We are happy to have teamed up as a media partner with the Social Enterprise Conference at Harvard University, February 27-28, 2010. As part of the partnership, Jacob Donnelly, Co-Chair of the Social Enterprise Conference and a joint degree student at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School, has been kind enough to contribute to our blog.
Act I:
December 2005: Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar)
“Why, despite the horrible suffering you’ve had to endure and knowing that for the rest of your life you will have to live in secrecy, do you continue to stay in Burma and remain active in the democracy movement?” I asked. Without a moment of hesitation – no glance to the ceiling to collect his thoughts or even a slight pause to take a deep breath – he looked straight into my eyes and in broken English said, “What else would I do?”
In truth, that is all he really needed to say. Those words revealed everything this young opposition leader and former political prisoner was feeling regarding his country, his family, and his place in this world. Ko Htay Kywe only needed those five simple words to change my life, forever.
This conversation – with a leader of the underground democracy movement during my first trip to the military-ruled country of Burma (Myanmar) – illustrates my inspiration for social enterprise. After meeting Ko Htay Kywe and others, I had to help, but the question was how?
Act II:
October 2007: Los Angeles, CA
With a good friend, we launched a non-profit that would seek to solve the human rights issues in Burma from a grassroots perspective. We had some great success, including an entire pro-bono branding campaign from amazing individuals at TBWA\CHIAT\DAY and a launch event in Thailand with the Black Eyed Peas, who played this song for us. However, the model we originally started building was not sustainable. We were fueled entirely by donations and when one of our major contributors started having personal difficulties, after a time, it became difficult to continue. We needed a new model.
Act III:
February 2010: Cambridge, MA
This search has landed me back in graduate school, studying at the intersection of business and government and learning new skills in strategy, economics, finance, and marketing. The search has also grown, not for developing a new business model, but rather searching for opportunities where I can make service a part of my everyday life.
I’m inspired by companies such as Jeff Skoll’s Participant Media and the accomplishments of Ray Chambers’ Malaria No More. We ourselves have even started a film to highlight the courage in Burma, interviewing individuals from around the world who are working to free imprisoned Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Over the past year we have witnessed a shift in the dialogue concerning economic development, sustainability, governance, and service. Even more important, and what has become clear from events that have unfolded, is that the world, now more than ever, needs entrepreneurial solutions and the leaders who develop them. We need leaders who can use their talents in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to identify opportunities and develop innovative, cross-sectoral approaches to address critical social issues.
The world needs social entrepreneurs. Are we ready for the challenge?
Credits:
Now into its 11th year, the Social Enterprise Conference at Harvard University annually brings together over 1,200 young professionals and practitioners to discuss, learn from, and be inspired by, stories of social change. Join the movement at www.socialenterpriseconference.org and follow the action on Twitter @harvard_secon
Jacob Donnelly, Co-Chair of the Social Enterprise Conference, is a joint degree student at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School.
