In this article, Belinda Li explains what a social enterprise is and how it differs from most businesses. When I tell people our consulting firm has a passion for helping social enterprises, I’m sometimes met with the question, “what do you mean by social enterprise?” Or I might get a knowing look, yet the response is, “oh, so you do social media!” or “oh, so it’s about social networking!” Hmm… I suppose that’s not totally unexpected. After all, not many…

  Caroline Taich shares the second installment of a two-part series on social sector partnerships.  In a recent blog post I began exploring the question of how to take social sector partnerships from good to great.  We looked at data showing that employers can increase their investment in environmental, social, and governance sustainability. I now explore the role of non-profits.  By adapting planning, messaging, and reporting with employers, I believe non-profits can achieve greater outcomes.  This hypothesis stems from my…

  Caroline Taich provides a concise post from her website that is the first in a series of two articles that explores how to improve social sector partnerships. One component of the question lies in the role of employers.  Intuitively I think we can agree that employers have much to gain from healthy, vibrant communities. But how much should employers invest? And what form should the investment take? The 2020 SustainAbility Leaders Survey by GlobeScan of 701 sustainability experts across…

  Belinda Li shares an article that summarizes the key findings from this year’s Social Enterprise World Forum and provides links to more information on each social enterprise solution. This past September, CiTTA Partnership was thrilled to engage in Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) Digital, the world’s first virtual global social enterprise conference. The event had 94 live sessions and masterclasses, attended by over 5,000 participants from over 50 countries spanning all time zones of the globe. The 200 speakers…

  Belinda Li shares an article that explores the meaning of ‘social’ in social enterprise. When I tell people our consulting firm has a passion for helping social enterprises, I’m sometimes met with the question, ‘what do you mean by social enterprise?’ Or I might get a knowing look, yet the response is, ‘oh, so you do social media!’ or ‘oh, so it’s about social networking!’ Hmm… I suppose that’s not totally unexpected. After all, not many people know about…

  Shane Heywood takes a look at how the Direct to Consumer business model could have meaningful implications for social enterprises.  My earliest shaving experience was around the age of 13. After 10 minutes, reeling from irritation everywhere, and minimal hair in the sink, I also felt slightly cheated by how much I had spent on the razor. Apparently, that feeling has helped to lead to a $1 Bn USD deal. Across some consumer-facing industries, from shaving cream to mattresses…

  Odin Muhlenbein and his colleagues co-authored an article that explains how social enterprises are solving the problem of youth unemployment in Africa.  The issues that are the most pressing today will shape the legacies of the most powerful African political and business leaders of our time. For the continent, the youth population boom and issues of employment are at the top of the list of priorities. Leaders at national, continental and global levels discuss these topics in the halls…

Jennifer Hartz shares a story of a wise investment, socially and economically, and shows how banks and other funds can support projects like these and earn a meaningful financial return.   Shamrock Gardens is the brainchild of Brent Sobol.  It’s the manifestation of his career in multi-family properties and his Jesuit faith, an order of the Roman Catholic Church, established in the 1500’s.  The affordable supportive apartment complex is in one of the most challenging areas on the south side…