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Social Good Instigators is a podcast featuring social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. While social entrepreneurship is not a new concept (the term was first introduced in the early 1970’s) it has been receiving more attention of late. The goal of each interview is to share advice from social entrepreneurs for social entrepreneurs. Our hope is that listeners will learn ways to ensure their endeavor succeeds and thrives.

This podcast was originally launched in July 2015 as The Nonprofit Leader’s Network Podcast. There were 44 episodes broadcast as part of that initiative that covered topics ranging from board development to program development to fundraising. There have been over 33,800 downloads so far!

What is Social Entrepreneurship?

You might be wondering to yourself what I mean by social entrepreneurship. While there are multiple definitions available (with some of those conflicting), I’m a little partial to the one the European Commission uses:

A social enterprise is an operator in the social economy whose main objective is to have a social impact rather than make a profit for their owners or shareholders. It operates by providing goods and services for the market in an entrepreneurial and innovative fashion and uses its profits primarily to achieve social objectives. It is managed in an open and responsible manner and, in particular, involves employees, consumers and stakeholders affected by its commercial activities. http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/social-economy/enterprises_en

Social enterprises can be for- or non-profit. I’m particularly interested in organizations that are meeting social service/employment needs and/or are funding their endeavors in unique ways.

Be a Guest on the Show!

Do you know a social entrepreneur who would have some good tips and wisdom to share? Please have them email Kirsten@BullockConsulting.net and share what they’re up to. By using the subject line “I’d like to be a guest on the podcast” you’ll make sure your email gets read.

About Your Host: Kirsten Bullock

Kirsten is a Ph.D. student in Entrepreneurship at the University of Louisville (starting August 2017). She has 20+ years serving the nonprofit sector, first as a staff member and later as a consultant and entrepreneur. She’s launched (and sold) two brands including The Nonprofit Academy and the Nonprofit Leaders Network.

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Aug 11, 2015

In this episode, Carol Gundersen with The Food Literacy Project shares about board transitions. The Food Literacy Project's mission is really about inspiring a new generation to build healthy relationships with food, farming, and the land. Here are a few highlights:

FINDING BOARD – STAFF PARTNERSHIP. It's certainly possible for a board member to do both roles, but it takes a lot of communication and even then it can be tough for board members to do both: to have the big picture perspective that a board member needs to govern effectively and also, to be involved in some of the minutia of day-to-day work.

DON’T ASSUME. One thing that's been a really key lesson for me is to not assume what goes without saying. And it can be really hard to anticipate what does and doesn't go without saying. It's just an ongoing journey for everyone to understand what their role is and what authority they have to make which decisions. Sometimes it can feel like over-communication to say the things that we perhaps thought might go without saying, just say them.

EMPHASIZE THE BIG PICTURE. As our board was shifting from a hands-on board to a more governance focused one, it was useful for me to emphasize the big picture whenever we were reviewing a financial statement or anything like that. And then we can get into some of the minutiae of specific line items or whatever. But starting with the big picture with any communication with them. Helping everybody understand that we’re there to look at, was the big picture.

Find more information on the podcast at www.SocialGoodInstigators.com.