Every social entrepreneur said they would do it all over again.
In an increasingly polarised world, obtaining 100% agreement for anything seems impossible. Yet, in our survey of leading social entrepreneurs across the world, 100% of respondents agreed on one point.

Despite:

• 75% reporting use of personal funds to support their social enterprise

• 75% revealing personal financial hardships from earning a lower-than-private sector salary

• 63% saying they had no time for hobbies or interests

• And others citing missed family celebrations, burnout, stress, feeling cheated, exhausted and isolated, and having no time for personal health or development.

Are we gluttons for punishments? Closet masochists? Well, maybe.

We are a group driven by something bigger than ourselves, by feeling like we’ve made a difference in the world and to those we serve.

In a world where social issues are proliferating, where governments and countries are looking inward instead of outward and where geographic boundaries are becoming blurred, the role of social entrepreneur has never been more vital.
The first ever practitioner-driven social entrepreneurship survey

After nearly five decades of combined experience leading social enterprises, we’ve become increasingly troubled by what we see as significant barriers to the field of social innovation. Last August, we highlighted 6 obstacles that are holding the social enterprise sector back. The article, followed by a standing room-only discussion at the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs’ Summit in New York in September, marked the first phase of a practitioner-led initiative to engage fellow social entrepreneurs in identifying sector-wide challenges. Our aim is to foster forthright discussion and initiate ideas to propel our collective work forward.

1. Consistent and patient capital
2. Fear of failure
3. A lack of collaboration

About the survey respondents

This deep-dive survey, completed between December 2018-February 2019, reflects the experience of 56 fellows awarded over the past two decades by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the sister organization of the World Economic Forum:

• Approximately 87% of the survey participants are founders or co-founders of their social enterprises.

• Almost half of respondents lead nonprofits (48%), followed by hybrids (34%), and for-profits (18%).

• 57% have a leadership tenure of 16+ years; 55% manage a staff that ranges in size between 1-100 members.

• 63% of the survey participants are male; 68% are 50+ years of age. The latter mirrors the makeup of the Schwab Foundation, which is largely comprised of later stage social enterprises.

• 38% of the respondents identified as Caucasian/white; 18% Asian; 7% Latino; 4% black/African/African American; 32% did not provide a response (this question was optional).

• 27% of the survey respondents lead social enterprises that serve Africa; 25% serve Asia; 20% serve globally; 18% serve South/Central America; 5% serve the Middle East; 4% serve North America; and 2% serve Europe.

 

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Written by Kyle Zimmer & Kristine Pearson
Image: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Publication date: 25 Jul 2019

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