About Our Clinic
What is Social Enterprise?
A “Social Enterprise” offers:
- Internal Positive Impact in the way the business or organization operates, treats employees, engages in production, selects materials and other factors of production.
- External Positive Impact in what the business or organization contributes to the environment, the communities in which it operates, and/or humanity.
- Legal & Ethical Accountability in the business or organization’s incorporation documents, mission statements, stated values, and governance policies and practices.
Social Enterprises generally:
- Apply entrepreneurial approaches to addressing social, environmental, and human justice issues.
- Have a primary purpose beyond making money for individual owners and investors.
- Set as a primary goal improvement of the environment, humanity, and/or community.
For examples of social enterprise, read these legal case studies developed by Georgetown Law students on behalf of Ashoka, a global nonprofit organization that supports social entrepreneurs.