Your Guide To Where To Find Social Enterprise Resources in India

Social enterprise

My last post on how to get involved in social enterprises listed different ways of linking up with social enterprise. Having met and interacted with at least two social entrepreneurs who are working actively in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka in India, I feel there is a need to enlighten more people about where they can look for social enterprise resources in India…

ThinkChangeIndia

Think Change India is one of the leading sources of information on social innovation and social entrepreneurship in India. Their incredibly talented team of editors and bloggers bring you the latest news and analysis on India’s vibrant social change landscape.

Think Change India is a one stop resource for information on contests, conferences, fellowships, jobs, news and opportunities with regard to social innovation and social enterprise. They also have a platform called “Think Sport” which tracks sports initiatives across India at every level of society while encouraging holistic development.

Beyond Profit

Beyond Profit, brought to you by Intellecap is a new social enterprise magazine where you can find stories, people and ideas behind these innovating social ventures. The publication aims at bringing you first-hand insights and expert commentary on social enterprise. Intellecap is a social investment advisory firm providing services to the for-profit development sector in areas such as microfinance, water, energy and education.

Beyond Profit strives to bring together leading experts and visionary social entrepreneurs to share their knowledge, experience and advice with their readers. If you are an entrepreneur who has started a socially-oriented enterprise or are an expert in areas that address the needs of the poor and underprivileged then Beyond Profit welcomes contributions from you.

If you would like to contribute, get in touch with them and let them know your topic/idea, background information and any samples of previous work that you may have done. Simply drop them a line at ideas@beyondprofit.com

Samhita

Samhita is a philanthropic initiative of the Nadathur Trust and is meant for all stakeholders in the social sector. However the first phase of activity of this organization will focus on providing greater visibility, more resources and a support system for social organizations (with an initial focus on NGOs)

Through Samhita NGO’s will be able to:

• Find volunteers, employees and service providers; receive donations, get market access, expert advice and sector knowledge
• Exhibit their credibility, effectiveness and social impact.
• Use web tools and resources to engage and manage volunteers, donors, supporters and service providers and build lasting relationships with supporters.
• Access a wide range of knowledge resources including legal resources.
• Connect with experts in functional and technical areas.
• Reach out to legal, financial and other service providers who are ready to offer low cost services.

Service providers will be able to:

• Use Samhita’s social ecosystem as a marketplace to feature their services, build brands and solicit customers.
• Display their customer ratings and testimonials to distinguish themselves from peers

Ashoka

Ashoka, heralding the cause of social enterprise is leading a profound transformation in society. During the past three decades, the globally social entrepreneurs have been harbingers of change across the globe and their numbers have grown exponentially.

Instead of leaving societal needs for the government or business sectors to address, social entrepreneurs have been and are actively creating innovative solutions and improving the lives of millions of people all over the world.

It was this insight into the power of social entrepreneurs that led Bill Drayton to found Ashoka in 1980 and that belief continues to guide Ashoka today. The first Ashoka Fellows were elected in India in 1981 and since then Ashoka has grown to an association of over 2,000 Fellows in over 60 countries on the world’s five main continents.

Having said that my next post will look at how and where social entrepreneurs can look for strategic partners in their movement for change.