2017: The Year For Social Entrepreneurs

Social Entrepreneurship is a modern concept born out of necessity. In the developed world, social entrepreneurs emerged as a group who needed to innovate at a faster rate than government funded charities. Whereas in the developing world, social entrepreneurship came about as an answer to the inexistence of government support and systemic difference in social ideologies. While both examples differ from one another, they are fundamentally rooted in an opposition to, or desired absence of, government.    

So when people ask if the incumbent president Donald Trump has any impact on the landscape of social entrepreneurship, the simple answer is no, and the more complex answer is never. Social entrepreneurs are a group who operate mutually exclusively from government parties. In a lot of ways this election has called upon social entrepreneurs to work harder, because their businesses will need to supplement the social programs at risk of being defunded.

Planned Parenthood, The National Immigration Law Center, and Greenpeace are just a few of the progressive organizations that face an uphill battle in the coming four years. They can benefit from the support of social enterprises, whether that be through innovative fundraising initiatives, or by creating companies that find ways to provide additional social services to their clients. 

If you need further proof that 2017 will be the year for social entrepreneurs, look no further than the idea that in just 10 weeks has become a movement, spurring hundreds of thousands to head to Washington, D.C. this Saturday, January 21st and even more to march in their hometowns.

Julie Kent is a fellow at Net Impact and member of the San Francisco Professional Chapter.  Do you have an opinion piece or story you’d like to share on the Net Impact blog? Let us know.