The Hybrid Spectrum of Social Enterprise — Conversation Recap — May 13th, 2021
Hey Futurists!
Thanks again for joining us for this week’s conversation on the Hybrid Spectrum of Social Enterprises. We were especially thankful for our esteemed group of guests that shared their time and their experience with us: Kim Alter of Virtue Ventures and National Science Foundation (NSF), Ramona Ramadas of New Trails Navigators, and Arizona State University, and Cameron Bachman + Natalea Saeb of Hopscotch Management. What we loved so much about this week’s discussion with Kim, Ramona, Cameron, and Natalea was the diverse range of experiences each of them had while working at various points along the hybrid spectrum.
Since Kim is the person who coined the modern use of spectrum terminology, she was able to give us an incredible perspective as well as a number of deep insights into the genesis of this field and study. Her work not only inspired the name of this week’s conversation but also inspired us to dig into this subject and have her join us to tell us in person! In sticking with our “spectrum” theme, Cameron and Natalea gave us a totally different, but equally valuable and insightful perspective. They both mentioned, their for-profit company aims to positively impact the community. However, while profit is a driver, it’s not the only driver of their business or their mission. They believe that their organization’s economic impact can be increased by designing their work to focus on making a social impact.
We were also thankful for Ramona, who told us about her complex model, which leverages assets housed in a for-profit entity, alongside an integrated workforce development nonprofit. This has allowed her to now start thinking about various possible funding streams. Not only has she been able to apply for a greater number of grants, but she has also been able to look towards venture capital (VC) funding. Ramona made sure to note, however, that this has created some capacity and other kinds of challenges she had not necessarily considered when she started out. This challenge has led her to think and strategize about how to scale up soon while delivering the most impact. Despite the challenges and obstacles, it is clear that more organizations must look towards their strategy and their purpose to determine if they can leverage a social enterprise to maximize their social and economic impact.
We have said it before and we will say it again…Nonprofit Futurists is a community created with the mission of helping support organizations, teams and/or individuals. We believe that one of the ways we can help you is by sharing out useful resources that we have personally found helpful in our own work. You can find a Nonprofit Futurist’s PUBLIC Google Drive folder, where you can this week’s free resources, the Social Enterprise Typology and Business Planning for Social Enterprise, both written by Kim Alter, one of this week’s guests. Kim is recognized for her pioneering work and thought leadership contributions to the field of social entrepreneurship. Her contributions to the field of social entrepreneurship and innovation have earned her awards and distinctions from the National Science Foundation, USAID, the Skoll Foundation, and the University of Oxford.
As for our next conversation this upcoming Thursday, May 20th at 4:55 PM, we will be chatting with Tina Roh, the Co-Founder and COO of Every.org. Check out the event information below! We hope to see you there!
Yours in Community,
Chandler Lewis and Chad Wolver
Founders & Co-Hosts
Nonprofit Futurists Club — Clubhouse
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