Editor’s note: This blog first appeared in May 2016 and has been updated. Shopping social enterprise is a way to honor your mom while helping other women. By Janine Vanderburg, Founder and Strategic Advisor, Joining Vision and Action “There’s a reason some people think they can do anything–they listened to their mothers.” Although I don’t who [...]
How can a well-meaning start-up avoid “Silicon Valley Syndrome” and actually create real value for society? By Adam Brock, Director of Social Enterprise Every era has an industry that epitomizes its values. At the turn of the 20th century, nascent car companies like Ford and Packard were the symbols of a growing middle class. A [...]
By Rolfe Larson, Joining Vision and Action Social Enterprise Consultant Research shows that successful social enterprises often share common characteristics. There are many theories why some social enterprises flourish while others languish. Is it leadership, business planning, funding, market or timing that makes a successful social enterprise? Joining Vision and Action is dedicated to providing [...]
By Janine Vanderburg, President/CEO, Joining Vision and Action What is the one thing a social enterprise must never do? Believe that your customers will buy from you simply because of your social mission. It’s a lesson I learned managing my first social enterprise in the early 1980s. Hoping to both employ women and generate revenue [...]
Rachel and Doug By Scot Kersgaard, Joining Vision and Action Coffee has the power to change the world. If you doubt it, all you need to do is talk to Joining Vision and Action and CU Boulder alum Rachel Taber, co-founder of the the social enterprise 1951 Coffee Company, based in [...]
How can social enterprise competitions help? Co-authored by Joining Vision and Action director of social enterprise Adam Brock and social enterprise consultant Rolfe Larson. Competitions are all the rage in the social enterprise world. From New York to San Francisco, organizations seeking to nurture emerging social entrepreneurs have decided to go all in on the pitch [...]
By Janine Vanderburg, CEO, Joining Vision and Action I just returned from the Encore 2016 conference in San Francisco last week. Over 400 people gathered, inspired by a collective vision: that people as they age can experience an “encore” in work, service, learning and leadership – using their talents and experience to better their communities [...]
Compiled by Rolfe Larson and JVA CEO, Janine Vanderburg With the President Obama’s recent State of the Union address, this seems a good time to assess the State of Social Enterprise (SE). We decided to crowd-source this one through the npEnterprise Forum (npE), the 10,000+ circulation, non-commercial online forum for all things SE. If you’re not already [...]
By Ali Brieske Joining Vision and Action Marketing and Business Associate How can you use social enterprise to change the world? Changing the world is hard work. Undoubtedly, your organization faces numerous challenges that affect its sustainability. Funding insecurity, all the requirements needed to demonstrate impact, more work than staff to do it [...]
Ever feel like these guys? No need to beg, just do the right things. by Janine Vanderburg In my years at Joining Vision and Action, I’ve worked with numerous funders and served as a funder reviewing grant proposals so know exactly how to make sure grant funders approve your proposal. [...]
