What really separates a non-profit from a for-profit besides a legal classification and mission statement?  

What is the difference between a social enterprise from an enterprise that is socially responsible?   

There are so many buzz-words thrown around these days, and the distinctions between their definitions is not so clear.  At least to me...

I'm not curious about classifications or metrics, like the ones B Corporation (www.bcorporation.net) is establishing.  Although I am incredibly impressed with the change this organization is effecting, I'm particularly interested to identify the overlap between these business to determine whether collaboration and mind-sharing opportunities exist.

Specifically - how do we tap into the culture of innovation and start-up experience of our Israeli and Jewish communities, and allocate this collective knowledge towards the "social-entrepreneurs" among us?  How do we prove that the relationship is mutually beneficial, and that just because a non-profit professional is not expressly working to expand the "bottom line" he or she may know a thing or two about development, sales and bringing in hard cash?  

There is an amazing concept emerging in Philadelphia called Missioneurs which hits the nail on the head.  Check out www.missioneurs.com.  

Founded by Blake Jennelle, a peer of mine from Philadelphia (and all around action-oriented change maker) Missioneurs is "a community of mission entrepreneurs separated for decades by the types of organizations we lead. Now we're coming together around our common sense of mission and hard-nosed entrepreneurial approach. We're why people. Together we can solve any how."

I got in a bike accident when I was 9.  It was the first day after school of 4th grade and I was racing my friend Emily down the driveway.  I turned to wave to my neighbor and before I knew it, I was on the pavement with my and Emily's bike on top of me, and I was being rushed to the hospital for an arm cast and 50 stitches in my leg.

Needless to say I was shaken, and unfortunately it took me 15 years to get back on the bike with the confidence that I had prior to the accident.  But I have to admit that buying a bike two years ago was one of the best decisions I ever made, and riding has been an eye opening experience since (and I'm not talking about the need to pay attention on crowded Jerusalem streets to avoid Israeli Drivers and Pedestrians).  

Over on A VC, venture capitalist Fred Wilson discusses why fat startups are unhealthy. 

The success rate of fat companies versus lean companies is stark. I have never, not once, been successful with an investment in a company that raised a boatload of money before it found traction and product market fit with its primary product.

For one week, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people, to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Countries across six continents are coming together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark.

From 16 - 22 November 2009, Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and many others will participate in a range of activities, from online to face-to-face, and from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings.

PresenTense is going to be a partner in Global Entrepreneurship Week, and were looking for ideas from our commuinity about the types of programs and events we should run at the Jerusalem Hub and around the world during this week.

We look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts!

Please send your ideas and suggestions to Brachie Sprung at: brachiesprung@presetense.org

David Kramer of the NU campaign came to PresenTense this afternoon to discuss his social action venture.

Using t-shirts, Kramer has launched a social action campaign that raises awareness and funds for the Sderot community. Proceeds from the "15 second" t-shirts go to the Sderot Community Treatment Theater for high school girls. The theater aims to expose the public to the real live experiences of the Sderot citizens.

Watch the clip below to learn more about the NU campaign, and get involved! 

Over a century ago, the Jewish Publication Society was formed to "provide the  children of Jewish immigrants to America with books about their heritage in the language of the New World." During it's long life-cycle, the JPS became the standard bearer for Jewish wisdom literature, its most popular item--and cash cow--being the JPS Tanakh, the Bible many if not most young Jews in America received when they were given the Good Book.

Recently, however, the JPS realized that the printed book, even the Good one, was under siege -- and with it the existence of the JPS itself. Seeing online content grow all around it, the JPS had two general choices: cut back, cut down and hope for the best offline, or develop new directions and revenue generating products that can live in the world beyond print.

They chose the later, hiring an internet-abled educational entrepreneur, JT Waldman (full-disclosure, a PresenTense 2008 Fellow), to lead up their Interactive division. 

End of story? Not really. As the JPS understood, you can't solve a problem by simply hiring great talent; without managing that talent, the new direction and the organization's direction will only diverge.

But how can the existing management of an organization effectively manage an employee driving changes in a field that existing management has no experience in?

Therein is the challenge of taking advantage of social innovation -- a challenge briefly raised by Seth Cohen in his post on eJewishphilanthropy, and a challenge I intend to take up in the next few entries. 

For now, I'd like to address the challenge Seth brings up in the "Who" section. Particularly, on whether "motivating innovation outside of established organizations, are we dooming those established organizations to an innovation deficit?"

 Check out our arrival at Battery Ventures.