Benevolent Brew

America's most caffeinated city (where a single downtown intersection has no fewer than four Starbucks outlets) recently witnessed the opening of yet another haven for java junkies.

Business Planning for Social Enterprises

Unlike for-profit ventures, social enterprises need a business plan that addresses both financial goals and social goals. Sutia Kim Alter describes the process of creating such a plan. She also offers specific guidelines for measuring an enterprise's social impact.

Business Ventures on the Web

A new World Wide Web site features nonprofit business ventures operated by groups that help the homeless. It's a window into homeless economic development, and illustrates how other nonprofits might use the Web to publicize their work. It also displays some of the difficulties of maintaining a Web site for groups with good intentions but scarce resources.

Challenges of Becoming a Social Purpose Enterprise

The principles of "social entrepreneurism" have had a transforming effect on New Economy philanthropists. For the social service agencies that embrace those principles, the effects may be even more profound. The leaders of one such agency, Community Vocational Enterprises in San Francisco, report on the impact that this new way of doing business has had on their own organizational culture.

Famous Last Words of Failed Social Entrepreneurs

Jed Letterman's Top Ten List of Famous Last Words of Failed Social Entrepreneurs.

Generating Income from Customers and Clients

Grassroots fundraising expert Joan Flanagan says that selling products and services is one of the easiest ways for nonprofits to earn income. She explains how to move beyond donations and grants, and begin generating revenue with sales and fees.

Legal Structures for Business Ventures

Should a nonprofit corporation form a subsidiary when it starts a business venture? Not necessarily. Creating a subsidiary can protect the parent corporation from liability and might attract new revenue. But keeping the venture in-house can save start-up costs and assure greater control. Brad Caftel, of the National Economic Development and Law Center, explains the pros and cons of both approaches.

Nonprofit Enterprise- Learning By Example

For anyone interested in learning by nonprofit entrepreneurship, there's no shortage of monographs and theories. But where do you go to find good models of real-life ventures? Idan Ivri has scoped out the territory and discovered a number of useful case studies, descriptive profiles, and instructive examples.

Preparing to Launch an Enterprise

Starting an earned-income venture takes more than a good idea. It also takes careful planning. Rolfe Larson shows how to assess venture ideas and how to decide which ones are worth pursuing.

Social Entrepreneurship: Mobilizing Resources for Success

Unlike for-profit business owners, social entrepreneurs cannot measure the success of their efforts in financial terms alone. As a result, they encounter different obstacles-as well as different opportunities-in marshaling the resources needed to make their ventures viable. J. Gregory Dees of the Stanford Business School explains how to assess resource needs in a way that is truly entrepreneurial, and how to devise a resource-smart operating structure for nonprofit ventures. He also gives ten tips for reducing the amount of cash required during the startup stages of an enterprise.

The Rise of the E-Giving Mall

Capitalizing on the recent surge of consumer interest in e-commerce, a number of new Web sites are bringing cause-related marketing to the internet. CharityMall, iGive, Shop2Give, GreaterGood and similar "virtual malls" attract shoppers by pledging to convey a percentage of sales to selected charities. What's in it for consumers, and what's in it for the charities?

Weighing Options, Confronting Obstacles

What role should the board play in planning and implementing an enterprise? Here's a list of issues to consider and roadblocks to avoid.