In January 2013, Harvard Business Review and The Bridgespan Group collaborated—with generous support from the Omidyar Network—to develop a three-month series exploring what it takes to scale entrepreneurial ideas and solutions that benefit society. We explored three topics related to scale during the series:
- What are the market-based approaches to social change, and how do we fund them?
- How to develop talent that makes the enterprise, and the sector, tick
- How to scale what works using technology, data, and other levers
Below are links to the posts from the series, each written by social enterprise practitioners and researchers, both upcoming and veteran. Their stories and insights provide paths both for newcomers to the field as well as those already on their journeys for improving their social impact.
Introduction: Welcome to the HBR-Bridgespan Insight Center, by Amy Gallo
Month 1: What are the market-based approaches to social change, and how do we fund them?
- To Grow Social Enterprises Must Play By the Business Rules, by Alan Hirzel
- New Research: If You Want to Scale Impact, Put Financial Results First, by Linda Rottenberg
- Venture Capital with a Twist: How to Pitch an Impact Investor, by Todor Tashev
- Collaboration Is the New Competition, by Ben Hecht
- What Makes Social Entrepreneurs Different, by Bright B. Simons
- Every Business Is (Or Should Be) a Social Business, by Deborah Mills-Scofield
- Businesses Can't Solve the World's Problems - But Capitalism Can, by Dan Pallota
- When Social Enterprise Demands Mega Scale, by Arthur Middleton Hughes
- Social Impact Investing Will Be the New Venture Capital, by Sir Ronald Cohen
- Scaling Up Without Losing Your Edge, by Susan Davis
- It's Not All About Growth for Social Enterprises, by Kimberly Dasher Tripp
- How Banks Should Finance the Social Sector, by John Canady
- What Capitalism Can't Fix, by Phil Buchanan
- The Social Franchise Model Works in in Times of Uncertainty, by Ron Bruder
- Delivering on the Promise of the Private-Public Partnership, by Keith Weed
- When You Should Seek Capital from an Impact Investor, by J. Gregory Dees and Cathy Clark
- Where Are the Ray Krocs of the Social Sector?, by Seth Merrin and Brian Walsh
- To Serve the Poorest Clients, Earned Income Isn't Enough, by Matt Forti and Stephanie Hanson
- The Social Franchise Model Works in in Times of Uncertainty, by Sir Ronald Cohen and William A. Sahlman
Month 2: How to develop talent that makes the enterprise, and the sector, tick
- Entrepreneurs: You're More Important Than Your Business Plan, by Rich Leimsider
- To Change the World, Fear Means Go, by Lara Galinsky
- The Talent Needed for Social Impact, by Amy Gallo
- Want to Use Business to Make a Difference? Get Experience (But Not Too Much), by Matt Lee and Julie Battilana
- Have a Real Impact; Keep Your Day Job, by Nancy McGaw
- Lessons from a Failed Social Entrepreneur, by Mike McGlade
- Build Your Bench Strength Without Breaking the Bank, by Kirk Kramer
- Why the World Needs Tri-Sector Leaders, by Nick Lovegrove and Matt Thomas
- New Research Suggests Start-Up Experience Doesn't Help Social Entrepreneurs, by Peter Roberts
- How to Woo Talent From the For-Profit World, by Jenny Davis Peccoud
- What Social Entrepreneurs Can Teach Your Company's Future Leaders, by Amy Birchall and Charmian Love
- Luring More MBAs to the Social Sector, by Laura Moon and Margot Dushin
- A New Vision for Retirement: Productive and Meaningful, by Marc Freedman
- Want to Change the World? Be Resilient, by John McKinley
- Corporations: Donate Your Skills, Not Just Your Money, by Cathy Benko
- The Rise of Social Entrepreneurship in B-Schools in Three Charts, by Katie Smith Milway and Christine Driscoll
- How to Hire Top Talent When You Can't Pay Top Dollar (Omidyar), by Sal Giambanco
- Nonprofits Need to Compete for Top Talent, by Gerald Chertavian
Month 3: How to scale what works using technology, data, and other levers
- Know the Difference Between Your Data and Your Metrics, by Jeffrey Bladt and Bob Filbin
- Facebook Presence Is an Important Clue to a Social Venture's Future, by Peter Roberts
- Using Technology and Data for Social Impact, by Amy Gallo
- Accountants Will Save the World, by Peter Bakker
- How General Mills Uses Food Technology to Make an Impact in Africa, by Ken Powell
- You Can't Just Hack Your Way to Social Change, by Jake Porway
- Why Don't the Best Nonprofits Grow?, by Paul Carttar
- How Nonprofits Prove Their Worth, by Elie Hassenfeld
- Is Collaboration the New Greenwashing?, by Paul Ellingstad and Charmian Love
- Let's Be Realistic About Measuring Impact, by Alnoor Ebrahim
- We Need Open Data To Change The World, by Lucy Bernholz
- Data Can Open College Doors for Disadvantaged Kids, by Jeff Bradach
- Deliver Big Impact on a Small Budget, by Scott Orn
- Big Data Means More Than Big Profits, by Jim Fruchterman
- Nonprofits: Master "Medium Data" Before Tackling Big Data, by Jacob Harold
- A New Type of Philanthropy: Donating Data, by Robert Kirkpatrick
- An "All-Out Crazy Party"…Of Data (Omidyar), by Martin Tisne
- Can Technology End Poverty?, by Susan Davis
- Creating Social Change with Social Media, by Henry Timms
- A Data Scientist's Real Job: Storytelling, by Jeffrey Bladt and Bob Filbin
- Want to Help People? Just Give Them Money, by Jacqueline Fuller
- Open Data Has Little Value If People Can't Use It, by Craig Hammer
- Social Enterprises Need a Solid Measurement System, by Greg Hills and Marc Pfitzers