Social innovation, social entrepreneurship and the practice of contemporary entrepreneurial philanthropy

Abstract

The economic crisis has accentuated the social and economic dislocation experienced by disadvantaged communities at a time of unprecedented political and public interest in philanthropy. This has concentrated attention on the contribution that philanthropists might make in addressing socio-economic challenges, and on the role that social innovation might play in regenerating communities. This article adds to the literature on social innovation and social entrepreneurship that aims to integrate theory and empirical practice. By examining social innovation through the lens of a case study of the Community Foundation for Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, the article sheds light on how the sites and spaces of socially innovative philanthropic projects may have a bearing on their success; attention is drawn to the importance of community engagement on the part of social innovators, and the power of self-organization in re-embedding communities. It suggests that storytelling by committed philanthropists may serve as a powerful proselytizing tool for recruiting new donors

Scaling up social innovation: a meta-synthesis

“…Such development, in addition to the commitment of the social entrepreneur and his team, required its own resources or was obtained via philanthropic (Maclean, Harvey, & Gordon, 2013) or through strategic partnerships (Le Ber & Branzei, 2010;Estensoro, 2015) that assist in the development of SI process. Besides financial resources, strategic partnerships can help with directions, exchange of experiences, knowledge sharing and even the occupation of "institutional voids" in fragile environments with poor infrastructure, poorly established rules, lack of governance and trust.…”

Community-Level Actions that Can Address Ocean Acidification

“…To promote action on ocean acidification in a politically conservative environment, placing it in a cost-benefit context seems to provide an opportunity to compare it with other issues as well as to connect faces of local businesspeople with the issue. Stories help personalize these issues, greatly increasing their relevance and ability to be remembered for not only environmental activism (Kelly et al, 2014), but other fields involving behavioral change such as business marketing (Escalas, 2004), public health (Hinyard and Kreuter, 2007), and philanthropy (Maclean et al, 2013). Politically liberal environments like Washington and other West Coast states seem more receptive to taking initial action on emerging science and environmental concerns as part of a broader philosophy of environmental engagement (Hoffman, 2011).…”

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy Partnerships: Aligning Leadership, Strategy, and Culture

“…Both make strategic decisions about the level and nature of (financial) resources they will devote to reach their goals. The formation of an EPP between them can be seen as a pursuit of opposite attracting forces to tackle pressing societal issues that exceed the coping capacities of the individual actors (Maclean et al, 2012). It has been argued there are specific conditions under which a robust partnership is likely to emerge (Mohr & Spekman, 1994).…”