive.

The wonderful and scary paradox, however, is that the very nature of the driven means that following their “driving direction” is very much visible to others; the bigger the drive, the more there will be traces, footprints, scars… demolitions and establishments! Thus something growing out from an extremely intimate spot can become a globally public affair, and – naturally – ultimately “change the world” in the process. A private drive can initiate, change and cut off many other “driving routes” of many other individuals, groups and nations, species and gods.

The bigger is a drive of a social entrepreneur, the greater responsibility she or he has… May you have a strong, determined and responsible drive in 2016!

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Eco-friendly shopping bag Poko

Poko is the most comfortable eco-friendly shopping bag that has ever been made. Weighing in at 10g, Poko is the lightweight champion but it is also reusable for hundreds of times and machine washable so you can use it to carry all sorts of fruits and vegetables. The best part about Poko is that it is never left behind when going shopping because it goes inside a stylish key-holder that easily fits in the pocket. With Poko you can avoid taxes due to regulations on plastic bags and save yourself a considerable amount of money from hidden costs. Furthermore, you reduce plastic pollution by up to 90%, carbon emissions by ~70% and prevent many animal deaths due to plastic bags.

More: https://pokobags.com

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Socialinis verslas: ar iš gero darbo galima uždirbti?

Sugalvoti, kaip užsidirbti pinigų – jau nieko nestebina, tačiau sugalvoti, kaip spręsti socialinę problemą ir gauti pelno – naujas įšūkis.Visuomenei socialinio verslo sąvoka ne visada suprantama – kaip įmanoma suderinti pelną ir gerą darbą? Kaip pasitikėti tokiomis „keistomis“ įmonėmis? Kaip jas skatinti ar prisidėti prie gerų darbų? 2018, Kovo 28 d. vyko kasmetinis Socialinio verslo forumas. Šiame renginyje socialinio verslo ekspertai apžvelgs socialinio verslo tendencijas ir augimo kryptis, kaip viešąsias paslaugas perduoti socialiniam verslui? Puikių socialinių verslų pavyzdžių Lietuvoje – tikrai ne vienas, tačiau mastai, kuriais auga šis sektorius, kiek jam suteikiama dėmesio ir visuomenės palaikymo – vis dar per maži. Viena iš pagrindinių priežasčių -visuomenėje dar nesusiformavęs socialinio verslo vaidmuo, o galiausiai – net ir pati sąvoka. Kas tas socialinis verslas, kuo jis skiriasi nuo įprasto?

Tendencija, teikti tam tikras viešąsias bendro intereso paslaugas per socialinio verslo įmones tampa vis labiau populiari. Vienas iš esminių įprasto ir socialinio verslo skirtumų, kad pastarasis orientuotas į problemą, kuri jam rūpi, tačiau ieškoma  finansiškai tvaraus, ilgalaikio sprendimo. Vienas iš svarbiausių socialinio verslo dalyko ir sėkmės veiksnių – parodyti socialinį poveikį. Socialinio verslo sąvoka dar nauja, o tradicijų kaip viską skaičiuoti, kaip atvirai rodyti  ataskaitas bei komunikuoti dar nėra. Tačiau labai svarbu judėti ir po truputį– reikia parodyti, kokią tiesioginę ir netiesioginę finansinę bei socialinę naudą sukūria  paslauga ar produktas.

Socialinio verslo vystymasis glaudžiai susijęs su visuomenės supratimu – ne tik  įgyvendinti užsibrėžtą konkretų socialinį tikslą, sakykime, paaukoti eurą, bet ir užtikrinti nuolatinį augimą, didesnį socialinį poveikį – kad paaukotas euras suteiktų socialinės vertės, už pvz. 5 eurus ar dar daugiau.

Britų tarybos Lietuvoje direktorius Artūras Vasiliauskas tikino visiškai nematantis priešpriešos tarp socialinio verslo ir uždarbio – žmonės, siekdami socialinės gerovės, turi turėti įvairias motyvacijas. „Ekonominė motyvacija yra labai normali – jei žmogus ką nors daro, jam turi būti atlyginta. O jei žmogui ir yra atlyginama, ir jis dar prisideda prie socialinių problemų sprendimo – tai yra puiku, ir tai paplitę daugelyje šalių. Svarbiausia, kad ta veikla būtų orientuota į socialinę aplinką“. Atverti duris į viešąjį sektorių pažangių valstybių pavyzdžiai rodo, kad vienas iš pagrindinių kelių „išjudinti“ socialinį verslą – atverti jam duris į viešąjį sektorių. Judėti šia kryptimi kol kas Lietuvai sekasi nelengvai, tačiau viešųjų paslaugų perdavimas socialiniams partneriams – vienas iš prioritetų. Pagal įvairias valstybės strategijas yra orientuojamasi į tai, kad valdžios institucijos ir savivaldybės kuo daugiau paslaugų teikimo perduotų socialiniams partneriams.

Šaltinis: https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/socialinis-verslas-ar-is-gero-darbo-galima-uzdirbti-56-945180?

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Social Economy entities from Pomorskie Region will be present at the St. Dominics Fair in Gdańsk, Poland!

Social Economy Support Centre from Gdańsk (dobrarobota.org) invites you to Pomorska Street in Gdańsk during the St. Dominics Fair in Gdańsk, Poland, where you will find stands of social economy entities from all over Pomerania! Our exhibitors will sell their products from July 24 to August 15, 2021, on Szeroka Street and Ołowianka Street. Social economy entities are workplaces employing people who cannot find a job or are excluded from the labour market for some reason, e.g. due to disability or homelessness.

What is the social economy? It’s the kind of economic activity where more than just profit is essential. These activities lead to the achievement of social goals. The social economy also supports the development of the local community and enables the social integration of socially excluded people.

By purchasing products and services of social economy entities, you can support people in need, co-create jobs and contribute to local development.

The exhibitors representing the Pomeranian social economy will include:

The exhibitors’ offer will be vast and varied:

  • food products (casseroles, cookies, lemonade, bio syrups, craft beer),
  • handicraft items (jewellery, ceramics, wooden boxes and chairs, paintings, etc.),
  • zero waste products (bags, backpacks, sachets),
  • soy candles and bath products,
  • clothing and antiques,
  • and many more.

Indeed everyone will find something for themselves! Check their fan page of Pomorskie Social Economy (https://www.facebook.com/pomorska.es/), will keep you updated on new exhibitors presenting their offer. The event is part of the project “Pomeranian social entrepreneurship system: coordination of the development of the social economy in the Pomeranian Voivodeship for 2019-2022”, implemented by the Regional Center for Social Policy of the Marshal’s Office.

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

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IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

You all have probably heard of IKEA – a Swedish home furnishings company and world’s largest furniture retailer since 2008.  But did you know IKEA backs and boosts social entrepreneurs all over the world?

IKEA has long since had the vision to create a better everyday life for as many people as possible. Back in 2012, the company looked at how to achieve this by including products and services from social entrepreneurs in its offer. These first collaborations resulted in over 100 jobs created. Today, these business partnerships contribute to over 20,000 jobs and incomes.
Building on the success, IKEA looked to support programmes that accelerate the movement of social entrepreneurship in general. By supporting social enterprises with a vision to create a more inclusive and equal society, IKEA hopes to have a positive impact on people’s livelihoods. At the same time, the company is continuing to look for new and innovative partnerships that will offer IKEA customers unique handmade collections and services.

By boosting social entrepreneurs all over the world, IKEA gets to be a part of creating new opportunities for vulnerable people and communities – while fighting the root causes of poverty and inequality.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28t-AD3vCEY[/embedyt]

 

“Since 2012, IKEA has been collaborating with social businesses – pioneers with the ambition to create business that is ethical in all dimensions. This is the story of business done differently, which aims to create 95,000 jobs that positively impact 500,000 lives. And that’s just the beginning.

IKEA social entrepreneurship is a program that started with the vision of honouring unique skills and competences and gives them a global platform to stand on – resulting in better lives for those who need it most. This has been accomplished by partnering with enterprises that produce products and services that in turn empower people who struggle to provide for themselves and their loved ones. The result is financial independence and life-changing opportunities for families and communities; with improved health care, education and gender empowerment.

IKEA has high standards for all suppliers through something called IWAY. IWAY sets social and environmental requirements for all IKEA suppliers; making sure that people are well treated, resources are protected, and workspaces are healthy and safe. A social business meets these standards, but chooses to go beyond IWAY to reach people furthest from the job market.

Focus areas

By focusing on inclusion, equality and livelihood IKEA enables a better everyday life for people who struggle to provide for themselves and their families. To achieve this, every project the company engages in should address and positively affect one or all of these three areas.

  • Inclusion

    Supporting social entrepreneurs who strive to improve the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society. This involves providing jobs, incomes, capabilities and tools to those who are vulnerable and marginalised irrespective of their individual or group characteristics.

  • Equality

    Working with social entrepreneurs who look to make society more equal in terms of income, status, rights and opportunity. This involves supporting individuals or groups, but also changing systems, with a view to allow people to earn a decent and sustainable living.

  • Livelihood

    Ultimately aiming to lift people out of poverty by having the opportunity to earn a decent living. With increased inclusion and equality comes a better chance of a dignified life, where people have the possibility to provide for themselves and their families in a sustainable way.

How we work - woman with basket

 

Partnerships that inspires change

IKEA’s work is about inspiring and engaging others to make a change. It’s a collaboration between the company, civil society organisations and social entrepreneurs. By doing business with social entrepreneurs and giving them access to IKEA’s supply chain, the company also creates real and sustainable opportunities. To highlight the equal partnering, it focuses on mutual learning and build on each other’s strengths. They look at how to use their knowledge and experience to help social entrepreneurs grow and have a bigger impact.

  • Through real business

    Partnering with social entrepreneurs at a business level, IKEA designs and produces products and services that are sold and offered at IKEA stores worldwide. It is a win-win situation with high quality products manufactured and vulnerable peoples lives changed through the jobs created.

  • IKEA co-worker engagement

    What’s really unique about IKEA is how it uses colleagues as a resource. Their involvement ranges from operational support for social entrepreneurs who make products for IKEA, to strategic development for the ones that don’t provide products or services for IKEA. At the same time, it gives IKEA the opportunity to learn how to become more circular, sustainable and entrepreneurial in the business. It’s a relationship built on knowledge sharing, a mutual exchange of competences and inspiration.

  • Financial support to the partners

    Since the characteristics and needs of each social entrepreneur are different, IKEA will customize its financial support. This will be a choice between grants – without the demand for repayment or financial return -, loans and equity investments.”

Read more here: https://ikea.today/social-entrepreneurship/

Source: https://www.ikeasocialentrepreneurship.org/en

 

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This publication has been prepared within INDIGISE project. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the project coordinator and may not always reflect the views of the European Commission or the National Agency.

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Success story: Filip Lundin/Sopköket

For Filip, being an entrepreneur is nothing new. “I sold my first pens to my dad when I was five. I got a lot of encouragement from my parents when doing my own stuff. They were both entrepreneurs themselves”, he says. “I get a kick out of creating new stuff, new hacks and new ideas to see if they will work”. “So now when Sopköket is doing so well I get a huge kick out of inspiring others and to see how they in turn find the courage to do what I did.”

Four years back, summer of 2015, Filip was back in Sweden after a journey to India and Costa Rica. At the time, Stockholm had a Food Truck boom and Fillip wanted a “hipster food truck” of his own, making the kind of food he had learnt from living with a Costa Rican family – fermented food like Kimchi, Kefir and Kombucha. Unfortunately, another truck, ‘Mould’ did just that, and Filip had to let that idea go. But Filip wanted to combine his interest in food with his social engagement. He wanted to make a difference. “We were the first in Sweden and possibly in the world with serving school food made out of waste food. Things the food stores otherwise would throw away. But we didn’t stop with just food. We’ve widened the concept to include all sorts of product waste, from kitchen tools and clothes to the long term unemployed.” We run this as a company rather than an NGO because we don’t want to rely on benefits. I don’t think there’s a difference between doing good and running a business, so this is what we do differently: we run a company and take responsibility.”

One of Filip’s biggest inspirations is Petter Stordalen and his biography My Secret. “I see myself in him. That if you have an idea, it is up to you to execute it, sell it and spread it. Selling to me is finding people, understanding their needs and help them with a solution to these problems. It’s ’just do it’, not being afraid of spreading your idea though it doesn’t exist and creating an illusion that it exists. That’s how we’ve been working with Sopköket”. “My biggest challenge right now is discipline, something Stordalen talks a lot about. I’m terrible at that. I’m working on not procrastinating, and my big goal is to do things so that I have free time.”

Filip and Sopköket applied and was accepted into the three-month Fellowship program. “I met a lot of new friends from mingle nights at SSES, people I consider my closest friends. They all do very different stuff, but we all share the same passion. What I like the most with SSES is that it is a place of possibilities. It’s cosy, small, unpretentious and humble. The networking is one of the most important parts of being there.”

Filip’s advice when marketing an idea that doesn’t exist yet:

“We started out with our idea and an empty Facebook page. So we created a food event in Rålambovsparken and I asked a friend of mine who’s a photographer to take pictures of it, people standing in line and me handing out food and then posting the images on Facebook. And then we continued doing that, always making sure we had a photographer with us and posting the pictures. So don’t be afraid to pick up all contacts that you can get. If you lack knowledge in areas you need, make sure to learn it or to tie yourself to people who do.”

More: https://sopkoket.se/

Source: https://www.sses.se/stories/filip_lundin/

 

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The Four Types of Social Entrepreneurship. “What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change”

In these times of pandemic individuals, businesses, and non-profits are stepping to the front and truly making a conscious effort to bring about positive change in the world, be it a direct result of the pandemic or other social causes. It is as if a critical mass has come together at a time when the world has an urgent need for social entrepreneurs.

The rise of social entrepreneurship
As the co-founder of The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University, Greg Dees points out that these individuals are a “special breed” of leaders. Author David Bornstein, who specializes in writing about social innovation, says, “What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change.”

We often think of entrepreneurs as those who start their own businesses with the sole purpose of making money. Currently, there are 582 million entrepreneurs around the world. Social entrepreneurs are cut from the same mold. However, these are individuals who seek to impact a particular social cause, which benefits society and hopefully brings about positive change.

Types of social entrepreneurs
When it comes to driving change through social entrepreneurship, there are many definitions. These individuals and companies represent a vast cross-section of what they are trying to accomplish with their businesses. They also differ in terms of their strategies and goals for bringing about social change.

Dr. Joe Johnson is an entrepreneur who has studied the field for over 25 years. He is the founder of Welfont, which has funded and launched over a dozen start-ups. Dr. Johnson has outlined what he considers to be the four most common types of social entrepreneurs.

 

1. The Community Social Entrepreneur
This entrepreneur seeks to serve the social needs of a community within a small geographical area. These entrepreneurial initiatives could be anything from creating job opportunities for marginalized members to building a community center. Social entrepreneurs on this scale are usually individuals or small organizations. Microfinance loans are one example – offering financial solutions to local people with no access to banking.

These entrepreneurs work directly with members of the community. This means more vested interests and a slower decision process, but it comes with the advantage of long-term solutions. Both community members and local organizations are likely to sustainably carry on with the project even without the entrepreneur’s direct involvement.

This is where most people start, as a change in your own community is instantly visible. You can see the results of such social entrepreneurship almost immediately and talk to people you are helping directly. All you need to do to start this type of endeavor is find a local isolated social problem and apply yourself to solving it.

 

2. The Non-Profit Social Entrepreneur
These entrepreneurs are focused on social, not material gain, meaning they prioritize social well-being over traditional business needs. They reinvest any profits into the business to facilitate the further expansion of services

Non-profit social entrepreneurs are usually companies and organizations that choose to use their power for social good. The story of Goodwill Industries serves as a great example: In 1902, the company started employing poor residents to work with donated goods, reinvesting all profits into job training programs.

These entrepreneurs are usually more likely to meet their stated goals due to readily available funding. However, they are also dependent on its successful generation for social good.

This path is usually taken by more business-savvy entrepreneurs who want to use their skills for creating change. While the results often take longer to manifest, they can take effect on a larger scale. Joining a local non-profit or training program is usually a reliable way to start.

 

3. The Transformational Social Entrepreneur

These people are focused on creating a business that can meet the social needs that governments and other businesses aren’t currently meeting. The transformational category is often what non-profits evolve to with sufficient time and growth. They become larger organizations with rules and regulations – sometimes growing to the point of working with or getting integrated into governmental bodies.

Accelerators like The Social Innovation Warehouse are great examples of this social entrepreneur type. They specifically empower other impact-driven entrepreneurs to create positive change. This then creates a system of interconnected businesses focused on social benefits.

Transformational entrepreneurs have an easier time getting top talent for these efforts. However, they are also bound by a web of rules and regulations that larger organizations have to create.

Such organizations usually recruit and foster talent in-house. If you apply for a job opportunity or volunteer position and show social entrepreneurship skills, they are likely to help you enroll in a mentorship program and facilitate your growth from there.

 

4. The Global Social Entrepreneur
These entrepreneurs seek to completely change social systems in order to meet major social needs globally. It’s often where big companies end up when they realize their social responsibility and begin concentrating on positive change as opposed to just profits. It’s also where the largest charity organizations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,stand.

The global need in question can be anything from free access to education to clean water. This is usually a lofty goal that spans continents and links many organizations and interests together. However, the trade-off is in scrutiny – if global social entrepreneurs fail to meet the needs and gather sufficient support, their failure has a bigger impact than those of smaller organizations.

These organizations are usually tied to a particular cause and work with other social entrepreneurs to make it happen. As such, you are more likely to achieve these heights if you connect with other social entrepreneurs and build a global community around solving social issues.

Additionally, there is a growing number of organizations that blend the best for-profit practices with non-profit missions. They fall under all types outlined above, being in different stages of growth and scalability. We suggest finding a cause that works best for you and charting a way forward from there.

 

Looking ahead
As awareness continues to grow about social entrepreneurship and its importance, so does the need for it. Certified B corporations are accelerating a global cultural shift and redefining what is considered a success by building a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

For those who are truly committed to a career in making a difference in the world, opportunities abound to join other established social enterprises and fellow peers who are looking for like-minded individuals to carry out their personal entrepreneurial spirits of making a true change for social good.

To learn and collaborate with other social entrepreneurs, join one of our global chapters today.

 

Source: netimpact.org

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