Jim McClurg, Venture Philanthropy Resources
| Brief
Biography | Session
Handout |
Brett White, Communitas
| Brief
Biography |
Robin Barry, Moderator
| Brief
Biography |
The journey is tough and worthwhile.
Without strong staff nothing else works.
What changes in staffing makeup and structure are necessary for non-profit entrepreneurial initiatives to be
successful?
- Survival: providing adequate compensation and diversifying
funding.
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Proactive development
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Expansion
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Replication
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Beyond the mission - where rubber meets road - is staff and
board. This isn't a fact or an option - if you understand
social enterprise - its a change in organizational culture. You can
never go back. Look around at staff and board
and accept that half will be gone within a few months of making a
substantial commitment to entrepreneurial activities.
Are there ways for programs to be organized, incentives provided, and
results measured so that the interests of the organization, the public,
and the served population will be protected?
- Know your funding sources because there are grants you don't
want.
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Count the costs.
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Increased revenues for mission advancement.
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Governance structure must be setup to make tough choices about
peripheral programs.
Types of Social Entrepreneurialship: (mind/life changing experience,
not a fad)
- Leveraging funds, using sources better
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Earned income ventures
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Selling expertise to a consultant
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Cause-based marketing
In the nonprofit world, we often look at revenue streams, but we often
neglect the cost of capital - how much in costs to raise a dollar
including direct, and indirect costs?
- For nonprofits the capital market generally comes from a the small
groups of large funders andgovernment contracts.
- There are grants you don't want. What are the costs
associated with the money?
- Enterprising non-profits need to understand what the costs are.
Can you teach entrepreneurism?
- Skills, yes
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Vision, no
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General sense is no - if you don't have, without vision
entrepreneurism doesn't exist.
It has to do with comfort level with risk - you can help change
perspective on risk to change perception and
openness to change.
I'ts not a matter of new risk - we're already engaged in very high
risk ventures. It's a matter of embracing a new
vehicle with a learning curve for new skills to work with under a new
model (entrepreneurism).
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