Social Business

SOCIAL BUSINESS

Ideas

Lists

Videos

PRO

Show All

The Best

PRO Filters

Teen Crime Correction Campaigns - Beyond Social Services Helps by Rearranging Lifestyle Choices

Teen Crime Correction Campaigns Beyond Social Services Helps by Rearranging Lifestyle Choices

The new campaign for Beyond Social Services sends the message that no matter how convoluted and complicated life can be for teenagers who find themselves entertaining criminal pursuits, there is a... [More]

Social Business

City Summer Art Escapes - Children’s Peace Theatre Brings Art to the City in an Inventive Way

City Summer Art Escapes Children’s Peace Theatre Brings Art to the City in an Inventive Way

Children’s Peace Theatre is a non-profit community arts organization located in the heart of East York, Toronto in a beautiful old heritage home called the Massey Goulding Estate. Although it has... [More]

Social Business

10 Mumbai-Based Social Enterprises - From Distinctive Crafty Notes to Bike-Sharing Schemes

10 Mumbai-Based Social Enterprises From Distinctive Crafty Notes to Bike-Sharing Schemes

What do these Mumbai-based social enterprises have in common? Perhaps not a whole lot in terms of business model but they all work in Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, formerly known as Bombay,... [More]

Social Business

18 Low-Cost Social Innovations - From Car Repairs to Entrepreneur Kits to Anti-Malaria Net Beds

18 Low-Cost Social Innovations From Car Repairs to Entrepreneur Kits to Anti-Malaria Net Beds

From car repairs to entrepreneur kits to anti-malaria net beds, these low-cost social innovations attempt to make quality products at an affordable price. A common theme here is health. For instance... [More]

Social Business

Portable Anemia Scanners - The Biosense ToucHb Administers a Blood Test with no Prick

Portable Anemia Scanners The Biosense ToucHb Administers a Blood Test with no Prick

The Biosense ToucHb is a platform technology that allows for a blood test with no drawing of blood, that is, no ##### and no bleeding. Biosense is the company behind the project and one of its co-... [More]

Social Business

Women-Only Fitness Chains -

Women-Only Fitness Chains 'B-Fit' is a Turkish Gym and Social Enterprise

Founded by Bedriye Hülya, B-Fit is a chain of fitness gyms and a social enterprise with over 200 locations. It is currently one of the biggest start-ups in Turkey. It is currently supported by... [More]

Social Business

11 Fitness-Oriented Social Enterprises - From Better Biking Businesses to Purpose-Driven Workouts

11 Fitness-Oriented Social Enterprises From Better Biking Businesses to Purpose-Driven Workouts

This top list of fitness-oriented social innovations attempts to put exercise at the center of its social mission. One of the most innovative—and perhaps simple—is the Good Gym, which is... [More]

Social Business

Mission-Driven Food Distributors - Common Market Works with Local and Sustainable Farming

Mission-Driven Food Distributors Common Market Works with Local and Sustainable Farming

Common market is a food distributor that focuses on the common good through its sustainable and local farming choices. It’s a relatively big company and six days a week, it delivers to... [More]

Social Business

16 Free Social Innovations - From Local Food Deliveries to Donor-Fueled Web Communities

16 Free Social Innovations From Local Food Deliveries to Donor-Fueled Web Communities

While not everything about these free social innovations may be completely free of charge, many of these enterprises, businesses and non-profit organizations offer something free, whether it’s... [More]

Social Business

100 Investors in Collaboration - From Cross-Sector Strategists to Multimedia Social Campaigns

100 Investors in Collaboration From Cross-Sector Strategists to Multimedia Social Campaigns

These top list of investors in collaboration aren’t exactly impact investors in the finance sense but rather, support the importance of a collaborative project as a way of achieving social... [More]

Social Business

Idea-Promoting Action Organizations - The LAB Attempts to Create Palpable Innovation

Idea-Promoting Action Organizations The LAB Attempts to Create Palpable Innovation

While the LAB understands the importance of a good idea, that doesn’t stop them from considering what it means to put those ideas into plan and see what results come out of them. Based in... [More]

Social Business

18 Teacher-Affiliated Social Enterprises - From Data-Driven Classroom Management to Culinary Schools

18 Teacher-Affiliated Social Enterprises From Data-Driven Classroom Management to Culinary Schools

This top list of teacher-affiliated social enterprises includes a range of organizations on the spectrum of non-profit and for-profit. For instance, on the one end, there’s Kickboard, which... [More]

Social Business

Youth Innovation Platforms - Impact Generation Offers Training and Entrepreneurial Skill-Building

Youth Innovation Platforms Impact Generation Offers Training and Entrepreneurial Skill-Building

Impact Generation is a non-profit organization that offers training, education, conferences and other services to support young people in their entrepreneurship (and other) skill-building and... [More]

Social Business

Collaborative Workshop Non-Profits - The Impact Lab was Designed to Connect Various Sectors

Collaborative Workshop Non-Profits The Impact Lab was Designed to Connect Various Sectors

Like many non-profit organizations working in and around the social enterprise and social business communities, Impact Lab was created as a way to solve a problem. Here, the specific problem is... [More]

Social Business

10 Law-Related Social Enterprises - From Impact Investor Networks to Legal Advice for Farmers

10 Law-Related Social Enterprises From Impact Investor Networks to Legal Advice for Farmers

These law-related social enterprises consider law to be how they intersect into social change. For instance, Farm Commons is a non-profit organization that gives legal advice to farmers so that they... [More]

Social Business

B Corp Conferences - The Themes for Social Capital Markets

B Corp Conferences The Themes for Social Capital Markets' SOCAP13 Include Health & Oceans

SOCAP13 will take place in San Francisco, California this September from Tuesday, September 3 to Friday, September 6. The themes for this year’s conference have been set and include health,... [More]

Social Business

40 Social Entrepreneurship Consultants - From Idea-Led Purpose Companies to Pro-Bono Design

40 Social Entrepreneurship Consultants From Idea-Led Purpose Companies to Pro-Bono Design

The social entrepreneurship consultants featured here include all-encompassing consultancies to small start-up enterprises that do consulting among a new of other activities. Here are some examples.... [More]

Social Business

Ethics Consulting Firms - Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited Sees Organizational Practice

Ethics Consulting Firms Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited Sees Organizational Practice

Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited is an ethics consulting firm that works in and around organizational practice, coaching, problem solving and a variety of other channels. In a recent piece... [More]

Social Business

Coin-Operated Public Art - The Laundromat Project is a Non-Profit Arts Organization in Harlem

Coin-Operated Public Art The Laundromat Project is a Non-Profit Arts Organization in Harlem

The Laundromat Project is a non-profit arts organization that was started by 2004 Echoing Green Fellows Rise Wilson and Takema Robinson. “The Laundromat Project brings engaging, community-... [More]

Social Business

22 Digital Social Businesses - From Computer Cradle Campaigns to School-Supporting Newsletters

22 Digital Social Businesses From Computer Cradle Campaigns to School-Supporting Newsletters

These digital social businesses work on developing a framework that keeps in might a result-driven strategy that measures success based on social impact. For instance, one of the earliest examples... [More]

Social Business

8 SMS-Incorporating Social Innovations - From Pay-as-You-Go Energy to Micro-Entrepreneurial Kits

8 SMS-Incorporating Social Innovations From Pay-as-You-Go Energy to Micro-Entrepreneurial Kits

It is easy to look at SMS-incorporating social innovations and not acknowledge the ways in which mobile technology is fetishized in the social entrepreneurship field—and technology more... [More]

Social Business

8 Stanford Social Innovation Review Features - From Localized Impact Investing to Beneficiary Design

8 Stanford Social Innovation Review Features From Localized Impact Investing to Beneficiary Design

These Stanford Social Innovation Review features are an ode to the 10th anniversary of the magazine’s start. Also known as SSIR, the magazine and website comes out of the Stanford Center on... [More]

Social Business

African Lit Non-Profits - The Golden Baobab Prize is a Social Enterprise Based in Ghana

African Lit Non-Profits The Golden Baobab Prize is a Social Enterprise Based in Ghana

The Golden Baobab Prize (GBP) was founded by Deborah Ahenkorah, a Bryn Mawr College alumni who was born and grew up in Accra, Ghana and spent time as an intern for both The Global Fund for Children... [More]

Social Business

8 Biodiversity Social Innovations - From Consumer-Powered Conservation to Closed Plant Loop Systems

8 Biodiversity Social Innovations From Consumer-Powered Conservation to Closed Plant Loop Systems

This small list of biodiversity social innovations pays attention to mixing social entrepreneurship with more tradition environmental conservation practices, creating something in between that,... [More]

Social Business

18 Social Businesses in Guatemala - From Cause-Driven Coffee to Global Microfinance Networks

18 Social Businesses in Guatemala From Cause-Driven Coffee to Global Microfinance Networks

This top list of social businesses in Guatemala ranges from those based in the country to those based elsewhere but work predominantly with small-scale entrepreneurs who are located there. Some of... [More]

Social Business

10 Silk Ethical Fashion Styles - From Hand-Dyed Ikat Bags to Scarves for Education

10 Silk Ethical Fashion Styles From Hand-Dyed Ikat Bags to Scarves for Education

These silk ethical fashion styles, from hand-dyed ikat handbags created by a social enterprise called Push Pull Cambodia, to a company called Zaanha that makes scarves in order to fund education... [More]

Social Business

15 Yoga-Practicing Entrepreneurs - From the Founder of RainTees to the Co-Founders of Local Buttons

15 Yoga-Practicing Entrepreneurs From the Founder of RainTees to the Co-Founders of Local Buttons

This top list of yoga-practicing entrepreneurs looks back at some of the featured interviews on SocialBusiness.org to see who uses yoga as a way to reset to be creative and/or as a way to seek... [More]

Social Business

8 Dance-Inflected Social Enterprises - From Creative Denim Ads to Energy-Generating Fitness Clubs

8 Dance-Inflected Social Enterprises From Creative Denim Ads to Energy-Generating Fitness Clubs

From culturally creative denim ads to fitness clubs that generate electricity, these dance-inflected social enterprises take movement and incorporate it either into their practice from day to day or... [More]

Social Business

SMS-Based Layaway Platforms -

SMS-Based Layaway Platforms 'myAgro' is a Tool for Farmers in Mali Aimed at Increasing Production

myAgro is a social business based in Bamako, Mali that uses text messaging to drive its layaway platform for small-scale farmers. This allows them to increase production of their crops and thus,... [More]

Social Business

12 Triple-Bottom-Line Groceries - From Community Produce Narratives to Rights-Based Organic Food

12 Triple-Bottom-Line Groceries From Community Produce Narratives to Rights-Based Organic Food

From rights-based organic food to community produce narrative, these triple-bottom-line groceries pay attention to people, planet and profit as an everyday business model and as a goal to keep in... [More]

Social Business

Small-Format Food Shopping - Stockbox Neighborhood Grocery Attempts to Provide Access

Small-Format Food Shopping Stockbox Neighborhood Grocery Attempts to Provide Access

Based in Seattle, Washington, Stockbox Neighborhood Grocery, through what they call “small-format” stores, attempts to provide fresh product access to those communities that are in need,... [More]

Social Business

8 Eco-Friendly Social Watches - From Simple Solar-Powered Timepieces to Upcycled Accessories

8 Eco-Friendly Social Watches From Simple Solar-Powered Timepieces to Upcycled Accessories

This collection of eco-friendly social watches melds and crosses over the triple bottom line. Crudely put, the triple bottom line refers to the three pillars of people, planet and profit and in this... [More]

Social Business

Legal Advice for Farmers - Farm Commons is a Non-Profit Organization with Echoing Green Support

Legal Advice for Farmers Farm Commons is a Non-Profit Organization with Echoing Green Support

Based in Wisconsin, Farm Commons is a non-profit organization that attempts to provide farmers with the legal advice they need to continue to be sustainable and protect livelihoods as a business as... [More]

Social Business

8 Marine-Aware Social Businesses - From Paradigm-Shifting Organizations to Surfing Trips

8 Marine-Aware Social Businesses From Paradigm-Shifting Organizations to Surfing Trips

From paradigm-shifting non-profit organizations to surfing trips organized by responsible travel companies, these marine-aware social businesses aren’t afraid to get wet. Some of the problems... [More]

Social Business

15 Photography-Influenced Social Businesses - From Local Multimedia Messages to Transparency Treks

15 Photography-Influenced Social Businesses From Local Multimedia Messages to Transparency Treks

This top list of photography-influenced social businesses point to a larger lack in the social entrepreneurship realm: creative organizations, that is, creative arts, that put the literary or the art-... [More]

Social Business

9 Social Enterprise-Related Bonds - From Impact-Based Contracts to Collaborative Workspace Launches

9 Social Enterprise-Related Bonds From Impact-Based Contracts to Collaborative Workspace Launches

These social enterprise-related bonds attempt to change the way in which finance bonds work. Social impact bonds (SIB), which is also known as a Pay for Success Bond or a Social Benefit Bond, is... [More]

Social Business

33 Social Impact Organizations - From Creative Agencies for Good to Purpose-Driven IT Companies

33 Social Impact Organizations From Creative Agencies for Good to Purpose-Driven IT Companies

While it may seem like social business, social enterprise and social impact go hand in hand, many of the social impact organizations featured here take a look at the precision in a such a term and... [More]

Social Business

Impact-Based Contracts - Instiglio Adapts Bonds to Join Various Sectors in Developing Countries

Impact-Based Contracts Instiglio Adapts Bonds to Join Various Sectors in Developing Countries

Instiglio is yet another non-profit organization to have been named one of the 2013 Echoing Green Fellows. Well, to be exact, Michael Belisky, its founding partner, was named one of the many fellows... [More]

Social Business

100 Altruism-Branded Accessories - From Handmade Earrings to Vegan Handbags

100 Altruism-Branded Accessories From Handmade Earrings to Vegan Handbags

These altruism-branded accessories attempt to show that what they’re doing goes beyond (and sometimes way, way beyond) just a trivial bracelet, pair of socks or handbag. Some of the features... [More]

Social Business

23 Eco Footprint Innovators - From Ethical Gastropubs to CO2 Reduction Rides

23 Eco Footprint Innovators From Ethical Gastropubs to CO2 Reduction Rides

From ethical gastropubs based in London, United Kingdom to CO2 reduction rides and other transportation mechanisms, for instance, one that pairs dating with carpooling, these eco footprint... [More]

Social Business

100 Purpose-Fueled Networks - From Impact Investor Associations to Community-Bridging Organizations

100 Purpose-Fueled Networks From Impact Investor Associations to Community-Bridging Organizations

This SocialBusiness.org top list of purpose-fueled networks, which is by no means exhaustive, includes organizations and social businesses that value making connections between people as well as... [More]

Social Business

85 Farmer-Supporting Organizations - From Fair Trade Coffee Tours to Local Food Deliveries

85 Farmer-Supporting Organizations From Fair Trade Coffee Tours to Local Food Deliveries

Not all of these farmer-supporting organizations are food, however, and some of them support farmers who help to create the oils for perfumes as well as herbal lotions and organic cosmetic products.... [More]

Social Business

13 Social Businesses in Competitions - From Edible Insect Kits to Student-Funded Enterprise Awards

13 Social Businesses in Competitions From Edible Insect Kits to Student-Funded Enterprise Awards

From edible insect kits to student-funded enterprise awards, these social businesses in competitions like to compare themselves to others as a way to get ahead and push them and their teams to the... [More]

Social Business

42 Talent-Oriented Social Enterprises - From For-Purpose Creative Services to Change Incubators

42 Talent-Oriented Social Enterprises From For-Purpose Creative Services to Change Incubators

From for-purpose creative services to change-making incubators for young people, these talent-oriented social enterprises emphasize the people they have working with and for them as a way to attract... [More]

Social Business

13 Echoing Green Fellows - From Lab School Networks to Weekly Aquaponic Deliveries

13 Echoing Green Fellows From Lab School Networks to Weekly Aquaponic Deliveries

Just yesterday, on Monday, June 11, 2013, the 2013 Echoing Green Fellows were announced. This SocialBusiness.org top list takes a look at some of those involved but also finalists from this year and... [More]

Social Business

10 Ethically Branded Denim Features - From Women-Run Companies to Organic Eco Jeans

10 Ethically Branded Denim Features From Women-Run Companies to Organic Eco Jeans

From organic eco jeans to women-run companies, this top list of ethically branded denim examples ranges from small businesses that maybe you’ve never heard of to larger collaborations. When it... [More]

Social Business

100 Global Social Businesses - From Strategic Creativity Events to Electric Transportation Services

100 Global Social Businesses From Strategic Creativity Events to Electric Transportation Services

This SocialBusiness.org top list explores global social businesses, from strategic creativity events to electric transportation services. Of course, what’s featured here ranges in industry,... [More]

Social Business

38 Upcycled Purpose Products - From Reclaimed Lumber Accessories to Collaborative Artisan Cushions

38 Upcycled Purpose Products From Reclaimed Lumber Accessories to Collaborative Artisan Cushions

From reclaimed lumber accessories to collaborative artisan cushions, these upcycled purpose products take the old and hackneyed phrase of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure&#... [More]

Social Business