ADVOCACY

Social Entrepreneurship

Whether the program you are involved with caters to hungry children, disabled adults or provides artistic outlets for youth and community members, the outcomes have measurable social results. The passion of nonprofits and the vital role they play in society can be described thus:

“The role of the social entrepreneur can be understood through these examples. Social entrepreneurs initiate and lead change processes that are self-correcting, growth-oriented, and impact-focused. They create new configurations of people and coordinate their efforts to attack problems more successfully than before. It’s a complex role that involves a great deal of listening, recruiting, and persuading. It takes a curious combination of sensitivity and bullheadedness, humility and audacity, and restlessness and patience to lead a change process in the face of indifference, habit, fear, resource constraints, vested interest, and institutional defenses.”

Despite the widespread presence of nonprofits, local residents often do not realize the significant role nonprofits play in their communities. They may recognize the local homeless shelter, nature center, or food shelf as a nonprofit organization, but may not be aware that nonprofits also operate theaters, community health care clinics, choirs for children, employment training programs, child care centers, nursing homes, after-school programs, and many other services, programs and low-cost entertainment options. Local nonprofits have seen reduced budgets, program cuts, and loss of employees.

~ Before these precious gems disappear, we need to consider banding together – the loss of one nonprofit or community program is the chipping away at the core of this sector …

Nonprofits rely on a variety of funding sources to sustain their activities, including individual donations, foundation, corporate support, fund-raising activities, membership dues and fees for their services.  Government grants and contracts can be a major source of financial support for many nonprofit organizations.

The nonprofit sector, however, is now witnessing what appears to be government’s retreat from its role in the partnership to provide programs and services throughout the city, county, state and nation due to general fund and structural deficit constraints.  Considering the significant financial role government has historically played, it is not possible for the other sources of revenue – such as individuals and foundations – to fill in the gap, particularly with the current economy.

Stay tuned here for more information.

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