The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World [Hardcover]

"The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the Word" by Rupert Scofield, President and CEO of The Foundation For International Community Assistance, provides a lot of useful information and guidance for anyone involved with non-profits. I wish I'd read it when I was more involved with non-profit organizations. While I don't believe the book's claim that this is "the one and only resource you will need to attain your dream of working full-time in service of others - and making a real, measurable difference in the world," I do believe that it is a very good book for anyone working with non-profits.

The author likens the book as a survival guide for anyone who joins the ranks of a modern nonprofit, and I'd agree that it does provide much to help. However, I didn't like "Handbook" in the title, because to me a "handbook" has more lists, worksheets, procedures, etc. This book does not really contain those. It doesn't have the step-by-step formulas that I think of when I think of "handbooks." I sort of like one of the author's original working titles for the book better, "Confessions of a Social Entrepreneur."

The book contains eighteen chapters, divided into five parts, and is full of personal examples and encouragement for those working in the non-profit arena. It starts out with advice on identifying your constituency, your big idea, and finding a mentor. The second part delves into recruiting the best people for an organization. Good information on personnel issues. The next part of the book focuses on money, always an issue with nonprofits. The advice here can help organizations with fund raising.

Part four goes into building and running an organization with topics such as business models, structure, and systems. All of these are very important for the growth and longevity of an organization. Strategy is also discussed in one of the chapters. The final section, part five, looks at areas that are often neglected, such as innovation, governance, and some daily challenges when working for a non-profit.

While this isn't the only book that should be on a non-profit's CEO, Executive Director, Board Member, or employee's bookshelf, it is surely one that is a good read and provides strategies and suggestions that will enable the social entrepreneur to better succeed at his or her chosen mission. Recommended for anyone in the field, or who wants to enter the field.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of the Tough Guy Wisdom series

Non- profit organizations number in the thousands and while some of them have become quite large and powerful, each started with an individual or a group of people who had a vision. Many people presently have charitable visions and dream of starting a non- profit, but are not sure what to do or where to begin. This is where the Social Entrepreneur's Handbook may be able to help. Written by the CEO of FINCA International, this book is a resource guide with helpful hints and tips that cover everything from the initial setup to hiring to fund raising and beyond.

I have entertained the thought of starting and running a non- profit organization, but I was often uncertain and had dozens of questions that needed answers before I would consider taking the plunge. And now that I have read this book, I have a better understanding and respect for what the employees of a non- profit organization go through each day as they seek out donors, hire new employees, balance their books, and abide by their organization's charitable mission. The book covers most of the setup and operational process involved in running a non- profit and it lets the reader know exactly what to expect if he/she decides to try to turn a non- profit dream into reality. What I find most helpful about this book isn't just its usefulness as a non- profit setup guide, I also like that most of what it recommends can be applied to most any business. The section on hiring was especially useful because I can relate completely to some of the characterizations of employees that the book talks about. The "Destroyer" and the "Chief Destruction Officer"- two employee types talked about in the book- remind me of some of the people I worked with at my last job. I also like what the book says about interviewing and evaluating employees because this, too, can be applied to any organization.

With a title like The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook, this may seem like another boring management guide, but it is actually quite entertaining as well as informative. The author didn't write this book in the dry, often monotone style so common with most books in the management genre. Rather, he wrote the book in a very lightened- up way, with small doses of humor on most every page. Readers will chuckle many times as they come across some of the author's funny descriptions of everyday people and ordinary actions and they will appreciate how the author was able to take what many would consider a dry, boring subject and make it more enjoyable.

Starting a successful non- profit organization is no picnic, but The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook is a very useful guide to the non- profit establishment process and it is a book I am glad I took the time to read. I still don't think a non- profit organization is in my own future, but if you are one of those who aspires to a self- employed life of charity, then The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook could be just the book you need. It walks you through the process one step at a time, explaining how to create and establish a success non- profit organization and enjoy the high level of satisfaction that results from operating a business focused on charity rather than profits.

The author begins the work with a description of
classic non-profit organizational success stories
like the Peace Corps and Americorps. There is an
extensive comparative discussion of "The Small Pond"
vs. "The Big Pond" organizational scheme. These
discussions are conditions precedent to building
a successful non-profit model or superstructure
set forth in greater detail later in the
presentation.

This work is similar to Building Social Business by
Dr. Muhammad Yunus 2010. Building Social Business
describes the success of various Grameen enterprises.
The objective of the Grameen program is to overcome
poverty, have a sustainable economy and a modest
return on the investment; whereas, the objectives
outlined by Rupert Scofield are mainly the social
benefit within a non-profit organizational setting
versus a profit seeking enterprise. When loans are
paid back in the Grameen program, profits are
plowed back into the company not unlike the
function of retained earnings in a for-profit entity.

This discussion is helpful because there are
opportunities for non-profits in Egypt, Libya,
Tunesia, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Afghanistan
and many areas of the world. The challenge is
to establish the requisite funding and build
meaningful personal relationships by engendering
trust, dealing with goal incongruencies and
taking calculated risks . Another dimension is
building the organizational infrastructures
requisite to carrying out an identifiable
social mission in communities throughout the world.

The Small Pond refers to a smaller scale
organization with organic operational modes
because there are fewer people and less
structure. Accordingly, each person has
a wider span of control with a more decentralized
decision-making apparatus and less bureaucracy. The
Big Pond is the classic organizational hierarchy like
the military or organized churches. These structures
have more bureaucracy, formal standards, charters
and a clearly defined span of control and boundary
spanning functions. Organizational discretion tends
to be more highly centralized with many decisions
coming down from the top of the organizational
hierarchy. Which organizational structure is best?

Much depends upon available financial resources,
expertise, timeliness and many other factors too
numerous to list in a finite review. Decentralized
decisions tend to be made outside headquarters
while centralized decision-making is found in
larger organizations with more clearly defined
spans of control. The post-Revolutionary War
in America ceded more powers to the States in
favor of a smaller central government.

Once a big idea emerges (like Cloud Computing), people
tend to copy and emulate it. A big idea blossoms and
spreads outward like a huge octopus. A starting venture
needs a clearly definable mission with a cadre of
knowledgable people who can spread out in the field and
recruit customers and other key employees. The author
encourages the reader to recruit top minds or human
capital and build a big tent . Hire builders and fixers
and not organizational destroyers. The most important
aspect of hiring is screening for people who can
identify with the mission enthusiastically.
In addition, a modicum of organizational quiesence is
critical with a minimum of sum zero conflict.
Some conflict is always necessary in order to thrash
out contrasting views to identify the optimal
strategic direction , achievable benchmarks,
implementation methodology and goal incongruencies
of strategic constituencies involved in this
whole process.

The challenge is to do the following:
o Set Reasonable Expectations
o Inspect
o Discuss
o Evaluate and lastly to Reward

Grass roots networks are a popular way to make an
organization known. The classic modes of operation
are public speaking, organizing public workshops,
the internet and phonebanks to contact potential
clients to grow the business and encourage
outreach into the community.

The federal government is another good resource
as are state governments. In 2009, a full 49%
of the federal budget went to contractors and
grantees. Other resources are private capital
and entrepreneurial knowhow.

Overall, The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook
provides an easy-to-follow roadmap which outlines
the formulation and implementation of non-profit
sector projects of varying complexity. The book
will be sought by non-profit sector operators,
eleemosynary institutions, academicians,
journalists, government contractors and
a wide spectrum of the general public .

Credits: First Published on the Blogcritics website

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