Social entrepreneurship

Introduction

NGO’s and civil society organisations can sometimes face difficulties in financing their projects or activities. They often rely on (international) donors in order to carry out their work. Social entrepreneurship can be a way of local fundraising, because it combines social impact in society with creating own resources. Have you, for instance, ever thought about asking a small amount of money to the participants of your activity? Or asking beneficiaries to participate in your project with time or expertise? Do you have knowledge or social value ‘for sale’? Could you sell a product that is sustainably made by the participants of your social project? These are all ideas that could make your social project financially more sustainable. This toolkit is meant for organisations that already have some experience with differentiating their financial model, and are ready to take the next step. Trough step-by-step research you’ll find out how successful your social business case potentially is.

Why

Social entrepreneurship could be interesting for organisations that:

• Believe they are solving a problem in society with a strong social mission.
• And therefore: have a unique service or product to ‘sell’ to the world.
• Feel the need to become more financially independent from (foreign) funding and donors.

What you can expect

In 8 steps, we will guide you towards a completed Business Model Canvas. All you need is a great project and clear customer segments. Note: this toolkit is the first step to think about a business case. To really become a social entrepreneur, you might need more guidance and knowledge.

What you get

• A checklist to see if social entrepreneurship is suitable for your project/organisation.
• Downloads of the Business Model Canvas, the Customer empathy map and a SWOT tool.
• Resources on the topic of social entrepreneurship.