Social Entrepreneurship

The Social Entrepreneurship program introduces the learners to the basic concepts of social entrepreneurship and to the different ways it is practiced in different countries with a focus on the models in Uganda and East Africa.

Participants are expected to draw a concept plan for a possible social entrepreneurship initiative of their own after the course.

Programme details

Unit 1: Introduction to social entrepreneurship: The journey ahead

  • Profile of social entrepreneurs
  • Create your own profile of a social entrepreneur
  • Grounding in social entrepreneurship
  • Typology of ventures
  • Definitional disputes
  • Initial questions on social entrepreneurship

Unit 2: Creating social change: The social value proposition and identifying a social business opportunity

  • Seizing social business opportunities
  • Legal structure
  • Social entrepreneurship profiles
  • Community asset mapping
  • Profile of a social entrepreneur
  • Social value proposition
  • Triple bottom line

Unit 3: Understanding poverty: The Social Development Goals

  • The critical need to alleviate poverty
  • Ecosystem approach
  • The role of cooperatives in addressing poverty
  • Profile of a social organization:

Unit 4: Human-Centered Design: Partnering with the targeted community to address social problems

  • Profile of a social organization
  • The role of mind mapping in creating solutions
  • Empowerment model: Partnering with targeted community

Unit 5: Developing a theory of change: Starting with the social impact

  • Theory of change explained
  • Understanding the theory of change more deeply
  • A brief introduction to systems thinking
  • Profile of a social organization:

Unit 6: Envisioning an innovative society: The role of social innovation

  • Social Innovations: A critical element to scaling social impact
  • Disruptive innovations
  • Profile of a social entrepreneur

Unit 7: The business model: Creating a social business model

  • The role of the business model in starting a social venture
  • Equitable distribution of value
  • The role of the business model: The business model canvas
  • A social business model framework
  • Profile of a social entrepreneur:
  • Business model canvas exercise
  • Business model execution failure

Unit 8: Funding social ventures: Strategies for success

  • Sustainable funding sources: Earned income
  • Profile of a social entrepreneur:
  • Traditional funding sources
  • Social investment funding sources
  • Investing in a social venture
  • Relationship building with donors and investors

Unit 9: The driving force behind social entrepreneurship: Measurement and scaling social impact

  • Building the foundation
  • Profile of a social entrepreneur:
  • Scalability through expansion
  • Impact measurement tools

Unit 10: The future: Reflection and shared experiences

  • Path to social entrepreneurship
  • Thoughts for change-makers
  • ‘Be the Change’ reflection paper