GSBI+Methodology+for+Social+Entrepreneurship

IntroductionSocial entrepreneurship offers the potential ofa path out of poverty for hundreds of millionsof people around the world. But fulfilling thispotential will require broad and sustained effortsto help social enterprises scale. The Global SocialBenefit Institute® (GSBI) has been a pioneerin social enterprise capacity development. Ithas formulated, refined, focused, and tested asuccessful methodology while scaling its ownimpact.The GSBI methodology revolves around threedynamic, interactive aspects: social enterpriseselection, stage-specific programs, andexecutive-level mentoring.These aspects of the methodology are reflectedin three distinct GSBI programs targeting earlyto mid-stage social enterprises. Early-stageparticipants refine and validate their socialimpact models and business models. To scaletheir impact, mid-stage social enterprisesdevelop operational excellence and work tobecome investment ready. Through all GSBIprograms, experienced Silicon Valley executiveshelp social entrepreneurs apply the curriculumto their specific social enterprises.The success of GSBI programs can be tracedin part to two major influences: the ethos of itsJesuit university host institution, imparting theethical responsibility to work toward a more justand humane world, and the acumen of its SiliconValley milieu, with its culture of innovation andentrepreneurship. However, the lessons GSBI haslearned from working with 365 social enterprisesare broadly applicable to capacity developmentefforts anywhere. This paper introduces GSBIand explains its methodology, with the goal ofhelping the global social enterprise movementcreate more exits from poverty.4