The real reason behind our campaign for inclusivity

Making social entrepreneurship accessible to all

It is an indisputable fact that leadership opportunities are not equal.

In the entrepreneurial industry, though women of color rank as the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs, only 2% of venture capital funding went toward female teams in 2017.

According to the British Council, this is also true in social enterprise. A recent report shows, within the social enterprise industry, 56% of women entrepreneurs reported experiencing business hindrances because of their gender. Women are not alone in facing discrimination and unconscious bias in their roles as leaders; nationwide, people of color, immigrants and women are paid less, clustered in lower-paying jobs and stereo-typed industries, less able to get funding outside of their own intimate circle and are less present at the top of organizations.

Despite these realities, reports show that gender-mixed and ethnically diverse teams consistently outperform their competitors. Creating a sense of belonging and inclusion in the workplace often begets increased innovation and teamwork.

It’s evident: there is a direct line between inclusion and innovation.

It’s evident: there is a direct line between inclusion and innovation. We know social enterprise has the power to break down these inequalities, but it won’t happen without attention, intention and investment.

As long as we still face diversity issues in our industry, we are hindering the change we can create.

It’s with this issue in mind that we at Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA) set out to level the playing field. Our goal is simple: to make it possible for all social entrepreneurs, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation or financial inability, to join a supportive community where their ventures can thrive.

Social entrepreneurs are still facing obstacles to success in a nation where we need as many players in the game as we can get.

Impact initiatives aren’t being fully realized in a time when we can’t afford to leave any solutions on the table. Social entrepreneurs are still facing obstacles to success in a nation where we need as many players in the game as we can get.

Enter the Pave a Path campaign, an initiative to raise membership scholarships for social entrepreneurs to join SEA. Our 2018 goal is to raise $25,000, so we can include as many social entrepreneurs in this supportive community as possible.

This campaign was born from a deep desire to see real transformation in our world through social enterprise, and the knowledge that the only way to truly do that is to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. Contribute here.

Last year, we ran this campaign for the first time and welcomed 10 social entrepreneurs into our community

Last year, we ran this campaign for the first time and welcomed 10 social entrepreneurs into our community. We were moved by their commitment to their work in a variety of impact areas, from interfaith unity to reducing poverty and increasing youth engagement.

We invited a few of our inaugural recipients to share what receiving this scholarship and joining SEA meant to them.

Nick Lum, Founder of BeeLine Reader, had this to say:

“Being a part of the Pave A Path program has allowed me to connect with many people working in the social impact space. This has happened through coordinated introductions by the SEA staff, and by happenstance meetings at events like SOCAP. Being included in the SEA directory has even led to outreach from external organizations, such as the Eisenhower Foundation. I’m very grateful to be part of the Pave A Path program and the Social Enterprise Alliance!” — Nick Lum

BeeLine Reader is a social enterprise making reading easier, faster and more accessible for all.

Mohammad Modarres, Founder of Abe’s Meats and TED Resident and Speaker, shared:

“As a social entrepreneur, the most difficult aspect of starting a venture is the isolating feeling of going at it all alone. I appreciate what SEA does for social impact businesses because it is a community of people with resources who want to see you and your mission succeed. We had a meeting with a mentor who was assigned to us, were on the SEA newsletter, and later enjoyed our product being part of the holiday guide. It has been an absolute pleasure being part of SEA as a new start-up. Here is to new family!”

Abe’s Meats is the first meat company to provide food that is both Zabihah Halal and Glatt Kosher. Their products are natural, organic and support local farmers. Abe’s Meats also works under Interfaith Ventures to host Shabbat Salaam interfaith dinners where individuals of different faiths and backgrounds can meet for conversation and friendship.

Darius Ballinger, Founder of Southside Prints and Chasing 23 Youth Empowerment Group, said:

“SEA has impacted my journey as a social entrepreneur in an earlier but significant way. As entrepreneurs, we’re encouraged to take chances and calculated risks. As a young emerging social entrepreneur, I’ve had to take a chance on myself. When others might not have seen the vision for me, I’ve had to affirm that vision for myself. Being selected for Pave a Path Scholarship and then being embraced by the SEA community affirmed my passion for social entrepreneurship as well helped to build my credibility in the field. To incoming SEA scholarship fellows, my advice is go all in with the SEA community when given the chance.”

Chasing23 and South Side Prints are a nonprofit and social enterprise serving young men of color in South Side, Chicago. Chasing23 is a supportive place for young men to learn life lessons, receive career advice and build healthy relationships.

Darius began the nonprofit after losing a close friend and mentor to gun violence and seeing a need for mentorship and healing in his community. South Side Prints is a screen-printing social enterprise that trains and hires teens in need of productive work opportunities.

Our scholarship recipients’ experience with Pave a Path and SEA reiterated our zeal for this work. Mohammad, Nick and Darius, alongside many other committed social entrepreneurs, are using business to serve the needs of underrepresented communities. We want as many social entrepreneurs as possible to have access to do the same.

Want to Contribute?

In 2017, we only had the funds to award scholarships to 10 of the 115 applicants. This year we’re raising the bar. Help us reach our goal of $25,000 by December 31st at socialenterprise.us/donate. Even contributing the cost of your morning coffee would go a long way in helping these social entrepreneurs. You can buy them a cup, here.