Social Entrepreneurship

The seminal book about it is, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, and there is an excellent article about it in the Sacramento Bee.

One person can change the world and inspired individuals have been doing so since the beginning of time.

An excerpt from the book.

“Where does this motivation come from?...I heard the same story again and again. Someone had experienced an intense kind of pain that branded them in some way. They said, ‘I had to do this. There was nothing else I could do.’

“At some moments in their lives, social entrepreneurs get it into their heads that it is up to them to solve a particular problem. Usually something has been brewing inside for a long time, and at a particular moment in time—often triggered by an event—personal preparedness, social need, and historical opportunity converge and the person takes decisive action. The word “decision” comes from the Latin decidere, meaning “to cut off.” From that point on, the social entrepreneurs seem to cut off other options for themselves.

“Over time, their ideas become more important to them than anything else. Every decision—whom to marry, where to live, what books to read—passes through the prism of their ideas. Although it is probably impossible to fully explain why people become social entrepreneurs, it is certainly possible to identify them. And society stands to benefit by finding these people, encouraging them, and helping them to do what they need to do.” Bornstein, D. (2004). How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. New York; Oxford University Press. (pp. 240-241)

An excerpt from the Bee article.

“Despite the recession, a growing number of area residents have enlisted in the war against some of the world's worst demons, including starvation and bad water, AIDS and other diseases, child labor, human trafficking and sexual slavery.

“At least 121 nonprofits in the Sacramento area are dedicated to international relief – up from 36 in 2000 and 61 in 2005, according to Guidestar, which provides information on 1.8 million U.S. nonprofits. Sacramentans are finding other ways to help, too, battling poverty and misery on the ground.

“Local doctors are flying to Myanmar, India, Vietnam and China to perform lifesaving surgeries, restore eyesight and treat disease and infections. A UC Davis student started a nonprofit to educate and feed Namibian children struggling with AIDS. Throughout the region, schoolchildren raise money for Haiti at bake sales and basketball games.

“The fever to give – or give more – often starts with a spark that keeps on burning.

“In 2005, Grass Valley builder Greg Zaller went to Pakistan to rebuild homes for quake victims and ended up building a school system for illiterate women and children. "It's just triggered something inside me," he said. "From day one, you couldn't stop me."

“Rocklin pastor Don Brewster and his wife, Bridget, went further. They sold their home, left their adult children and grandchildren behind and moved to Cambodia to rescue 200 girls – one as young as 3 – from sexual slavery. "Here are these women selling their little girls to get money to eat," Bridget said. "Having been a single mom and struggling to raise three kids, all I could think of is, 'What if it were me in this situation? I'd be pleading for somebody to help me,' " Bridget Brewster said.

“With the world more connected than ever, "there's definitely a sense of global consciousness, that we're all in the same boat and what happens in one place affects another," said Amir Dar, executive director of idealist.org, which links thousands to nonprofit jobs.

“The Internet "is bringing to our attention a lot of problems that were hidden from us: rural poverty, kiddie porn," added Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy. "Because of the Internet, you see a lot more people trying to favorably influence the world situation."