What Is a Social Entrepreneur Business Plan?

Venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship are outgrowths of the new wealth created by the Internet industry. Young, wealthy, entrepreneurial-minded people began investing in socially conscious ventures, applying business principles to create organizations that could be self-supporting rather than totally reliant on donations.

History

1. An article published in the Harvard Review started the concept of venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurism as the active involvement of business savvy professionals in non-profits to provide good management that creates self-sufficiency.

Function

2. Venture philanthropists ask non-profits to supply business plans so the mission, focus, method and true financial needs can be ascertained. They seek to fund only charities which exhibit the capabilities to affect change rather than just collect and spend money.

Features

3. A social entrepreneur business plan describes the need for the social service, its social services sector or industry, other non-profits operating in that sector, the mission statement, description of services, target market, marketing plan, revenue plan, build-out plan, bios of management and Board of Directors and financial projections for three to five years.

Significance

4. Venture philanthropists view success in terms of profitable operations. Traditional non-profits claim success is measured in progress toward solving problems and the social value of assistance to target groups.

Considerations

5. A social entrepreneur business plan differs from a for-profit business plan only in its emphasis on its mission of progress in social welfare projects. Today's social entrepreneur recognizes the need to be self sustaining through good management and marketing.