Center for
Social Entrepreneurship
WELCOME TO THE CENTER FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY.
Recognized as the “Best Undergraduate Program in Social
Entrepreneurship” by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship
Centers in 2011, our mission is to inspire positive social change
through immersive learning experiences, world-class partnerships,
and the tools necessary for any entrepreneur to succeed.
The following Resource Guide serves as a starting point for your
social entrepreneurship journey at Miami. It will give you an
overview of the Center’s approach/contributions to the field of
social entrepreneurship, and more importantly, the many ways that
you can become a part of our story and our impact on the world.
2006
First Social Entrepreneurship
Course Offered
Initial Seed Funding Secured
Launches partnership with Bono’s
apparel company and builds sociallyconscious, student-led business:
EDUN LIVE ON CAMPUS (ELOC)
2007
“Miami is doing ground-breaking
work…developing a strong
undergraduate program in social
entrepreneurship.”
- Greg Dees, Duke University
Center for Social Entrepreneurship
Founded
ELOC gains media coverage in Time,
Business Week, Financial Times &
Boston Globe
2008
Presentations at UN Executive
Committee, Clinton Global Initiative
University & M.I.T.’s Poverty Initiative
Launches student internship program in
Latin America with Ashoka Fellow
ELOC wins Ashoka Award for
Pedagogical Innovation at
Skoll World Forum
2009
ELOC sells 25,000+ shirts across 15
campuses in the U.S.
Receives $250,000 gift for int’l
student scholarships
Hosts Founder of TOMS Shoes,
Blake Mycoskie
Launches MicroConsignment Initiative
with Ashoka Globalizer
Presentation at Nelson Mandela
Promise of Leadership Conference
Selected by U.S. Dept. of State to
host Social Entre. Institute for future
North African Leaders
Received federal grant through Learn &
Serve America for social enterprise
2011
2012
Named “Best Program in Social
Entrepreneurship by Global Consortium
of Entrepreneurship Centers
Completed research project with Room
to Read in Sri Lanka
Wins 2 of 6 national ASHOKA U
Innovation Awards
Raised $38,000 to build Room to Read
school in Nepal
Founding partner in Greater Cincinnati’s
first social enterprise hub - Flywheel
2010
Selected by U.S. Dept of State to host
Fulbright Social Entrepreneurship
Seminar – Startup Afghanistan for 65
Graduate Students & “African Women’s
Entrepreneurship Program” with 45
entrepreneurs from across
Sub-Saharan Africa.
Hosts Founder of Room to Read,
John Wood
2013
Selected by U.S. Dept of State to host
3rd Fulbright Social Entrepreneurship
Seminar for 65 Afghan Grad Students
Presentation at Ashoka U Conference
on future of social entrepreneurship
research
Recruited 2 full-time, endowed faculty
positions in social entrepreneurship
research
How We Define
Social Entrepreneurship
We acknowledge that there are numerous definitions of
the term “social entrepreneurship,” each with different
points of emphasis that contribute to the field. For our
purposes, we define “social entrepreneurship” as the
following:
“Innovative solutions to persistent social problems –
particularly to those that are marginalized or poor –
that create social value through sustainable systematic
change.”
Social problems include a wide range of sectors –
financial, educational, environmental, governmental,
nutritional, and others. It is important to note that,
while a great deal of attention in this field is focused on
the developing world, the Center firmly believes that
opportunities for social innovation exist everywhere.
Over the years, the Center has welcomed students
from across campus and around the world (see
below), greatly enhancing the diversity of passions,
thoughts and life experiences in its courses and extracurriculars. What remains consistent, however, is the
Center’s commitment to equipping students with the
tools necessary to address major social problems
through at least one of three ways:
To create their own unique solution to a problem;
Contribute meaningfully to an organization working to
solve a social problem or advance social innovation;
Help an existing organization understand and address
the social implications of their policies/practices.
ZOOLOGY | JOURNALISM | MARKETING | BIOCHEMISTRY
BUSINESS ECONOMICS
HISTORY | SOCIOLOGY
EXERCISE SCIENCE
AMERICAN STUDIES
OVER
PSYCHOLOGY
GERONTOLOGY
ARCHITECTURE
ENGINEERING
BIOENGINEERING
FAMILY STUDIES
MAJORS
WOMEN’S STUDIES
POLITICAL SCIENCE
SPORTS LEADERSHIP
HEALTH PROMOTION
EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES & CULTURE | SOCIAL JUSTICE
COMMUNICATION | MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATIONS | INTERIOR DESIGN | ART
DIPLOMACY & GLOBAL POLITICS | ECONOMICS | SPANISH
ACCOUNTANCY | BIOLOGY | GRAPHIC DESIGN | THEATER
KINESIOLOGY | INTERACTIVE MEDIA STUDIES | FINANCE
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES | MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP
50
BURKINA FASO | GERMANY | BRAZIL | MOROCCO | BENIN
BANGLADESH | GHANA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
SENEGAL | RUSSIA
EGYPT | MALAYSIA
FROM OVER
SOUTH KOREA
NAMIBIA | QATAR
ETHIOPIA | CHAD
SWEDEN | GABON
ZAMBIA | LIBYA
HAITI | BOTSWANA
COUNTRIES
MAURITANIA | TOGO
UGANDA | DENMARK
TUNISIA | CAMEROON
SIERRA LEONE | ISRAEL
AFGHANISTAN | MOZAMBIQUE | CANADA | TURKEY | UAE
CHINA | SOUTH AFRICA | ALGERIA | SWITZERLAND | MALI
ZIMBABWE | NICARAGUA | INDONESIA | LIBERIA | SUDAN
70
ECUADOR | JORDAN | NIGERIA | FRANCE | JAPAN | INDIA
TANZANIA | JAMAICA | NEPAL | UNITED KINGDOM | SPAIN
UNITED STATES | ITALY | GUINEA | PERU | IRAQ | NIGER
GUATEMALA | KENYA | MEXICO | AUSTRALIA | SRI LANKA
FOCUS TRACK
Intro to Social Entrepreneurship
Explore the core concepts, theories,
practices, leaders & examples of social
entrepreneurship in the U.S. and abroad.
ESP
401
New Entrepreneurial Ventures
Experience the process of turning your own
idea into a viable opportunity, be it forprofit or non-profit in nature.
Entrepreneurial Consulting
Help a real-world client solve their
challenges and scale their impact. Past
projects have focused on impact
measurement & evaluation,
marketing/outreach & funding.
COURSES
The Institute for Entrepreneurship offers a Major and Minor in
Entrepreneurship, with an opportunity to focus in one of three
areas: Startup, Social & Corporate Entrepreneurship. The Social
Entrepreneurship Focus Track, for both the major and minor, is
provided to the right. The Center also offers a number of
elective courses that are available during the standard academic
year and the January/Summer terms. If there is a subject
matter that you would like to explore that is not explicitly
covered in one of our Social Entrepreneurship courses, you are
invited to contact a member of the Center’s team to discuss
independent study/research opportunities.
Visit the Miami University General Bulletin for more information
regarding all Entrepreneurship Courses.
ESP
331
ESP
461
ELECTIVES
ESP
399
Understanding the Challenges & Needs of
Entrepreneurs in Developing Economies
Independent
Study
ESP
490
Innovative
Development Models
ESP
477
Co-Founded by Miami Alumnus
Greg Van Kirk (‘91), the MicroConsignment
Model (MCM) is an innovative model that
identifies and trains local entrepreneurs to
provide sustainable product solutions to
economic, health and educational problems in
rural areas of Central America
Through the Center’s MCM Initiative , students
can uniquely benefit from course , consulting
and field experience opportunities to advance
the MicroConsignment Model.
To learn more, visit:
www.newdevelopmentsolutions.com
www.socialentrepreneurcorps.com
Student Organizations
Of the many options on Miami’s
campus, the Center supports and
collaborates with the following studentled organizations:
Miami Entrepreneurs, Net Impact, Tom’s
Campus Club, ONE, Global Business
Brigade, Nourish International
CO-CURRICULAR
OPPORTUNITIES
The Center firmly believes that the
student educational experience
extends well beyond the classroom.
To enact that philosophy, the Center
for Social Entrepreneurship and the
Institute for Entrepreneurship have
over 20 student organizations and
mentorship programs for students to
develop personally and
professionally. To the right are a few
examples specific to the Center:
To learn more about the many
student organizations, as well as
the process for starting your own
organization, visit MU HUB.
Startup Weekend
Startup Weekend brings together students
from across the university to pitch ideas
and build them into ventures over the
course of 48 hours. Whether you have a
for-profit, non-profit or hybrid social
venture in mind, pitch it! In fact, the
winner of the first Startup Weekend Miami
University was a social venture – check
them out at NomNomNation.net!
Fulbright Programs
Over the last 4 years, the Center has
hosted several programs sponsored by
the U.S. Department of State and the
Fulbright Program. These programs give
Miami students the opportunity to build
lasting relationships with colleagues
from around the world while discussing
and addressing the many problems
facing current and future generations.
JOHN
WOOD
BLAKE
MYCOSKIE
ALI
HEWSON
Hosted in 2010, John Wood
(a former executive at
Microsoft) founded Room to
Read after a life-changing
trip to Nepal. Since 2000,
his organization has built
over 1,800 schools and
16,000 libraries. Miami
became the first university
to build an RtR school,
raising $38,000 in a month.
Since founding TOMS in 2006,
Blake Mycoskie has been at
the center of social enterprise
conversations around the
world through his “One for
One” model. The Center
hosted Blake on campus in
2009, serving as the starting
point for “TOMS Campus
Club,” a student-run
organization on Miami’s
campus.
Ali Hewson and her husband,
U2’s Bono, founded Edun in
2005 to bring sociallyconscious clothing to high
fashion runways. Her visit to
Miami in 2006 marked the
launch of the Center’s “Edun
Live on Campus,” a studentrun, socially-conscious t-shirt
business, which sold over
30,000 t-shirts and scaled to
over a dozen universities.
Founder, Room to Read
Founder, TOMS Shoes
Co-Founder, EDUN
Start Your
Own/Fellowships
Don’t forget - you are a
part of the ecosystem! In
addition to oncampus/course
opportunities to build your
own venture, there are
several Fellowships
designed to support
aspiring entrepreneurs and
their ideas.
Social Ventures/
B Corporations
New or existing businesses that
are built around double- or triplebottom line principles, delivering
value while seeking to eliminate
or avoid social/environmental
costs in the process.
Technical Assistance /
Support Organizations
Large and small firms
devoted to helping
nonprofits and social
enterprises address their
challenges.
Those charitable organizations
with a 501(c)3 designation that
provide social value across a
broad range of issues and
locations.
Where Do
I Go From
Miami?
Support can include
product or service design,
investment, networking,
market analysis, and many
more.
Consulting
Nonprofit/ Nongovernmental
Organizations
There are several types of organizations that comprise the social
entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world. Each provide a unique valueadd to their respective community and all serve as potential “next steps”
upon graduation from Miami University.
Corporations
Increasing attention is being given
to corporate social responsibility
and sustainability.
Social Accelerators
Provide a range of services for
early ventures, including
mentorship, space and possibly
funds.
Graduate/PhD
Programs
Some universities offer
post-graduate programs
around social
entrepreneurship and
innovation, in the form of
certificates, Master’s
degrees or PhD’s.
Foundations
Private/Corporate
foundations fund ventures,
events and research in the
field.
Government
All levels of gov’t are
integral in creating
environments for
organizations to thrive.
The UK & Australia are
leaders in social
innovation policy.
Fellowships
StartingBloc
Unreasonable Institute
Echoing Green
KIVA
Ashoka
RSF Social Finance
Frontier Market Scouts
Social Ventures/
B Corporations
Nonprofit/ Nongovernmental
Organizations
B Corporation; TOMS Shoes; One
Acre Fund; KIVA; D.Light Design;
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild;
Bucketfeet
KaBOOM!; Room to Read; One
World Health; Technoserve;
Global Giving; Community
Enterprise Solutions
Technical Assistance /
Support Organizations
Examples
to
Explore!
IDEO; Social Finance;
ASHOKA; ANDE; REDF;
Omidyar Network; Acumen
Fund; Social Venture
Partners; Village Capital;
Net Impact
Consulting
Bridgespan Group
Community Wealth
Partners
Dalberg
Each of the organizations provided on this page serve as wonderful examples
of social entrepreneurship/innovation and, for many, are considered leaders
in their respective field – check them out!
Graduate/PhD
Programs
Stanford University
Harvard University
Yale University
Babson College
Oxford University
Columbia University
Duke University
Northwestern University
University of Pennsylvania
New York University
Foundations
Skoll Foundation
Grameen Foundation
Gates Foundation
Kauffman Foundation
Schwab Foundation
Government
Office of Social Innovation
& Civic Participation
Corporations
Google; Nike; Ben & Jerry’s;
Patagonia; Apple
Social Accelerators
Impact HUB; Propeller;
Unreasonable Institute;
Impact Engine
Social Impact Bond (SIB)
Lab
BRETT SMITH, PhD
Director | Institute for Entrepreneurship;
Founding Director | Center for Social Entrepreneurship
2078 FSB | 513.529.9744 | smithbr2@MiamiOH.edu
Areas of Interest: Social Entrepreneurship & Social
Enterprise; BOP Development Models; Scaling
CHRIS SUTTER, PhD
David F. Herche Endowed Assistant Professor,
Entrepreneurship
2067 FSB | 513.529.6204 | sutterc@MiamiOH.edu
Areas of Interest: BOP Markets; Social Enterprise;
Knowledge Transfer in Informal Markets
The Center Faculty & Staff are dedicated to
developing , mentoring and supporting the
next generation of social entrepreneurs.
Together, they have over 30 years of
teaching, research and field experience
across the United States, Europe, Central &
South America, Southeast Asia & SubSaharan Africa.
Have questions about Social
Entrepreneurship at Miami? Have an idea for
a new social venture or nonprofit
organization? Want to learn more about
internship or career opportunities in the
field? We’re here to help.
MICHAEL CONGER, PhD
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
2074 FSB | 513.529.2991 | congermj@MiamiOH.edu
Areas of Interest: Hybrid Orgs; B Corporations;
Environ. & Social Accelerators; Social Movements
BRIAN BERGMAN, MID
Assistant Director | Center for Social Entrepreneurship
2077 FSB | 513.529.1276 | bergmabj@MiamiOH.edu
Areas of Interest: International Development; Social
Entrepreneurship; Impact Measurement; Public Policy
The Center is dedicated to producing and publishing
world class research that advances the field for
academics and practitioners alike. Our agenda has
covered a broad range of topics, in the U.S. and abroad,
with partners from the private, public and non-profit
sectors. Below are two research briefs from projects
that have been completed over the last year:
NICARAGUA
SRI LANKA
CONTEXT: Over several years, we examined the efforts of a
social entrepreneur to connect small-scale Nicaraguan dairy
farmers with a large, multi-national milk buyer, a move that
would result in higher financial returns for the farmers.
However, in order to sell the milk, farmers needed to increase
their quality/quantity to meet international standards, requiring
fundamental changes in farm-level and supply-chain practices.
While many were initially interested, a number of cultural and
information challenges quickly arose.
CONTEXT: Through a year-long study, we worked with a major
non-profit organization that builds elementary schools and
libraries across the developing world. In Sri Lanka, the
organization’s program staff had a difficult time getting
communities to meet their contribution goals, both in totality
and on time, causing financial and organizational problems. To
improve this involvement, we worked with the staff to run a
contest in which 44 schools were either put in a competitive or
cooperative setting with another school.
FINDINGS: Using extensive field work, we found that effective
integration of the farmers into larger markets required
simultaneous change in terms of farmers’ understandings and
networks as well as the rules governing the supply-chain.
Overall, the results of the intervention were mixed – some
farmers began to participate in cooperatives with links to large
buyers, while others remained in informal markets.
FINDINGS: Using a mixed-method approach, we found that the
competitive structure improved community involvement.
Communities met targets faster and often got better
participation from parents/community members than they
otherwise would have without the competition. Further, having a
publicly-visible chart to track the community’s progress proved
very valuable in increasing motivation and accountability.
“The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship” | G. Dees, Working Paper
“Social Entrepreneurship: Case for Definition” | R. Martin & S. Osberg, Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR)
“Reducing Poverty through Social Entrepreneurship” | B. Smith & T. Barr, Innovative Approaches to Reducing Global Poverty
“A Note on the Theory of Change Concept” | S. Childress, Harvard Business School
“Zeroing in on Impact” | S. Colby, N. Stone & P. Carttar, SSIR
“Guidelines for Social Return on Investment” | A. Lingane & A. Olsen, California Management Review
“Credit for the Poor” | M. Yunus, Harvard International Review
“A Good Business for Poor People” | L. Jones Christensen, D. Lehr & J. Fairbourne, SSIR
“The MicroConsignment Model” | G. Van Kirk, MIT Innovations
“The Funding Gap” | M. Chertok, J. Hamaoui & E. Jamison, SSIR
“Scaling Social Impact” | G. Dees, B. Battle Anderson & J. Wei-Skillern, SSIR
“Going to Scale” | J. Bradach, SSIR
“In Microfinance, Clients Must Come First” | S. Datar, M. Epstein & K. Yuthas, SSIR
“Microfranchising at the Base of the Pyramid” | D. Lehr, Acumen Fund Working Paper
“The New New Thing” | B. Smith & G. Van Kirk
“Serving the World’s Poor, Profitably” | C.K. Prahalad & A. Hammon, Harvard Business Review
“Design Thinking” | T. Brown, Harvard Business Review
Power of Unreasonable People | J. Elkington
How to Change the World | D. Bornstein
Mountains Beyond Mountains | T. Kidder
Strength in What Remains | T. Kidder
The Blue Sweater | J. Novogratz
Social Change 2.0 | D. Gershon
Forces for Good | L. Crutchfield & H. McLeod Grant
Be Bold | Echoing Green
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World | J. Wood
Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know |
D. Bornstein & S. Davis
Building Social Business | M. Yunus
The Tipping Point | M. Gladwell
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard |
C. Heath
Dead Aid | D. Moyo
KaBOOM! A Movement to Save Play | D. Hammond

ASHOKA Top 30 Social Entrepreneurship Reads:
http://www.ashoka.org/bookfuturereform
GENERAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
Business Model Generation | A. Osterwalder
Running Lean | A. Maurya

Ashoka U Exchange | Rotating
Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Conference | Harvard University
Skoll World Forum | Oxford University, UK; Invitation Only, Follow Online: www.skollworldforum.org
Alleviating Poverty through Entrepreneurship (APTE) | Ohio State University
Global Health & Innovation Conference (GHIC) | Yale University
StartingBloc | Multiple Locations per year
Social Enterprise Alliance Summit | Rotating
SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) | Rotating
SXSW | Austin, TX

Born Into Brothels
Crude
Invisible Children
Children of War
Black Gold
Waiting for Superman
The Cove
War/Dance
Motherland Afghanistan

Flow
Twist of Good Fortune
Blood Diamond
The Constant Gardener
Amazing Grace
Freedom Writers
Food, Inc.
The Yes Men
http://www.fastcoexist.com
http://www.ssireview.org/blog
http://www.socialenterprisebuzz.com
http://www.ecopreneurist.com
http://www.innov8social.com
http://blogs.worldbank.org/impactevaluations/
http://www.financialaccess.org/blog
http://acumen.org/blog
https://www.ashoka.org/
http://www.bcorporation.net/blog
TED Talks:
Future of Philanthropy | K. Fulton
Patient Capitalism | J. Novogratz
Design Thinking | T. Brown
Social Experiments to Fight
Poverty | E. Duflo
The Child-Driven Education | S. Mitra
http://www.csrwire.com/
http://www.cuttingedgecapital.com/blog/
http://www.echoinggreen.org/blog
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/impact/
http://www.kiva.org/updates/kiva
http://netimpact.org/
http://www.nextbillion.net/blogfeed.aspx
http://socialcapitalmarkets.net/
http://socialearth.org/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/sicp/blog
http://www.idealist.org
http://www.nextbillion.net/jobsfeed.aspx
http://www.skollworldforum.org/jobs/
http://www.bsr.org/en/our-network/csr-jobs
http://www.devnetjobs.org
http://netimpact.org/careers/find-opportunities/job-board/search-jobs
http://commongoodcareers.org/find-a-job
http://socialgoodjobs.org/
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/aspen-network-development-entrepreneurs/careers


Miami University Institute for Entrepreneurship:
www.fsb.miamioh.edu/institute
Facebook: Institute for Entrepreneurship – Miami U
Twitter: @Miami_ENT