Making Social Ventures Happen by Attracting Financial and Human Capital

Social ventures require leadership, funding, expertise, skills and networks to get off the ground, grow and scale. This course will focus on the key strategies for building and leveraging a network of champions to capitalize a social venture at early-stage, and for sustaining and growing that network as the venture grows. This class is applicable to intrapreneurs, changemakers within major institutions, (private or public), board members, impact investors, those who aspire to be senior leaders within social ventures and social entrepreneurs (founders). Co-led by a practicing venture philanthropist and a social entrepreneur, this interactive, pragmatic course will: - Discuss the critical financial and human capital needs of organizations and companies at different life stages. - Explore the concept of champions and the different types of champions including board chairs, co-founders, mentors, faculty advisors, donors, investors, community evangelists, and fellow entrepreneurs. - Learn about effective networks and how to build them, including the role of communications, relationship-building, and crisis management. - Explore the concept of a powerful vulnerability and the art of "influence without authority" in attracting financial and human capital to the mission and making social ventures happen. Special emphasis will be given to developing co-founders and founding teams, boards and funders/investors as champions. - Develop a roadmap for the ways you will support social ventures throughout your career. - Meet social entrepreneurs and their champions who promote them within various power structures (major corporations, government, the institutional funding community) to learn about the successes and failures of their partnerships. Guest speakers will be posted prior to start of class. - Invite you to join instructors, guest speakers and fellow students for casual dinner on both Wednesdays after class.- Get to know your fellow classmates who share a passion for addressing the world's intractable problems and for creating systemic change.