Social Entrepreneurship : The Art of MissionBased Venture Development,Used

Until very recently, popular belief held that business skills were not needed at charitable organizations. No longer. Far from interfering with an organization s ability to provide needed services, techniques such as marketing, cash flow analysis, property management, and good use of technology all contribute to a charitable organization s mission capability. Unlike a notforprofit that thinks of itself as a charity, the successful notforprofit is really a missionbased business. In an era of rapid change, increasing competition, and the need for more accountability to governments, foundations, insurers, and donors, knowing how to innovate, compete, and take reasonable risks on behalf of the mission is critical. It is, in short, the era of the social entrepreneur.The skilled social entrepreneur has the ability to get the most mission out of the resources at hand including traditional business techniques. Finally, here is a book that will help you learn their techniques. In Social Entrepreneurship, you will learn how successful social entrepreneurs:* Focus on community wants and needs* Match those with core competencies to provide the quality services* Assess risk and gauge opportunity* Develop new project ideas and test their feasibility* Write a business plan* Project finances in the plan* Tap into new sources of funding* Develop the idea of social entrepreneurship throughout the organization* Make sure that mission, not money, is the bottom lineAlso included are the seven essential steps of the notforprofit business development process, realworld case studies, sample business plans, and a selfassessment process to determine if your organization is ready for social entrepreneurism. In addition to entrepreneurs, middle managers, policy setters, volunteers, and a host of other important staff members will get value from the missionbeneficial information in this book. Most important, Social Entrepreneurship will help you to help your organization succeed and thrive and make your job more interesting and productive.Praise for Social EntrepreneurshipThe Art of MissionBased Venture Development'A great read . . . contains both the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications that those of us in nonprofit leadership badly need. I will share it with my management team and board.' Joseph M. Hafey, President and CEO, Public Health Institute'A sound, practical guide for developing social entrepreneurs. Brinckerhoff makes taking missionrelated business risks on behalf of the people served less risky with the stepbystep application of business ideas and techniques. Warnings, realworld examples, and handson advice keep the reader on track to sensible risk taking.' Connie Kirk, President and CEO, Tommy Nobis Center'Peter C. Brinckerhoff s new and masterfully written book has a lot of practical information in it for any organization that wants to learn how to become and stay entrepreneurial. Brinckerhoff provides the right kind of information to any organization interested in succeeding in a highly competitive and serviceoriented environment . . . [and] stresses the importance of an organization s encouraging innovation and risk only if it does not lose sight of its core values, its strengths, and its mission. That is excellent advice for any organization and for anyone who ventures into entrepreneurial waters.' Andrew H. Souerwine, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Management and Organization The School of Business Administration, University of Connecticut