Social Innovation/Spring 2021

  Source:  Thirdhour.org Merriam Webster Dictionary Definition of Mercy: 1.  Compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power also :  lenient or compassionate treatment (begged for  mercy) 2. a:  A blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion (May God have  mercy  on us). b:  A fortunate circumstance (it was a  mercy  they found her before she froze). 3:  Compassionate treatment of those in distress (works of  mercy  among the poor).   Connecting concepts and principles of social innovation to Gospel principles creates a more personal foundation for social work.   By recognizing that working toward solutions for social problems is in direct correlation to the teachings of the Bible, we have solid grounds for our work helping those who are struggling.   However, we must also recognize the importance of self-reliance both in ourselves an...

  Source:  BubblesAcademy.com Self-Reliance and Microcredit      We work hard all our lives.  We go to school so we can be educated, we specialize and get degrees and certifications so we can get a better job.  We contribute to retirement plans and savings accounts, and invest in stocks or other financial products to ensure we have enough money to provide for ourselves and our families.  Financial independence, apparently, is the goal.       But what about people whose life choices, circumstances or environment prevent them from these things?  A child born into poverty is likely to remain in poverty, because he lacks the resources to change his situation.  This child grows up watching his parents struggle to maintain shelter and food.  He has no concept of savings or retirement; in his world, people work to stay alive and then they die.       In the arena of social entrepreneurism, the con...

  Source:  Petagadget.com Investing in Social Solutions      Imagine you have a fantastic idea for a business that will both earn a profit and help solve a social problem.   Let’s say you’ve decided to solve the problem of school children in Urzburgistad not having pencils to do their schoolwork.   In your research, you’ve discovered that the women of Urzburgistad are extremely talented at knitting socks, but because there are no sheep in Urzburgistad, importing wool is prohibitively expensive so they usually only knit socks needed for their own families.   You come up with a brilliant idea:   You can provide startup funds to get the women the wool and knitting needles they require, and help them build a business exporting their beautiful handmade socks for sale in luxury boutiques.   By setting a high enough price point, a portion of the profits can be used to buy pencils for the schoolchildren.        Sounds great...

Source:  bestieawards.com   How Hybrids are Changing the Nonprofit Landscape In social business, a hybrid is a business that creates a symbiotic relationship between for-profit business and addressing a social problem.  The two benefit and support each other, separate entities under a single business umbrella.  Traditionally, for-profit businesses donate money to nonprofit organizations, who then use those funds to address social problems.  By creatively incorporating nonprofit activities as a function of a for-profit business, or adding a for-profit entity to an existing nonprofit, hybrids are innovating the way businesses can help their communities and world populations who are suffering with social issues.  An example of this is the Hot Bread Kitchen in New York City, where low income immigrants bake bread from their culture and the bakery sells the bread to raise funds to pay the workers and cover business expenses.  The program provides traini...

  Source:  INC.com Can or Should Service Be Profitable? There is a pervasive problem in the nonprofit and non-governmental organization (NGO) sector.  It is acceptable, and even desirable, for upper management and executives in for-profit business to be paid highly for their skills and knowledge.  These positions are highly competitive, and career-minded people strive to gain one of these sought-after positions for employment and financial security.  By contrast, on the social problem side of things, if an organization pays its leadership too highly it is viewed as not truly charitable, not serving the public, and perhaps even dishonest.  Why should two people with equal skills and experience have such a wide disparity in salary simply because one chooses to work solving social problems instead of producing revenue for a huge for-profit corporation?  Of course this seems unfair and a bit ridiculous when you look at it, but stakeholders pore over financ...

Source:   https://diversityq.com The Move Toward Responsible Corporations               In the 1800s, concerns for worker wellbeing and productivity created the first glimmer of what we now know as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  Industrialist Andrew Carnegie and oil magnate John Rockefeller both donated large sums to social programs including education and science.  In the 1950’s, economist Howard Bowen coined the term “Corporate Social Responsibility,” but the idea did not really take hold until the 1970’s, when the Committee for Economic Development introduced the concept of a social contract between businesses and society.              Today, Corporate Social Responsibility is a basic part of many corporations’ business strategy.  By giving back to the community via donations, social enterprise, volunteerism and ecologically s...