Letter From The Editor
Dr. Victoria Boyd, President/Founder
The Philantrepreneur™
The Philantrepreneur Foundation
What’s all the Buzz?
L
ately If you’ve been paying attention, you might have
noticed a buzz gaining momentum called Social
Enterprise (SE). I think it is fantastic that SE is getting the
attention because it is a solid, proven and reliable model.
In several of our articles this edition we discuss SE from
a business perspective, its marketing value and even the
impact in the cultural arts sector. Social enterprise is a
model we at The Philantrepreneur Foundation believe is a
valuable and viable road
to success – both serving
your own purpose
and having the means
to serve community.
However I also see
a lot of confusion
regarding what it really
is, sometimes confusing
it with corporate social
responsibility and other
means that corporations
serve community.
A social enterprise is
an organization that
applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements
in human and environmental well-being - this may include
maximizing social impact rather than profits for external
shareholders. Social Enterprises can be structured as
a for-profits or non-profits that have social objectives. If
the commitment to these objectives is motivated by the
perception it will ultimately make the enterprise more
financially valuable then they are more properly said to be
operating corporate responsibility programs.
The term has a mixed and cont