Social Entrepreneurship

Thank you to Sophia Bamiatzis for contributing to this post.

On Friday, February 10th the Graduate Marketing Association (GMARK) and Net Impact joined forces to host Conscious Communication: Marketing for NonProfit and Sustainable Organizations at the UIC Innovation Center.  Although weather conditions were less than favorable, those that "weathered the storm" were able to gain valuable insight on the practices and pressures associated with marketing for this unique sector.

UIC's very own Professor Cheryl Nakata served as our moderator, and Panelists included representatives from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Chicago Slam Works, Mightybytes and Greenerdealz.com.  Whether their company has been in business for 6 months, or over 60 years, each panelist was able to provide our attendees with an insider's view to their marketing strategies.  For example, nonprofit marketing often requires selling an intangible emotion or feeling that may not have a physical product to back it up.  As a result, it is important to communicate an experience and use tools such as testimonials from reputable parties to deliver a message.

Attendees also learned about a new type of company called a "B" Corporation.  One of the participants, Mightybytes, is one of eleven "B" Corporations in Illinois.  A "B" Corporation legally incorporates into the organization a focus on the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit).  Certified B corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment. These are companies that seek to affect positive social change by putting social and environmental responsibility at the heart of their corporate structure, and are still a for-profit organization.

Our panelists also had some words of wisdom to share with our audience including the importance of diversifying oneself with writing, marketing and technical skills, all of which are vital to be successful in the realm of marketing.  In addition, we learned that solid marketing for a cause includes creating a transformative experience and being very creative with limited resources.

After the panel concluded, attendees had the opportunity to mingle and network with our panelists as well as with their peers and other guests.  GMARK and Net Impact would like to once again thank our panelists as well as all of our guests in attendance.  With your continued support, we hope to continue to bring high quality events to our peers here at UIC.

Professor Cheryl Nakata starting off the question session with panelists.

Panelists:  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Mightybytes,  Greenerdealz.com, Chicago Slam Works

Alumni enjoying the panel event.  Thank you for coming!

GMARK & Net Impact Board Members

Networking with fellow students

Networking with panelists

UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership

For the second week in a row, a UIC Liautaud Community Action Team visited the Lincoln Park Community Shelter (LPCS) to prepare and serve a hot lunch for its residents.  This week, the group comprised of Net Impact and MBAA members.

LPCS is located at 600 W. Fullerton, underneath the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church.  While the organization began with the help of a coalition of area churches in the mid-1980s, it is a non-denominational non-profit organization. Still, the setting of a shelter situated in the basement level of a beautiful Romanesque church has its charms.

Saturday’s lunch menu consisted of homemade salad, chicken enchiladas, rice and beans, and a Minnesota-inspired delicacy for dessert – scotcheroos! Some who had gone the previous week knew the layout of the shelter's large kitchen a little better, which aided in finding all the right utensils while putting together the hands-on meal. Everything came out on time, and by 1:30pm we were sending out the salads, followed by the main course. Knowing everyone would want more than one scotcheroo for dessert, we opted to make two batches. Everyone was quite happy with this decision!

As the semester winds down for the year, and we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, it was a touching volunteering event where we as students could have an impact – making other people's day brighter – especially those who haven't had it the best in life. As we left the shelter, we were given a round of applause by the residents. Those must have been some pretty good enchiladas!

 

Beth and Jocelyn prepping the salads


Getting the enchiladas ready


Food-runner Lesley


Dave, Zac, Vance, Lesley, Jocelyn, Liz, & Beth - Great Job!

~Special thanks to Zac Bleicher for contributing to this post.

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership

On Saturday, October 15^th, UIC Liautaud Net Impact members and MBA students, Jocelyn Mohr, Jill Kozeluh, Lesley Cochran and Liz Peschges, attended Northwestern University’s 12^th Innovating Social Change Conference, “The Next Generation of Social Impact.”  This year’s conference welcomed business and nonprofit leaders who continue to use business to bring about positive social impact and lasting social change.  Seth Goldman, Founder and CEO of Honest Tea, provided insights on the challenges Honest Tea encountered in its national expansion when it was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 2011.  Keynote speaker Darell Hammond, CEO and Founder of KaBOOM!, discussed how corporate partnership has enabled KaBOOM! to generate wide scale social change.  Founded out in Hammond’s apartment in 1996, KaBOOM! works with communities and corporations to build playgrounds in all 50 states and has raised an impressive $200 million since its start.

The panel discussion on “Money vs. Talent:  Achieving Scale in Social Impact” provided engaging dialogue on how to leverage both unique talents and resources to scale social impact.  The conference concluded with a keynote address by Lisa Hall, President and CEO of Calvert Foundation, who provided yet another strong example of the brave leadership needed to generate lasting positive change.

Presentation



Panelists

~Special thanks to Jill Kozeluh and Jocelyn Mohr for their contributions to this post.
 

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership

UIC Liautaud Net Impact student organization had their first event of the Fall 2011 semester on Sunday, September 25 at Uncommon Ground’s Edgewater location.  The event began with breakfast at 10am in the morning, followed by a tour of their organic roof top farm at 11am.

Uncommon Ground is host to the nation's first certified organic rooftop farm.  Each year they grow a diverse assortment of annual vegetables and herbs.  Everything they grow on the roof ends up on their menu.

A group of students and friends came out to enjoy brunch in the eco-conscious eatery that boasts reclaimed wood tables as well as existing brick walls and hardwood floors.  In addition to using ingredients that are grown on their rooftop farm, they purchase additional from local family farms.

After brunch, the group endured the rain and head up to the 2,500 square foot rooftop farm.  The tour guide discussed their growing practices, such as the gardening process and how they choose which fruits and vegetables to grow.  He also discussed the environmental aspects of the farm which include as the five solar panels that heat water for the restaurant.

Net Impact was quite happy with the turn out for this event and hope to have more tours with an environment focus throughout the school year.

Rooftop Garden


Overlooking the City


More of the Garden

~Special Thanks to Jocelyn Mohr for contributing to this post.

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership

Fifteen business plans from colleges across the UIC campus competed in UIC’s sixth annual Concept2Venture competition on December 14th, featuring both social, medical and technological innovations. A panel of judges that included venture capitalists, angel investors, intellectual property attorneys, successful entrepreneurs and prior C2V winners selected the winning teams. “C2V has become a rallying point for getting our students energized about entrepreneurship,” said Rod Shrader, Denton Thorne chair in entrepreneurship and faculty director of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at UIC.

Related articles:

• UIC News Release
• Liautaud Newsletter

Tec
hnology Ventures Program, Business Plan Competition 

UIC Liautaud GMARK Marketing Professor Q&A Panel – October 27, 2010

Discuss current marketing ideas, issues and careers with two or our own UIC faculty members – Professor David Koehler and Professor Kim Moon. Join us from 4:30pm-6:00pm in Stevenson Hall, Room 303.

Completing an MBA in Marketing? Join GMARK! The Graduate Marketing Associate is dedicated to developing the skills and knowledge of students interested in studying marketing at UIC through professional networking, industry connections, and events.

UIC Real Estate Group: Real Estate in Real Life –October 27, 2010

Come join the UIC Real Estate Group for a presentation by Rux Currin, Senior Vice President of Mesirow Financial on the development of 353 N. Clark Street.  Master in Real Estate and MBA in Real Estate students can also become members of the Real Estate Group before or after the presentation. The event will be held from 4-5:50pm, Lincoln Hall Rm 210.

 Information and Recruiting Event for UIC Liautaud MBA students – October 28, 2010

UIC Liautaud Career Services is proud to present an Information and Recruiting Event by Gallup Corporation.  Sallie Peters, Director of Talent Sourcing, will present information on Gallup and discuss current recruiting needs along with the process for applying.    The event will be held from 4:30-6pm, SCE White Oak Room.

 Academic Open House – November 3, 2010

Are you wondering  what electives you should register for next semester? Visit the Academic Open House to speak directly with professors regarding the courses they will teach in the Spring.  The event will be held from 4:30-6pm,  SCE Cardinal Room

 WIN Annual Wine and Cheese Networking event – November 12, 2010

Join the Women’s Interest Network for their annual Wine and Cheese Networking event. Enjoy an evening of art appreciation and wine together with your classmates and alumni of the UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business. The event starts at 6pm and will be held at Woman Made Gallery,  685 N Milwaukee Ave.

Net Impact Roundtable with Prof Shelley Brickson – November 17, 2010

The UIC Net Impact Roundtable Series seeks to engage graduate business students and

faculty members in cutting-edge issues in corporate social responsibility, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. This roundtable is for anyone interested in leading organizations or helping them make important decisions, whether strategic or managerial. Because we address a number of different avenues for making an impact, it should appeal to students with diverse skill sets and philosophies. This discussion should resonate with those expressly committed to having a positive social impact or this interested in Prof Brickson’s course MGMT 594: Leading for Impact. The roundtable event will be held from 4:30-5:30 in Lincoln Hall, Rm 210.

What is the role of business in society? How can the tools of business be used to help mission-driven organizations achieve their goals? How can business leaders develop organizations that have a positive impact on their many stakeholders?      

These and other questions arise from a new perspective on organizations that has emerged in the last decade as leaders have tied the “mission” and “purpose” commonly attributed to nonprofit organizations to the tools of business to address social problems. This combination marries creativity, imagination and innovation with goals to create social and economic change. The organizations can be structured as either for-profit businesses or nonprofit organizations. Their leaders are social innovators, seeking new ways of operating to optimize the benefits to stakeholders that include employees and community, as well as owners, in the case of for-profit enterprises.

UIC Liautaud has developed an academic specialization in Social Innovation and Leadership with a series of four courses that prepare students to make positive social contributions in their careers. The courses are:

·         Social Entrepreneurship – Addresses issues that social entrepreneurs have in common with for-profit entrepreneurs, as well as issues unique to social entrepreneurship, such as measuring social benefit, acquiring donated resources, navigating the legal environment and knowing what “success” means in a nonprofit environment.

·         Leading for Impact – Explores the opportunities for leaders to have an impact, identifying main levers and outlining distinct models. Also provides students with an opportunity to gain insight into their own unique strengths as well as their preferred ways of having an impact.

·         Social Marketing – Examines the philosophy, principles, concepts and tools of marketing and how they may be applied by for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to address social concerns such as poverty, health and the environment. 

·         Sustainable Business Management – Aligning the elements of the Triple Bottom Line (profits, people and planet) to improve the sustainability of organizations.  Will focus on identifying opportunities and obstacles and navigating through the external environment to make the most of organizations' assets. 


The courses are designed to inform students interested in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors and address many industries. They fit squarely with UIC’s Great Cities Initiative, Liautaud’s mission to train leaders who make a difference in the world, and the school’s particularly socially-aware student population.

Liautaud’s students have been leaders in developing social awareness on campus. They established a chapter of Net Impact in early 2010, which has been remarkably active. They have hosted panel discussions on social entrepreneurship and environmental issues.  They have engaged faculty in leading informal roundtable discussions on related topics. The chapter has visited major corporations to gain insight into their sustainability practices and their commitment to social responsibility. It has also partnered with other student and business organizations on service projects, including doing a Clean the Parks event on Earth Day and selling products for a social entrepreneur creating economic opportunities for women in developing countries.  

        Click here to read full article from the BIZ Magazine.

Keywords:  Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, Social Innovation, Social Value Creation, Social Innovation & Leadership