Launch of the Social Enterprise Summit's Policy Track
This evening marks the beginning of the 10th Annual Social Enterprise Summit and Root Cause/Public Innovators is proud to be the co-sponsor of the Summit's first-ever policy track. With a reception this evening for government leaders supporting social innovation, four panel sessions on the connection between government and social innovation/entrepreneurship, and a keynote armchair discussion between Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu and Root Cause CEO Andrew Wolk.
In the days ahead, we imagine there will be plenty of dynamic discussions and provocative questions, and we look forward to sharing them with you here! If you're attending the Summit, we'd love to hear your reactions as well.
Special Reception: National Policy for Building the Field
Wednesday, April 15th from 5-7pm
SEA's annual invitation-only VIP reception for Sustainer+ level members will kick off the first ever "policy track" at the Summit focusing on innovations in government support for social enterprise. This reception-style gathering will feature a message on the role of public policy in building the field. The reception will convene SEA board members, Summit keynote presenters, major Summit sponsors, and advanced practitioners and supporters from the field to build relationships for broader field-building initiatives.
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu in an armchair discussion with Andrew Wolk
In February 2007, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieulaunched an unprecedented effort to find and promote effective solutions to the myriad challenges facing the state of Louisiana following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Landrieu founded the nation’s first government-run Office of Social Entrepreneurship, making Louisiana, in Landrieu’s words, “the most hospitable place in the country for those who are testing and launching the best, most effective new program models for social change.” Louisiana is demonstrating the potential for big change when civic leaders team up with the most results-focused social innovators. KIPP, New Leaders for New Schools, City Year, and KaBoom! were among the national organizations quick to take action in New Orleans. Local organizations including Café Reconcile, Rebuilding Together, and St. Bernard Project, continue to lead the way in communities across the state. As Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu puts it, “It is not that government is too small or too big. It needs to work better. We need to find ways to solve old problems in new ways, and social entrepreneurship offers us that opportunity.”
Andrew Wolk is the founder and CEO of Root Cause, a nonprofit organization that advances enduring solutions to social and economic problems by supporting social innovators and educating social impact investors. Widely recognized as a leading social innovator and a pioneering teacher of social entrepreneurship , Mr. Wolk has authored a chapter in the Small Business Administration’s annual report to the president of the United States, titled “Social Entrepreneurship and Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Social Problems”; and a white paper co-published with the Aspen Institute, titled “Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Recommendations for Policy Makers and Government Agencies” among others. He is a senior lecturer at MIT and a Gleitsman Visiting Practitioner in Social Innovation at Harvard University. He has served on the board of Social Enterprise Alliance and the Advisory Board of the Social Capitalist Awards, sponsored by Fast Company magazine and The Monitor Group, and helped establish the Boston chapter of Social Venture Partners.
New Policy Sessions
- State & City Approaches to Supporting Social Enterprise
Around the country, state and city officials are beginning experiments in offering greater support for social entrepreneurship in the private sector and in cultivating greater innovation in the public sector. In this session, we present three concrete examples where government is successfully supporting social enterprise: The Louisiana Office of Social Entrepreneurship (founded by Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu), the OneStar Foundation - Texas Center for Social Impact (founded by Governor Rick Perry), and the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (founded by Mayor John Hickenlooper). - Legislative Policy Approaches and Lessons
This session will focus on the legislative side of policy implementation. In what ways can government, through legislation, help to create an environment that is more supportive of social enterprise? What have we learned from efforts like the L3C legislation (enacted in Vermont but held up in other states) and the UK's new social investment fund? What are the prospects for L3C and other supportive legislation going forward? What does it take to get such initiatives passed? - Government & Social Enterprise as Partners
Government, with access to our societal systems and a democratic mandate to improve the public wellbeing, can leverage the innovations of social entrepreneurs in order to broaden the reach of the solutions they offer. By examining 1-2 examples in which government has made a significant investment in a social enterprise in order to expand its impact, we will ask: How did such a relationship begin and how has it evolved? How do you move beyond a "grantor/grantee" relationship to become true partners in tackling the problem? And what lessons were learned that can be passed on to others? - Facilitated Dialogue: Harnessing Policy Opportunities at the National Level
The Obama administration has offered specific proposals aimed at cultivating and supporting social entrepreneurship throughout the nation. With other efforts already going on at the state and local levels that can serve as case examples, and with influential members of Congress already expressing interest, the moment seems ripe to develop a more strategic approach at the federal level. Presenter will facilitate a structured and highly current dialogue among audience members to begin devising and prioritizing our next best steps.
Comments
Check out SEA Board Chair Jim Fruchterman's blog posting about the policy track: http://benetech.blogspot.com/2009/04/social-enterprise-summits-policy-track.html
and also SEA President and CEO Kris Prendergast's post: http://www.sea-alliance.blogspot.com/
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