scaling social impact
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2011 AYP Conference
Scaling Social Impact: Making the YMCA case
for the new philanthropy
“There will be no interruption of our permanent prosperity.”
“There will be no interruption of our permanent prosperity.”
- Myron E. Forbes, President Pierce Arrow Motor Car Co, 1928
Texas Graduation rate: 61%
Texas Poverty Rate: #2 in US
Angelo Mozillo, CEO, Countrywide
Beverly Hall, APS Superintendant
Anthony Weiner
Where Do We Turn For Moral Leadership?
The Y
Social Responsibility
Healthy Living
Youth Developmen
t
What is “Social Responsibility”?
Youth Development & Healthy Living are what we do.
Social Responsibility is where, how and for whom we do it.
Premise: The model Y is a Social Enterprise: We solve important social problems Our model is robust and sustainable Our model is scalable
Doing Well by Doing Good:
The Social Enterprise
What is Social Enterprise?
Bill Drayton, Ashoka: A social entrepreneur is not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish; [instead] will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.
David Bornstein, author “How to Change the World”: What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change. They are the driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up, and remake the world for the better.
so•cial en•tre•pre•neur: n., 1. Society’s change agent: pioneer of innovations that benefit humanity. (Skoll Foundation)
Two Streams Of Practice
SOCIALENTERPRISE
SOCIALINNOVATION
Generating Earned Income
for Social Purpose
Better Ways to Create
Social Value
Commonalities
SOCIALINNOVATION
SOCIALENTERPRISE
Advocates recognize need for sustainable,
scalable financial models
Advocates recognize need for innovation, risks of not linking income to impact
Both increasingly
intrigued by innovative ways to use business methods and markets
to serve social good
Social Entrepreneurs:
Create and sustain social value
Pursue opportunities to serve this mission
Continuously innovate, adapt, and learn
Are not constrained by resources in hand
Hold themselves accountable for
achieving the social mission and
using resources wisely
Is the Y a Social Enterprise?
Venture, Growth & Smart
Philanthropy
The New Philanthropist
“Philanthropic families are looking to scale demonstrable solutions so they can reach millions of people, but they need a reliable way to do it. The need for scaling is painfully clear. But we need a mechanism and a solution.”
Doug Bauer, senior vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
What attracts new philanthropists?
Growing indifference to non- or for-profit status
Growth philanthropists seek:
Solutions to important social problems
Sound, sustainable business models
Scale
Is the Y a Social Enterprise?
“The Best of Times…The Worst of Times”
Members: At our worst: A fitness club, teen drop-in
center At our best: Transforming lives
“The Best of Times…The Worst of Times”
Employees: At our worst: High turnover of part-time,
temporary workers At our best: Career professionals,
nurtured in the Y, committed to the mission
“The Best of Times…The Worst of Times”
Community: At our worst: Over-using debt, driving
membership units, focusing on bricks & mortar, serving the advantaged
At our best: Identifying and engaging friends of the Y, solving important social problems
The Practices of Socially Responsible
Ys
Socially Responsible Ys: 4 Key Practices
1. Constant focus on mission Engage the community
• Use role to drive values-consistent constituent behavior
• Reach out to, advocate for those without a voice
Educate & engage employees in mission work
Anonymity erodes community
Socially Responsible Ys: 4 Key Practices
2. Progressive employment practices Open-book management Job security/opportunity for
advancement Competitive salaries Strong, subsidized family
benefits plan
Socially Responsible Ys: 4 Key Practices
3. Conservative financial practices Reserve against volatility Match revenues and expenses Invest carefully in operations
• Limit the use of debt• Make mission-consistent investments
Collaborate with mission partners• Including other Ys, other agencies
Socially Responsible Ys: 4 Key Practices
4. Never compromise safety because of the perception of limited resources Safety is mission Engage constituents in safety
equation Safety mission is not limited to
YMCA buildings or programs• Community safety is goal
Is the Y a Social Enterprise?
Why Social Responsibility?
Keeps the Y mission-centered
Living communal values
Keeps the Y relevant
Addressing most important issues
Leverages Y’s power to convene
“Honest broker” in disparate community groups
Engages young staff, volunteers, donors
Looking for meaning
So, what can Ys teach?
Responsibility: “Of those to whom much is given, ___________” “The Ovarian Lottery”
Honesty: “The narcotic of gradualism” Those who comfort the afflicted must now
______________”
Caring, Respect: “Of the greatest leader, it is said when he is gone, _________________”
What can Ys do?
What does your community need?• Parenting skills, financial
literacy?• Violence prevention?• At risk teen programming?• Economic opportunity?
The Y as Social Enterprise:An elevator pitch
“Through developmental youth programming, parenting and financial literacy training, the YMCA increases educational achievement, lifts families out of poverty and improves economic outcomes and quality of life for all.”
The Next Step is Ours to Take…
Bobby Kennedy:“Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society.
Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence.
Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world which yields most painfully to change.”
2011 AYP Conference
Scaling Social Impact: Making the YMCA case
for the new philanthropy