GSBI+Methodology+for+Social+Entrepreneurship

Social Enterprise SelectionGSBI invites applications from social enterprisesthat are “impact first,” meaning that theirprimary mission is to deliver goods and servicesto those in need. GSBI attracts candidate socialenterprises through an open, competitiveapplication process. It actively markets to andrecruits potential candidates through a globalnetwork of mission-aligned organizations thatinclude other capacity development programs,investors, awards programs, universities,and social entrepreneurs who have alreadycompleted GSBI programs.GSBI evaluates candidates in two phases.First, the staff filters for general program fit,determined primarily on the criteria of thepotential social impact of the enterprise, theenterprise’s developmental stage, and alignmentof the candidate’s goals with the programsthat GSBI offers. Second, a team of GSBI staffand mentors interviews and scores the topcandidates according to criteria that predict theenterprise’s potential for short-term success inGSBI and long-term growth. Priority is given tosocial enterprises with earned income businessmodels, because this approach lends itself toscaling. The legal structure (nonprofit versus forprofit)is not important to candidate selection,although sometimes as a result of participatingin a GSBI program, a non-profit might transitionto for-profit status or vice-versa.To match a social enterprise with the curriculummost appropriate to help it grow, GSBI developeda Social Enterprise Stage Assessment Tool. TheMonitor Group’s publication “From Blueprintto Scale: The Case for Philanthropy in ImpactInvesting” 10 proposed a framework for trackingsocial enterprises through their developmentalstages. GSBI aligned its curriculum to thisframework and assigns social enterprises to aspecific program based on this tool.Fig. 2: GSBI Programs Align With Lifecycle StagesBlueprint Validate Prepare ScaleFlow is from the MonitorGroup’s 2012 study,Blueprint to Scale: TheCase for Philanthropy inImpact Investing12