Social Entrepreneurship at RISE

It’s RISE time in Austin again. The annual RISE (Relationship and Information Series for Entrepreneurs) conference was started by entrepreneurs Roy and Bertrand Sosa (brothers) and Roy’s wife Suzi in 2007 to inspire and empower entrepreneurs.

The brothers immigrated from Mexico in 1986 and started NetSpend, selling prepaid credit cards to recent immigrants.  NetSpend went on to be very successful, and they sold the company in 2006 to launch MPOWER , a double-bottom-line venture capital fund whose mission is to empower the world’s underserved, and MPOWER Labs a research and development incubator and business accelerator.

The Sosas launched RISE as a way to ensure that “Austin continues to be a leader in developing top level entrepreneurs who transform their vision into successful businesses that greatly contribute to our local, national and global economy.”  This year they have expanded the scope of RISE from the original format as an Austin-centered un-conference to a year-round international program dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs.

As social entrepreneurs themselves, the Sosas have always included social entrepreneurship in RISE and last year they made it an official track at the conference. This year is no different with a great line-up of social entrepreneurs. You can check out the entire RISE lineup of sessions this year here.

I am leading two sessions at this year’s conference. The first is Finding Capital for Social Entrepreneurs and the second is Planning for Nonprofit Growth. The details and links to sign up are below.

I hope to see you at RISE!

Finding Capital for Social Entrepreneurs
Tuesday, March 8
10:00am – 11:30am
PeopleFund
Austin, TX

This session will provide nonprofit and for-profit social entrepreneurs a strategy and tactical plan for finding and going after potential funders, at any stage of the enterprise. The session includes how to create a compelling pitch, how to find funding prospects, how to break down your capital goal and much more.

Click here to sign up.

Planning for Nonprofit Growth
Wednesday, March 9
10:00am – 11:30am
PeopleFund
Austin, TX

Nonprofit organizations that want to break out of the incremental growth pattern of the sector and strive for and achieve exponential growth in people served need a growth plan. This session will help organizations understand what significant growth in the nonprofit sector looks like, how to create a plan for growth, how to get your board engaged in the process and much more. Willing participants can bring their growth challenges and goals to the session to be discussed.

Click here to sign up.

Tags: finding funding for social entrepreneurship, MPower, NetSpend, nonprofit growth, RISE conference, Roy and Bertrand Sosa, Social Entrepreneurship, Suzi Sosa

What I’m Reading

Someone asked me the other day how long it takes me to write a blog post. I told them the writing only takes about an hour or two. However, the reading and thinking about what’s being done, or said, or written about and what I want to add to the conversation takes many times longer. So, to that end, I thought I’d give you a list of the blog posts, articles, and books that caught my interest and really made me think in the past month…

• Punching at Your Own Weight in Social Media
• Philanthropy’s Next Decade
• Leadership to the Rescue
• The Social Innovation Fund One Year Later
• The Giving Pledge and the Opportunity of a Generation
• U.S. Lagging, Not Leading, Social Entrepreneurship
• Warren Buffett’s Philanthropic Pledge
• How Can Nonprofits Plan for Growth and Impact?
• The Networked Nonprofit
• Social Media Listening: You Don’t Have To Be Joey Chestnut on the 4th of July!
• Wall Street Saves the World!
• Getting Results: Outputs, Outcomes & Impact
• The Slacktivist Debate Continues
• Is All Entrepreneurship Social?
• Are You Crazy Enough to Change the World?

What caught your interest this month?  Add to the list in the comments.

Photo Credit: pixel0908

Tags: nonprofit growth, nonprofit leadership, nonprofit outcomes, Philanthropy, Social Innovation Fund, social media, The Networked Nonprofit, Warren Buffett