March 2021 Social Impact News Roundup: Supporting the Social Entrepreneurs on the Front Lines of Building Back Better

In March, we’ve been inspired by the way that organizations across sectors are coming together to support the social entrepreneurs on the front lines of our most pressing global challenges. While this support can take many different forms, the common thread is that ecosystem actors, ranging from governments to private companies, are increasingly leveraging their core competencies to support front-line entrepreneurs, whether that’s through financial investment, skills training, and/or cross-sector partnerships.

Social Entrepreneurs, and their small and growing businesses (SGBs), play a meaningful role in inclusive recovery and economic growth across the globe. To better understand the most effective ways to support SGBs, the International Growth Centre (IGC) and the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) launched The Small and Growing Business (SGB) Evidence Fund to support collaboration between researchers and practitioners. The Lemelson Foundation also teamed up with ANDE to look at how best to support a specific subset of entrepreneurs – those addressing the climate crisis – and released their findings and recommendations in the Climate Entrepreneurship in Developing Economies report. 

Solving complex challenges like these requires collaboration across sectors, and in Resonance Global’s latest on-demand webinar, the team offers an inside look at how three organizations are pioneering novel approaches to promote access to care through new business models anchored in cross-sector partnership. MovingWorlds also hosted a research readout on our latest report exploring how corporations are partnering with social enterprises.

At the regional level, Sattva Consulting published a landmark study on Understanding the Return on Skills Training Models in India, where skill development is a key national priority supported by both the public and private sectors. Particularly since COVID, digitization has been a key area of focus for capacity building. In its new report, Digital Delivery: A Digitalization Guidebook for Enterprise Support Organizations, ANDE and Argidius Foundation explore current practices and opportunities across the landscape to guide business development service providers in using digital technologies to provide services to entrepreneurs in an effective and inclusive way.

Find the latest opportunities to lend your support to the social enterprises on the front lines, below:

Social impact job opportunities

• ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs) is recruiting for two positions:
  • Operations Coordinator (based in Washington, D.C.)
  • Latin America Finance Coordinator (based in Mexico City, MX)
• NEAR (Network for Empowered Aid Response) is recruiting for 3 positions:
  • Fundraising Lead (remote)
  • Sub Saharan Africa Regional Representative
  • MENA Regional Representative
• MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth is recruiting for a Vice President, Social Impact Strategy & Operations
• Thomson Reuters Foundation is recruiting for a Partnerships & Outreach Officer (based in London, UK) 
• Uber is recruiting for a Senior Social Impact Manager, Delivery (based in San Francisco, CA)
• Exygy is recruiting for a Product Manager (based in San Francisco, CA with remote flexibility) 
• Echoing Green is recruiting for a Program Assistant (based in New York, NY)
• The World Economic Forum is looking for a Community & Initiatives Lead for the COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs
• Proof of Impact is recruiting for 3 positions:
  • Marketing Manager (based in USA)
  • Sales & Marketing Intern (Global, remote ok)
  • Impact Associate
• Change.org is hiring for over 50 positions – check them out on their careers page here
• THINKMD is recruiting for 5 positions, based out of Burlington, VT:
  • Engineering Manager/Lead Developer
  • Data Engineering Lead
  • Front End Web Application Developer/Engineer
  • Senior Full Stack Engineer
  • Software Project Manager
• Omidyar Network is accepting applications for its Omidyar Associates Program, a full-time, two-year salaried position that features competitive pay and benefits and is open to early career professionals passionate about systemic change. Learn more and apply here.

Upcoming events & new programs

April 12: ANDE’s 2021 London meeting is going virtual, and is open to members and non-members interested in the small and growing business sector as it relates to climate adaptation. Register here.

April 13 – 15: Skoll World Forum is going to be all-virtual again this year. Its theme of “Closing the Distance” examines local and global divides as we work together to build bridges. Register here.

April 14-16: Shift 2021 conference – a collaborative new virtual event from some of the most passionate players in the social and environmental impact space rallying to make business a force for positive change. Register here.

April 19: Global Distributors Collective is launching a bespoke management and sales training programme designed to support social enterprises selling beneficial products to last mile consumers, tackling common challenges like improving sales and staff retention, and building more resilient and efficient agent networks. Cost to participate is $250 USD per organisation and is available in English and French language. Learn more and enroll here.

April 22: As part of its Frontier Incubators workshop, Conveners.org is hosting a series of masterclasses on topics relating to incubation and acceleration. Register for this Impact Measurement Masterclass here.

May 7th: The University of Southern California Marshall School of Business is hosting an information session for its Master in Social Entrepreneurship program. Register here.

A final bit of inspiration