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Social Entrepreneurship 101
Discover your passion and path to change the world
Social Entrepreneurship 101
Learn How
Shift the status quo of the world’s greatest challenges, fueled by inspiring examples of social entrepreneurship in action
Think like a social entrepreneur to tackle problems across public, private, and nonprofit sectors
Carve your own path for making change, whether that be founding an enterprise, serving on a board, or supporting social entrepreneurs in other creative ways
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Course Syllabus
Learning Tools
Instructional videos featuring lessons and tutorials from 4 successful social entrepreneurs
5 reading guides highlighting case studies and examples, plus an additional full-length case study
5 workshop guides to help your team unpack lessons from the videos, and to help you begin to envision and plan for your own social enterprise model
Section 1: What Is Social Entrepreneurship?
Video: What is Social Entrepreneurship?
Video: Introduction to Donors Choose
Video: Introduction to Samasource
Video: Introduction to College Summit
Video: Introduction to Aravind Eyecare
Reading: Our Approach to Social Entrepreneurship
Reading: Social Entrepreneurship as Defined by Social Entrepreneurs
Reading: Social Entrepreneurship vs. Other Models of Social Change
Reading: A Force for Transformative Change
Reading: Starting with a Crazy Idea
Reading: Frequently Asked Questions
Activity: Life Map
Section 2: Identify Your Mission
Video: How to Identify a Social Problem to Tackle
Reading: Identify Your Mission
Reading: Find and Understand a Problem
Reading: Understand Your Customer
Activity: Passion-Skill-Problem
Section 3: Theory of Change
Reading: Understand a Theory of Change
Reading: Acumen’s Framework for Measuring Impact
Reading: Acumen’s Measurement Approach
Reading: An Impact Approach for Your Own Enterprise
Activity: Develop a Theory of Change
Section 4: Plan For Sustainability
Video: Planning for Impact
Video: Achieving Financial Sustainability
Reading: Building a Financially Sustainable Model
Reading: Social Enterprise Revenue Engines
Activity: Solutions Map
Section 5: Bring an Idea to Scale
Video: How to Think about Scale
Reading: Scaling Your Impact
Reading: Think about Your End Game
Reading: 4 Tips to Scale Smart
Reading: Many Ways to Scale
Activity: Build a Launch Plan
Activity: Reflection
"Despite completing a Master's Degree and a PhD in Public Health, it never occurred to me that it was possible to help others without giving away the one shirt on your back. I am fired-up!"
Khady
Course Description
For people new to social entrepreneurship, this course will provide an overview of the sector and its potential for change lives by changing systems. You’ll begin to identify a problem you care about, understand the considerations needed for impact and financial sustainability, and learn how various entrepreneurs have thought about scale.
Built from Acumen’s years of experience investing in social entrepreneurs, this course features firsthand stories and advice from four inspiring founders: Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org, Thulsiraj Ravilla of Aravind Eyecare, Leila Janah of Samasource, and JB Schramm of College Summit.
Supported By
Fossil Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs whose innovations unleash the potential of underserved young people.
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