Highlights from the Social Progress Imperative 2017 Summit
“What if sociologists had as much influence as economists?” That’s the provocation with which Bjarni Benediktsson, Iceland’s 46-year-old Prime Minister of Iceland, set the tone for recent global summit of…
Skoll Awardee Kola Masha of Babban Gona on His One Regret
Kola Masha was unable to attend Oxford's New Theatre in person this evening, because he was waiting for the imminent arrival of his second child. Appolo Goma, Babban Gona Executive…
The Inner Path to Become a Systems Entrepreneur
By: Katherine Milligan and Nicole Schwab As the world grapples with increasingly complex and seemingly intractable challenges, a new answer is gaining momentum: systems change. But what is systems change?…
How to Measure Impact of Women Social Entrepreneurship and Amplify What Works
Several years ago I embarked on a learning journey to better understand why Skoll was experiencing what we refer to as the “mezzanine melt” in finding female social entrepreneurs poised…
Five Mistakes That Social Entrepreneurs Make When Crafting Their brands
As a brand developer, I’ve met countless social entrepreneurs all over the world: people with an extreme passion for social or environmental impact. They have a lot to master in…
Doing the Unexpected: How One Social Entrepreneur Changed Paths
Jenny Bowen thought her work was almost done. After 17 years of running OneSky (formerly known as Half the Sky), she had helped transform China’s child welfare institutions, and she could “see…
Social Entrepreneurship in 1960s Singapore: The Story of My Mother
I was born in a slum in Singapore in 1957. Except for the British, almost everyone else was poor. My father worked in a grocery shop and his salary as…
5 Lessons of Hope from a Social Entrepreneur Who was Jailed
Cecilia Flores-Oebanda and some of her children were jailed for four years for fighting against the Marcos regime of the Philippines. (Former President Ferdinand Marcos was removed from power in 1986). Her…
One Social Entrepreneur Shares How He Gets Media Coverage
Jim Fruchterman founded Benetech in 2000. Since then, his organization has been featured in numerous publications, such as Barron’s, The New York Times, and public radio station KQED. At the…
New Perspectives at the Global Innovation Summit
The Global Innovation Summit – one of a seemingly endless number of meetings in the Bay Area with the name “innovation” in the title – might well serve its namesake. …
For-Profit or Non-Profit? How Hybrid Tension Yields Success
Years of hard work building a thriving social enterprise are starting to pay off for VisionSpring. This year, we expect to generate an estimated $1.6 million in earned income from the…
10 Tips for Social Entrepreneurs: How to Talk to a Problem Employee
In my time as a human resources director at the Skoll Foundation, I have talked many social entrepreneurs and one question that seems to come up often is: How do…
A Surprise Video by Some Awardees: We Love It!
Reflections from Skoll 2011 Alumni from Water For People on Vimeo. Surprises are always fun. Unbeknownst to us, last year’s Skoll Awardees created a “reflections” video for us at the…
Sally Osberg Writes on the White House Social Innovation Event
Skoll Foundation CEO Sally Osberg writes from Washington after attending the social innovation event yesterday at the White House: Pretty great day—for social entrepreneurship, community-based solutions, what works! A great…