Mission, Inc.: The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise (Social Venture Network)

Social enterprises are defined here as business whose primary purpose is to support the common good, whether they are organized as for- profits, nonprofits, or anything in between. Drawing on their own experiences managing social enterprises, as well as other examples from the membership of the Social Venture Network, Lynch, president of a nonprofit social-purpose business, and Walls (business, New York University) explain how to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities these organizations represent. They explore paradoxes that can hamstring social enterprises, and help readers grapple with a different set of expectations from employees, investors, customers, and the community. The Social Venture Network is a group of business owners, investors, and nonprofit leaders who are advancing the movement for social responsibility in business. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Two social entrepreneurs draw on their own extensive experiences and those of20 other enterprise leaders to focus on the fundamental blocking and tacklingtactics that make the difference between success and failure.