W10 Reflection

 

Summary of the main ideas and topics of the week.
This week we learned about hybrid organizations and social business. A hybrid organization is one that uses for for profit business techniques with non-profit, social enterprise ideals. They can use various methods to integrate the two halves, and all have their pros and cons. There are tax issues to consider, and finances, customers vs beneficiaries, and the conundrum of how to staff an organization that is both for profit and non-profit effectively. Social businesses can utilize many different business models, including Cross-Compensation, Fee for Service, Employment and skills training, Market Intermediary, Market Connector, Independent Support, and Cooperative. Each has benefits and works to build the social enterprise. I enjoyed reading the Social Enterprise examples in "22 Awesome Social Enterprise Ideas and Examples". It was interesting to read about the examples of businesses who support the social needs of the people the served. I learned a little more about companies I was already familiar with, read about new companies that I'd like to support, and it made me realize that one of my favorite companies, Rockay, is a social enterprise. I have supported them for a while now because I really like their products (running clothing, particularly their socks, which don't give me blisters!) and I knew that they supported ocean clean up by using ocean waste to create their products, but also use their profits to continue their conservation efforts. 

• What is it about hybrids that make them so successful?
1. Hybrids are successful because they utilize the best of both words between the for profit world and the non-profit world. They can create non-profits that are self sufficient, not depending on charitable giving, grants, and donations to survive. In fact, it can be quite the opposite: because they are also a business, they have the ability to expand and grow unfettered by the constraints imposed by donors and grantors. This allows them to build the business side in order to increase the scope of the philanthropic side.