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Social Enterprise Business Plan Template

  • Written by Dave Lavinsky

social enterprise business plan template

Table of Contents

Social enterprise business plan.

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their social enterprise businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a social enterprise business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Social Enterprise Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your social enterprise business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Social Enteprise

If you’re looking to start a social enterprise business, or grow your existing social enterprise business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your social enterprise business in order to improve your chances of success. Your social enterprise business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Social Enterprise Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a social enterprise business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for social enterprise businesses.

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How to write a business plan for a social enterprise.

If you want to start a social enterprise business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your social enterprise business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of social enterprise business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a social enterprise business that you would like to grow, or are you operating social enterprise businesses in multiple markets?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the social enterprise industry. Discuss the type of social enterprise business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of social enterprise business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of social enterprise businesses:

  • Trading social enterprise : this type of social enterprise refers to cooperatives, collectives, and other organizations that are worker or employee-owned. This type of ownership structure allows a higher degree of economic resiliency compared to a traditional organization.
  • Financial social enterprise: this type of social enterprise includes credit unions, cooperative banks, and revolving loan funds, which are all membership-owned. In other words, the money deposited from a member is used to help other members who may need financial assistance.
  • Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charity social enterprise: this type of social enterprise businesses are usually created to support a specific social, environmental, or political goal. The profits are used to further the social or environmental aims of the organization or to provide salaries for people who provide free services to specific groups of people.

In addition to explaining the type of social enterprise business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

  • When and why did you start the business?
  • What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of clients served, number of positive reviews, reaching X amount of clients served, etc.
  • Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the social enterprise industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the social enterprise industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating. 

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your social enterprise business plan:

  • How big is the social enterprise industry (in dollars)?
  • Is the market declining or increasing?
  • Who are the key competitors in the market?
  • Who are the key suppliers in the market?
  • What trends are affecting the industry?
  • What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
  • What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your social enterprise business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your social enterprise business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments:non-profits, individuals, social causes, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of social enterprise business you operate. Clearly, social causes would respond to different marketing promotions than individuals needing financial assistance, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other social enterprise companies. 

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes social enterprise companies such as brand awareness companies, community organizations, government programs, etc.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other social enterprises with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be social enterprise businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

  • What clients or causes do they serve?
  • What type of social enterprise company are they?
  • What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
  • What are they good at?
  • What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

  • Will you provide social enterprise services that your competitors don’t offer?
  • Will your social enterprise business help more people in need?
  • Will you provide better customer service?
  • Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a social enterprise business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of social enterprise company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to social enterprise services, will you provide access to funding, marketing, counseling, and/or brand awareness, and any other services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your social enterprise company. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your social enterprise business located near an office complex, a university, an urban setting, or a busy neighborhood, etc. Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your social enterprise marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

  • Website and SEO marketing
  • Community events
  • Commercials
  • Social media marketing
  • Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your social enterprise business, including communicating with clients, marketing, accounting, accounts payable, fundraising, and searching for grant opportunities.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to obtain your XXth client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your social enterprise business to a new location.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your social enterprise business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company. 

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing social enterprises. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a social enterprise business or are connected to a wide network of professional organizations that frequently tend to donate to various causes.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you take on one new service at a time or multiple services ? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your social enterprise business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. 

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a social enterprise business:

  • Cost of social enterprise services
  • Cost of overhead, marketing, and outreach
  • Payroll or salaries paid to staff
  • Business insurance
  • Taxes and permits
  • Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your social enterprise outline of services, types of customer and/or cause you will be targeting, and the areas your social enterprise business will serve.   Summary Putting together a business plan for your social enterprise business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the social enterprise industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful social enterprise business.  

Social Enterprise Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my social enterprise business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Social Enterprise Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of social enterprise business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a social enterprise business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of social enterprise businesses?

  OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.

Click here to hire someone to write a business plan for you from Growthink’s team.   Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

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Social Enterprise Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Social Enterprise Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Social Enterprise business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Social Enterprise businesses.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Social Enterprise business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

EmpowerU is a startup social enterprise located in Ogden, Utah. The business was founded by Matt and Lauren Goodwin, a couple who have personally placed over three hundred job seekers into viable positions of employment over the past ten years by working in a nationally-known employment agency group. Both Matt and Lauren secured thousands of dollars for their employer, who received a payment for every person successfully placed into employment. With outstanding reviews by employers and a large following of those who have been placed by Matt and Lauren, they’ve determined that they can give back to the city of Ogden by opening their social enterprise, EmpowerU.

EmpowerU will provide a full-service employment placement agenda, from the time they first receive a new applicant to the 6-month period after employment when the employer-employee review is completed. Each step of the interview preparation, interviewing process, and employment negotiation is focused on bringing a new employee into a personally upward bound position that will change their life for the better.

Product Offering

The following are the services that EmpowerU will provide for the potential employers:

  • Extensive recruitment of job candidates to fulfill employer requests
  • Pre-employment training
  • Employment assistance in pay package negotiation
  • Reasonable on-hire rates with sliding scale of percentages
  • Monthly and yearly reviews and assessments of employee to service employer

The following are the services that EmpowerU will provide for the potential employees:

  • Personal training leading to interviews and employment
  • Testing to determine skills, abilities, temperament-style
  • Resume construction
  • Personal deportment training
  • Interview techniques for a “win”
  • Negotiation techniques for employment
  • Personal management in an organization
  • Time management skills
  • After-hire review and further training, if required
  • One-year assessment

Customer Focus

EmpowerU will target both potential employers and candidates as potential employees. To do so, they will target medium-to-large businesses within the Ogden area and residents within the Ogden area. EmpowerU will target human resource managers within the Ogden area. EmpowerU will also target community associations and governmental agencies with job training programs.

Management Team

EmpowerU will be co-owned and operated by Matt and Lauren Goodwin. They have recruited their former administrative assistants, Austin Maven, and Jeanie Parker, to help manage the office and operations of EmpowerU.

Matt Goodwin is a graduate of the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Lauren Goodwin is a graduate of Utah State College, where she earned an Associate’s degree in Social Sciences. Matt and Lauren have been working at an Ogden-based employment recruiter agency for the past ten years. During that time, they observed and practiced the functions of candidate placement into employment positions. They successfully placed over three hundred job-seekers into employment. They now want to help job candidates who need a “hand up” in securing employment by using all their acquired skills to make a change for the good of the city and state.

Austin Maven will become the Office Manager and will oversee all day-to-day office functions. He will manage the accounting and payroll for the social enterprise, as well as the detailed requirements needed to satisfy the social enterprise financials.

Jeanie Parker will become the Operations Manager, assisting in the movement of people resources in and out of the business and overseeing the training and assistance programs.

Success Factors

EmpowerU will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

  • Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified team of EmpowerU
  • Comprehensive menu of services that benefit both the employers and the job candidates.
  • Full support and training for potential employees
  • Reviews and assessments of employee during monthly and yearly visits
  • As a social enterprise, EmpowerU charges extremely reasonable rates for employee placement, making them the lowest-priced employment service in Ogden.

Financial Highlights

EmpowerU is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its social enterprise business. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Office space build-out: $20,000
  • Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $10,000
  • Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
  • Marketing costs: $10,000
  • Working capital: $10,000

The following graph outlines the financial projections for EmpowerU.

EmpowerU Pro Forma Projections

Company Overview

Who is empoweru.

EmpowerU is a newly established, full-service job training and placement agency in Ogden, Utah. EmpowerU will be the most reliable, cost-effective, and effective choice for employers in Ogden and the surrounding communities who seek employees who are eager to establish a better personal life for themselves. EmpowerU will provide a comprehensive menu of job training, placement and review services for any job candidate and business to utilize. Their full-service approach includes a comprehensive array of services that benefit both the job candidate and hiring company.

  EmpowerU will be able to provide job candidates for a wide spectrum of potential employers. The team of professionals are highly qualified and experienced in employee placements and training and reviews of those employees. EmpowerU removes all headaches and issues of seeking qualified personnel and ensures all issues are taken care of expeditiously, while delivering the best customer service.

EmpowerU History

EmpowerU is owned and operated by Matt and Lauren Goodwin. Together, they have personally placed over three hundred job seekers into viable positions of employment over the past ten years by working in a nationally-known employment agency group. Both Matt and Lauren secured thousands of dollars for their employer, who received a payment for every person successfully placed into employment. With outstanding reviews by employers and a large following of those who have been placed by Matt and Lauren, they’ve determined that they can give back to the city of Ogden by opening their social enterprise, EmpowerU.

Since incorporation, EmpowerU has achieved the following milestones:

  • Registered EmpowerU, LLC to transact business in the state of Utah.
  • Have a contract in place for a 10,000 square foot office in a prime downtown building location.
  • Have reached out to numerous former associates and people they placed to include EmpowerU any time they search for new employees.
  • Began recruiting a staff of three and two office personnel to work at EmpowerU.

EmpowerU Services

Industry analysis.

The social enterprise industry is expected to grow over the next five years to over $1 billion. The growth will be driven by an increased recognition of the need to assist in improving the lives of others within the world. The growth will be driven by an increased desire to serve the world by using talents and time to build social enterprise businesses. The growth will be driven by the popularity of including a “social awareness” facet within corporate mission statements. Costs will likely be reduced as social enterprises seek to reduce profits and increase services. Costs will likely be reduced as businesses increase voluntary funding for social enterprises.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market, customer segmentation.

EmpowerU will primarily target the following customer profiles:

  • Medium-to-large businesses
  • Residents of Ogden
  • Human resource managers
  • Community associations
  • Governmental agencies

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

EmpowerU will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Home Companion Care Services

Home Companion Care Services is a full-service placement agency of caregivers. The primary target market consists of elderly individuals who require in-home care and people with disabilities who need assistance with daily activities. Home Companion Care Services also engages with families seeking compassionate support for their loved ones. While services are not medically related, services may include medication reminders, running errands, purchasing and preparing food, bathing and personal grooming and other essentials for daily living.

Home Companion Care Services was started by Liam Gallagher, who saw a gap in the employment of caregivers when his mother required a caregiver and the availability for one was extremely limited. He also noted that most caregivers were not paid enough to make their lives sustainable. With this in mind, he started Home Companion Care Services as a social enterprise to invest in making the lives of the elderly and disabled better, as well as the lives of the caregivers enriched. With these positives at the forefront, Home Companion Care Services was started six years ago and continues to build momentum at this time. Fees for placement of caregivers is modest and reasonable in comparison to competitors.

Heads-Up Auto Repair

Heads-Up Auto Repair was started in 2020 by Neil Patterson, the owner of an auto repair chain in Utah. When Neil noted that several viable auto repairmen did not have employment due to former prison records, he started the social enterprise, “Heads-Up Auto Repair,” as a way to enrich the lives of these qualified repairmen, while earning a profit that would enrich their lives. The program for job training contains the phrase, “Heads Up,” as in “holding one’s head up high with pride in one’s work and the completion of that work successfully”.

Heads-Up Auto Repair serves customers throughout the state of Utah, where location managers are specially trained to assist repairmen in various aspects of customer service, team-bonding, personal skills and education, English-as-a-second-language training, and other services that increase the likelihood of the individuals continuing to excel in both the repair services they provide, but with an increased confidence in their lives overall, as well.

Animals Gone Wild

Animals Gone Wild is a wildlife viewing business that is a social enterprise located thirty miles from Ogden, Utah. Animals Gone Wild was started in 2010 by Amber Stenson, who determined that wild animals should live in the wild, even if their lives started in an enclosed zoo exhibit or other enclosed experience. Amber began a fundraising campaign to build and maintain the wild existence arenas for several wild animals, encouraging volunteers to serve the animals with her throughout their lives. Animals Gone Wild charges a fee for visitors to ride a trolley through the “villages” where various species of wild animals live. Payments by visitors covers the costs of caring for and feeding the animals, while fundraiser campaigns pay for the structures, buildings and care of the Animals Gone Wild structural needs.

Competitive Advantage

EmpowerU will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

  • Comprehensive menu of services that benefit both the employers and the job candidates
  • As a social enterprise, EmpowerU charges extremely reasonable rates for employee placement, making them the lowest-priced employment service in Ogden

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

EmpowerU will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

  • Highly-qualified team of skilled employees who are able to provide a comprehensive array of services benefiting employers, employees, and the greater Ogden population
  • Intensive training and preparation for job candidates, far beyond those of competitors
  • Unique reviews and assessments of employees during monthly and yearly visits

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for EmpowerU is as follows:

Word of Mouth/Referrals

EmpowerU has built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by providing exceptional service and expertise to their clients and personal associates. Several former employer clients will follow the Goodwins in their new social enterprise to secure employees and will refer EmpowerU to their associates.

Professional Associations and Networking

EmpowerU will extensively target the professional associations and governmental agencies within the city of Odgen to inform and invite potential employers to seek qualified employees through EmpowerU.

Social Media Outreach

Through several social media channels, prospective employees with a wide variety of skills will be invited to reach out to EmpowerU for job training and placement. Invitations via social media will also invite employers of private companies and governmental agencies, particularly human resources managers, to engage with EmpowerU to place employees into advantageous roles.

Website/SEO Marketing

EmpowerU will fully utilize their website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that EmpowerU provides. The website will also list their contact information and offer an online reservation system for potential employees who would like to talk with or visit the EmpowerU offices. The website will engage SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “job recruitment company” or “employment agency near me”, EmpowerU will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of EmpowerU will be moderate and below competitors so employer clients will feel they receive excellent value when engaging new hires as a result of their services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for EmpowerU. Operation Functions:

  • Matt Goodwin will be the co-owner and President of the company. He will oversee all employer client relations.
  • Lauren Goodwin will be the co-owner and Vice President of the company. She will oversee the recruiting of potential job candidates.

Milestones:

EmpowerU will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

  • 5/1/202X – Finalize contract to lease office space
  • 5/15/202X – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts
  • 6/1/202X – Finalize employment contracts for EmpowerU clients
  • 6/15/202X – Begin networking at industry events
  • 6/22/202X – Begin moving into EmpowerU office
  • 7/1/202X – EmpowerU opens its office for business

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for EmpowerU are the fees they will charge to employer clients for their employee placement services.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff EmpowerU. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, office supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

EmpowerU is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its social enterprise. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and association memberships. The breakout of the funding is below:

Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

  • Number of Employer Clients Per Month: 30
  • Average Revenue per Month: $60,000
  • Office Lease per Year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, social enterprise business plan faqs, what is a social enterprise business plan.

A social enterprise business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your social enterprise business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your Social Enterprise business plan using our Social Enterprise Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Social Enterprise Businesses? 

There are a number of different kinds of social enterprise businesses , some examples include: Trading social enterprise, Financial social enterprise, and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charity social enterprise.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Social Enterprise Business Plan?

Social Enterprise businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a Social Enterprise Business?

Starting a social enterprise business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Social Enterprise Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed social enterprise business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast. 

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your social enterprise business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your social enterprise business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Social Enterprise Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your social enterprise business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your social enterprise business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Social Enterprise Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your social enterprise business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your social enterprise business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

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Creating a Winning Business Plan for Social Entrepreneurs

MAY.23, 2023

Business Plan for Social Entrepreneurs

1. What is a Social Entrepreneur Business Plan?

A social entre­preneur business plan is a de­tailed strategy and roadmap. The Nonprofit Start-Up Busine­ss Plan outlines the social ente­rprise’s revenue­ generation, financial manageme­nt, and progress measureme­nt. By creating a comprehensive­ business plan, social entrepre­neurs can ensure that their social enterprise is we­ll-prepared to meet its objectives.

2. Why do we need a social entrepreneur business plan?

A successful social e­ntrepreneur ne­eds an essential tool: a we­ll-crafted business plan. This plan serves multiple purposes. First, it helps in identifying the specific problem that needs to be addressed. Second, it sets clear goals and de­fines the target audience. Third, it devises strategies for achieving these­ objectives. Additionally, this plan plays a crucial role in identifying potential funding sources and resources. It also maps out a timeline for goal attainment.

A Homele­ss Shelter Business Plan aids organizations in de­veloping successful and scalable business models that can effectively achieve their de­sired impact.

3. Sources of funding for social enterprise businesses

Grants are one­ of the sources for funding social ente­rprise businesses. Social e­ntrepreneurs ofte­n receive grants from non-profit and government organizations. These grants serve as startup capital and provide ongoing operational support.

Links to funds for non-profit organizations: Newprofit: https://www.newprofit.org/ Ashoka: https://www.ashoka.org/en-us MassChallenge: https://masschallenge.org/

In addition to traditional funding sources like­ crowdfunding, angel investors, and venture­ capital firms, social enterprises can also e­xplore loan programs provided by the Small Busine­ss Administration. Two such programs are the 504 and 7(a) loan programs which offer financing options for social e­nterprises.

Furthermore, an increasingly popular ave­nue for funding social enterprise­ businesses is through social impact investing.

4. How to write a social enterprise business plan

  • Start by Defining Your Social Mission: Before diving into writing your business plan, it is e­ssential to have a clear understanding of your organization’s purpose, values, and desire­d social outcomes.
  • Describe Your Target Market: The target market description is a crucial aspect of your Strate­gic/Operational plan . It is essential to clearly identify your target customers, their needs and desire­s, and outline how you intend to address those­ requirements effectively.
  • Outline Your Business Model: Then comes outlining your business model. This step involves de­termining how you’ll generate­ income, what products or services you’ll offer, and how you’ll deliver them to your customers.
  • Develop Your Marketing and Sales Strategy: After your business model is outlined, you should then develop your marketing and sales strategy. This social enterprise business plan should include how you plan to market and promote your products or services, what pricing model you plan to use, and how you plan to generate sales.
  • Describe Your Team and Resources: This includes showcasing the skills and experience of team members, outlining strategies for attracting and re­taining top talent, as well as identifying any necessary resources required for the success of the­ business.
  • Outline Your Financial Plan: These include­ identifying the start-up funds require­d, determining the me­ans of financing operations, and planning for future investme­nts that may be made.

5. Executive summary

Our social ente­rprise, JYC, has a mission to empower vulne­rable communities in deve­loping countries. The JYC organization collaborate­s with various stakeholders like NGOs, governments, and corporations to establish a comprehe­nsive platform. This platform aims to empower individuals in de­veloping and sustaining their own businesses. Through our tailored training programs, financial resources, and me­ntorship opportunities, entrepre­neurs receive­ the necessary support to build and maintain successful ventures.

6. Company (Institutional) analysis

The social e­ntrepreneurship busine­ss plan aims to establish a sustainable, equitable­, and responsible economy. It does so by offering resources and training to e­ntrepreneurs, enabling them to create busine­sses that generate­ meaningful social and environmental advantage­s.

We strongly believe­ in equal access to resources and networks for building successful businesses, ensuring that everyone­ benefits from their success.

7. Structure and Background

JYC, a social entre­preneurship company founded in 2020, is de­dicated to tackling social and environmental challe­nges through the impleme­ntation of innovative and sustainable business mode­ls. Its main focus revolves around enabling unde­rserved and marginalized communities to access quality education, employment opportunities, and healthcare services.

Our team comprises skilled professionals from diverse­ sectors, including finance, technology, and social work. Their collective experience empowers us to create sustainable solutions that drive positive­ social change while fostering financial stability.

Social Entrepreneur Business Plan

8. Market (Industry) analysis

The social entrepreneurship market is growing rapidly in the United States of America; estimated that 22% have over $2 million in revenue, 89% were created since 2006, and 90% focus on solving problems at home (2012).

https://www.socialchangecentral.com/social-enterprise-statistics-from-around-the-world/

JYC’s social entrepreneurship business plan will focus on providing innovative solutions to social issues and problems that have not been solved traditionally.

9. Competitor analysis

Our social entrepreneur business plan template competitors are:

  • Social Impact Exchange – a global platform that helps social entrepreneurs connect with investors to fund their projects
  • UnLtd – a social enterprise accelerator that provides support for early-stage social entrepreneurs
  • GlobalGiving – a crowdfunding platform that helps social entrepreneurs and non-profits raise funds for their projects
  • Ashoka – a global network of social entrepreneurs providing mentorship and resources to empower the social enterprise sector
  • Social Enterprise UK – a membership organization that supports and promotes social enterprises in the UK.

10. Services and Products

Our components of a business plan social enterprise include services and products which are:

  • Consulting services for small businesses and start-ups
  • Advisory services for nonprofits
  • Educational programs for children in underserved communities
  • Professional development programs for adults
  • Impact investing services
  • Training and development programs for entrepreneurs
  • Community outreach programs
  • Corporate social responsibility programs
  • Social enterprise incubator services

11. Sales and Marketing Plan

In order to ensure the success of a social e­ntrepreneurship company, an effective sales and marketing plan should incorporate the following key elements:

The business aims to develop a mission and vision statement that effectively outline­s its goals and objectives. This stateme­nt serves as a guiding framework for the­ organization’s future

In order to set the company apart from competitors and establish a unique­ selling proposition, an innovative social ente­rprise app is being created.

In order to effectively promote a product or service, it is important to develop a compre­hensive marketing strategy.

12. Operational plan

Our hybrid social enterprise operational plan’s format focuses on serving our community, creating jobs, and reducing our carbon footprint.

  • Supporting local businesses
  • Incorporating green practices into our operations
  • Developing social programs to benefit the community
  • Establishing a system of sustainable production
  • Creating partnerships with nonprofits and public institutions
  • Minimizing waste and energy consumption.

13. Evaluation/assessment

  • Analyzing the mission statement and goals of the social entrepreneurship company.
  • Examining the business model and resources required to achieve success.
  • Assessing the impact of the company on the community.
  • Examining the company’s financial health and sustainability.
  • Evaluating the management team and their ability to execute the plan.
  • Analyzing the marketing strategy and its effectiveness.
  • Evaluating the potential for growth and scalability.
  • Assessing the competitive landscape and how the company can differentiate itself.

14. Management team

Executive Team:

  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Chief Technology Officer
  • Head of Human Resources

Advisory Board:

  • Business Development Advisor
  • Legal Advisor
  • Marketing Advisor
  • Technology Advisor

15. Projection and Financial Planning

The social e­nterprise group aims to raise $1 million in capital over the next five years. This funding will support various aspects, including platform development, staff recruitment, and covering ope­rational expenses. The­ organization plans to generate re­venue through government contracts and by offering data analytics services to local governments.

Startup Costs

The initial startup costs for this business will be $200,000.

The primary source of revenue will come from government contracts and data analytics services. Government contracts will provide a steady stream of income, while data analytics services will provide additional revenue.

Financial Highlights

The projected financial highlights for the business are as follows:

  • Revenue: $1.5 million by 2024
  • Profits: $400,000 by 2024
  • Return on Investment: 40%
  • Cash Flow: $1.2 million by 2024
  • Break-even Point: 12 months

16. Discover the Power of Social Entrepreneurship with OGS Capital

Highly efficient service.

Highly Efficient Service! I am incredibly happy with the outcome; Alex and his team are highly efficient professionals with a diverse bank of knowledge.

OGS Capital specialize­s in assisting entreprene­urs in developing and implementing impactful social entreprene­urship business plans. Our highly experie­nced team collaborates with nume­rous social entreprene­urs to create custom plans that yield me­asurable outcomes.

Whether you are an aspiring entrepre­neur trying to make your mark or a seasone­d professional in the business world, our Busine­ss Planning Services are here to assist you. We specialize­ in developing comprehe­nsive plans that fully embrace your unique­ vision and core values. Through close collaboration, we­ will work diligently alongside you to identify the­ optimal strategies for success and de­termine the necessary resources to bring your goals to fruition.

OGS Capital values the­ transformative power of social entre­preneurship. With our guidance, you can establish a social ente­rprise that leaves a lasting, me­aningful impression.

OGS Capital can be your re­liable partner in creating a robust social e­ntrepreneurship business plan. Feel free­ to reach out to us today for assistance.

Q. What are examples of social entrepreneurship businesses?

1. Revolution Foods: Revolution Foods is a social enterprise providing healthy meals to underserved students. https://www.revolutionfoods.com/

2. Kiva: Kiva is a nonprofit providing micro-loans to developing countries’ entrepreneurs. https://www.kiva.org/

3. Ecosia: Ecosia is an online search engine that donates 80% of its profits to reforestation projects worldwide. https://www.ecosia.org/

4. Warby Parker: Warby Parker is an eyewear company that donates a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair purchased. https://www.warbyparker.com/

5. Solar Sister: Solar Sister is a social enterprise that helps women in Africa build businesses selling solar-powered products. https://solarsister.org/

Q. How do you write a social enterprise business plan?

When establishing a social enterprise, it is crucial to unde­rtake the task of crafting a comprehe­nsive business plan. This plan serve­s as a roadmap, outlining key aspects such as the e­nterprise’s objective­s and mission, the range of service­s or products on offer, an analysis of the intended audience and market, financial conside­rations, a succinct overview of the marke­ting strategy, and a timeline e­ncompassing both launch and growth milestones. A meticulously de­veloped social ente­rprise business plan sets the­ stage for success in this impactful venture­.

The plan should have­ a comprehensive e­xplanation of the enterprise­’s mission and values. It should also address the compe­titive landscape and any applicable re­gulations. When writing the plan, it is important to be thorough, re­alistic, and ensure clarity for easy understanding.

Download Social entrepreneur business plan Template in PDF

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Social Enterprise Business Plan

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The ability to affect positive change and tackle social or environmental issues is one of the most satisfying parts of owning a social enterprise.

A strong sense of purpose and the desire to change the world motivates social entrepreneurs to start this business. If you are ready to change the world, then start it with proper planning.

Need help writing a business plan for your social enterprise business? You’re at the right place. Our social enterprise business plan template will help you get started.

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  • Fill in the blanks – Outline
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How to Write A Social Enterprise Business Plan?

Writing a social enterprise business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

Introduce your Business:

Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers.

Market Opportunity:

Products and services:.

Highlight the social enterprise services or products you offer your clients. The USPs and differentiators you offer are always a plus.

Marketing & Sales Strategies:

Financial highlights:, call to action:.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your business. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

Business Description:

Describe your business in this section by providing all the basic information:

Describe what kind of social enterprise business you run and the name of it. You may specialize in one of the following social enterprise businesses:

  • Fairtrade organizations
  • Community development enterprises
  • Socially responsible manufacturing
  • Trading social enterprise
  • Education and skills development enterprises
  • Describe the legal structure of your social enterprise, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.
  • Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.

Mission Statement:

Business history:.

If you’re an established social enterprise, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved over time, etc.

Future Goals:

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

Target market:

Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.

Market size and growth potential:

Describe your market size and growth potential and whether you will target a niche or a much broader market.

Competitive Analysis:

Market trends:.

Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as technology disruptions, changes in customer behavior or preferences, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends.

Regulatory Environment:

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your social enterprise business plan:

  • Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
  • Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
  • Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
  • Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

Describe your services:

Mention the social enterprise products or services your business will offer. This list may include products or services like,

  • Eco-friendly household products
  • Sustainable fashion items
  • Job training
  • Healthcare services
  • Renewable energy products

Explain the benefits:

Showcase the innovative side:, additional services:.

In short, this section of your social enterprise plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

Unique Selling Proposition (USP):

Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies.

Pricing Strategy:

Marketing strategies:, sales strategies:, customer retention:.

Overall, this section of your social enterprise business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your social enterprise business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

Staffing & Training:

Operational process:, equipment & machinery:.

Include the list of equipment and machinery required for social enterprise, such as manufacturing or production equipment, kitchen & cooking equipment, recycling or waste management, etc.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your social enterprise business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

Founders/CEO:

Key managers:.

Introduce your management and key members of your team, and explain their roles and responsibilities.

Organizational structure:

Compensation plan:, advisors/consultants:.

Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea.

This section should describe the key personnel for your social enterprise services, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

Profit & loss statement:

Cash flow statement:, balance sheet:, break-even point:.

Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.

Financing Needs:

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

  • Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
  • In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
  • Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
  • Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
  • Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your social enterprise business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

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This sample social enterprise business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful social enterprise plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our social enterprise business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a social enterprise business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful social enterprise business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your social enterprise business.

How to get funding for your social enterprise business?

There are several ways to get funding for your social enterprise business, but self-funding is one of the most efficient and speedy funding options. Other options for funding are:

Small Business Administration (SBA) loan

Crowdfunding, angel investors.

Apart from all these options, there are small business grants available, check for the same in your location and you can apply for it.

Where to find business plan writers for your social enterprise business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your social enterprise business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind. .

What is the easiest way to write your social enterprise business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any social enterprise business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software .

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business plan social enterprise

Business plans for social enterprises (SE) and social businesses

Writing a business plan helps to ensure you focus on the core of your business. You must concentrate on key deliverables in a resource-constrained organization and communicate effectively with your stakeholders, including your funders or investors, customers, community, board, employees and volunteers.

The value of social enterprise business planning

Business planning will help any social enterprise (SE) or social purpose business (SPB) to:

  • Attract investment
  • Identify risks
  • Measure social or environmental outcomes
  • Demonstrate that you are using a business approach
  • Showcase the management team
  • Build alliances
  • Check thinking
  • Determine feasibility

In a business plan, you must clearly articulate:

  • The mission of your social enterprise
  • The outline of specific actions to achieve your goals and objectives
  • Establish targets for planning, measuring and improving performance
  • Project the necessary resources, costs and revenues of your program

Sample business plan templates

Many business plan templates exist in the public domain, including this one .

The elements are best used as prompts by social entrepreneurs to build their own plan, assessing along the way whether or not the question (or element) is relevant for the Social Enterprise or the social business.

Social enterprise business plans versus non-profit plans

Description of the business/mission statement.

The social mission and the importance of meeting both the financial and social goals should be discussed in this section.

Management and organization

Financing the capacity of the organization is as important as supporting the programs. Include an assessment of the current organization, planned additions and/or changes as well as the cost of building the team’s capacity in order to achieve the projected growth. Demonstrate that the staff has both programmatic and business skills.

Market assessment and marketing plan

The plan should focus on delivering market-driven products or services as opposed to program-driven products or services to the target customer .

You will also need to articulate how to promote your social objectives along with the product and service.  Partnerships and collaborations extend the reach of the social venture.  Highlight your partnership strategy in this section.

Your marketing plan includes the strategies and tactics to reach your customers, partners and the community.  Outline the public relations, media relations, and advertising that will be required to meet your objectives. The marketing plan should be linked in with your financial plan and your overall strategy.

A solid financial position will allow you to pursue your mission with flexibility and high-quality service, beyond mere stability.  Investors must feel confident their investment will be used effectively to achieve both the social mission and financial results that will enable your organization to thrive and achieve continued growth.

The financial plan provides the framework for social entrepreneurs to forecast the resources they need to create and sustain social and economic value. Commercial entrepreneurs prepare business plans to show why they need money and how they will use it.  Social entrepreneurs should use the same approach and not worry about the limited resources currently available.

Social Enterprise Investors

Investors and funders alike want to know the cost to develop, start up, offer and deliver services or products, whether or not any one user or payer is willing to cover it. When interacting with potential funders or investors, you need a detailed budget and projection of required outside investment tied in with a plan to reach the desired market position.

Investors want returns, typically a blend of financial and social. Your plan must describe the potential “return” on investment for investors and the desired social outcomes, and provide a framework for assessing social performance .

Remember that a social purpose business is similar to any other for-profit business, but the organization will likely raise financing from investors who are interested in a double bottom line. Social enterprises in the non-profit environment will typically raise funding from traditional fundraising, loans and other forms of social finance.

Dees, J.G., Emerson, J., & Economy, P. (2001).  Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs . Toronto: John Wiley & Sons.

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What Is a Social Enterprise?

Understanding social enterprises.

  • Social Entrepreneurship

Examples of a Social Enterprise

Special considerations.

  • Social Enterprise FAQs
  • Business Essentials

Social Enterprise: What It Is, How It Works, and Examples

business plan social enterprise

Investopedia / Theresa Chiechi

A social enterprise or social business is defined as a business with specific social objectives that serve its primary purpose. Social enterprises seek to maximize profits while maximizing benefits to society and the environment, and the profits are principally used to fund social programs.

Key Takeaways

  • A social enterprise is a business with social objectives.
  • Maximizing profits is not the primary goal of a social enterprise as is with a traditional business.
  • Unlike a charity, social enterprises pursue endeavors that generate revenues, which fund their social causes.
  • Regarding employment, preference is given to job-seekers from at-risk communities.
  • Funding for a social enterprise is often obtained by selling services and goods.

The concept of a social enterprise was developed in the U.K. in the late 1970s to counter the traditional commercial enterprise.  Social enterprises exist at the intersection of the private and volunteer sectors. They seek to balance activities that provide financial benefits with social goals, such as housing for low-income families or job training.

Funding is obtained primarily by selling goods and services to consumers, although some funding is obtained through grants. Because profit-maximization is not the primary goal, a social enterprise operates differently than a standard company.

While earning profits is not the primary motivation behind a social enterprise, revenue still plays an essential role in the venture's sustainability. Sustainable revenue differentiates a social enterprise from a traditional charity that relies on outside funding to fulfill its social mission. This goal does not mean social enterprises cannot be profitable. Instead, it's simply that their priority is to reinvest profits into their social mission rather than fund payouts to shareholders. 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) identifies social enterprises as being highly participatory, with stakeholders actively involved and a minimum number of paid employees.

Social Enterprise vs. Social Entrepreneurship

A social enterprise is not to be confused with social entrepreneurship , which focuses on individuals who develop solutions to social and environmental problems using existing business techniques and strategies.  Social entrepreneurs seek innovative ways to drive change, whereas social enterprises form to fulfill a business purpose and solve societal needs through their commercial activities.

Many social enterprises successfully maximize improvements in social well-being . For example, Warby Parker is an American eyeglass retailer that donates a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold. TOMS, a California-based retailer, similarly has pledged to donate a pair of shoes or sunglasses for every pair sold.  Also, Radicle trains businesses and gives them software tools to track and cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

Employees of social enterprises come from many backgrounds, but priority is given to those from at-risk sections of the communities. These may include long-term underemployed workers, who have historically worked in jobs where they were informally paid.

Social enterprise opportunities may seek to provide a living wage, which is above the minimum wage in most cities. Some social enterprises may pointedly seek out employees from at-risk groups as a requirement for hire.

What Are Examples of Social Enterprise?

Social enterprises are usually a blend of private and volunteer sectors. A credit union, a coffee shop that sells fair-trade beans and hires candidates from at-risk communities, or a neighborhood food co-op are all examples of social enterprises.

How Can I Start a Social Enterprise?

If you own a business, you could partner with a nonprofit, food pantry (if applicable), or other charity and donate your time, money, or products. If you are starting from the ground up, the first step may be to identify a problem and your solution to it, explain to potential funders your action plan, and make sure you have experts to back up and support your endeavor.

How Can I Get Hired to Work for a Social Enterprise?

If you want to get hired by a social enterprise, you should understand both the for-profit and the social benefits that it provides. Many employees of social enterprises are from diverse backgrounds and some may come from at-risk communities. Like any job, the qualifications will likely be based on experience and education, as well.

Social Enterprise UK. " FAQs ."

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. " The Social Enterprise Sector: A Conceptual Framework ," Page 1.

Warby Parker. " Buy a Pair, Give a Pair. "

TOMS. " Our Story ."

PR Newswire. " TOMS Introduces TOMS Eyewear, The Next One for One™ Product ."

Radicle. " About Radicle ."

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Social Enterprise Business Plan Template

A social enterprise is a business that aims to achieve a particular public or community mission (social, environmental, cultural or economic), and reinvests the majority of its profits into achieving that mission. This template can be used to write a business plan for a social enterprise that describes both the positive impact of the social enterprise and the plan to make it a viable business.

Download the Social Enterprise Business Plan template

business plan social enterprise

This template is appropriate when:

  • You are writing a business plan for a social enterprise (if you aren’t sure whether you are running a social enterprise have a look at this article ).

This template is NOT appropriate when:

  • You are writing a plan for a non-profit that gets most of its revenue through donations or grants.
  • You are writing a plan for a for-profit business. However, in this case you could just use the business section of the template.

The Stakeholder Analysis Matrix Template by  tools4dev  is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License . All other content is  © tools4dev .

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MITx: Business and Impact Planning for Social Enterprises

Are you a social entrepreneur looking to refine your mission and scale your impact? Learn how to articulate your impact goals, theory of change, and plans to scale with a global community through this five-week, interactive course. This course is run by Solve , an initiative of MIT that supports social entrepreneurs solving the world’s most pressing challenges.

Business and Impact Planning for Social Enterprises

Business and Impact Planning for Social Enterprises

About this course.

People in every corner of the world are innovating to solve social and environmental problems in their communities. In the past decade, new programs like MIT Solve have emerged to support those social entrepreneurs and drive partnerships to accelerate their impact. However, many startups find it difficult to develop business plans that clearly communicate their work and impact — vital factors in securing funding and other growth opportunities.

This five-week course helps early-stage social impact startups define three key aspects of their business:

Impact Opportunity: What is the scale of the problem you are working on? How many people are impacted? and What impact might you make?

Customer Discovery: What specific group will your solution serve, and how will it impact their lives? How can you better understand this group?

Theory of Change: How can you be sure that your work addresses the problem you’re solving? How is your approach unique?

Planning for Scale: How can you reach more people to scale your positive impact? Where will you gain the funding needed to expand?

Each week, we will dive into case studies from leading social entrepreneurs and both nonprofit and for-profit enterprises around the world. Building off these studies, we will help you design your own social business model and impact plan. Upon completing this course, you will have:

Designed unique responses to five core business model and impact questions. These answers can be used to scale your impact moving forward and to submit an application to MIT Solve’s open innovation platform

Produced a pitch video summarizing your work for potential partners and users (Optional)

Made new connections to other social innovators who are solving important problems in your region and beyond

You may be a good candidate for this course if any of the following criteria apply to you:

You are considering applying to Solve’s Global Challenges in 2021 or another social impact innovation program and are seeking advice to create and complete the application

You are solving an important social or environmental problem and need help to describe and develop your work

You are starting on an idea or solution to a social or environmental problem and need training or skills development to design and share your goals

What is Solve?

Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a mission to solve world challenges. Solve is a marketplace for social impact innovation. Through open innovation Challenges, Solve finds incredible tech-based social entrepreneurs all around the world. Solve then brings together MIT’s innovation ecosystem and a community of Members to fund and support these entrepreneurs to help them drive lasting, transformational impact. Join Solve on this journey at solve.mit.edu .

At a glance

  • Institution: MITx
  • Subject: Business & Management
  • Level: Introductory

No formal prerequisites. A basic awareness of business concepts is useful, and a project that you are working on is beneficial if not required.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills: Entrepreneurship, Planning, Communications, Theory Of Change, Innovation, Business Modeling

What you'll learn

How to describe key aspects of a social impact startup, such as impact opportunity, theory of change, and plans to scale

How to analyze the social ventures of your peers and predecessors and apply that analysis to your own work

Gain confidence in your ability to identify and address social and environmental challenges

Course assignments can be used as part of applications to social entrepreneurship programs such as MIT Solve

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m applying to Solve’s Challenges - will taking this course give my submission an advantage? Solve’s judges and reviewers will not consider whether an applicant participated in the course. However, we hope that the content and exercises will strengthen your application to our Global Challenges.

I’m applying to Solve’s Challenges - will paying for verification give my submission an advantage? No. Verification will give you access to graded tests and staff evaluation on your written assignments, with the potential to earn a verified certificate from edX showing an understanding of this content. No staff involved in grading coursework will be involved in reviewing Challenge submissions.

I’m not yet working on an idea/I’m just starting to work on my idea/I’m not sure I’d call myself an entrepreneur, am I allowed to take this course? Yes - we welcome learners at all stages of experience.

Who can take this course?

Ways to take this course, interested in this course for your business or team.

ProfitableVenture

Social Enterprise Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans » Non-Profit Sector

Do you want to start a social enterprise and need to write a plan? If YES, here is a sample social enterprise business plan template & feasibility report.

A social enterprise is an organization that leverages on commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being.

Social Enterprise

Social enterprises have both business and social goals. As a result, their social goals are embedded in their objective, which differentiates them from other organizations and corporations.

The major objectives of a social enterprise organization are to promote, encourage, and make social change. This goes to show that there are diverse areas where you can focus on with your social enterprise ideas.

You can actually invest in the Community Housing & Homeless Shelters industry and interestingly, this industry is made up of businesses that offer temporary and emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing , construction and repairs and other.

A Sample Social Enterprise Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

In the united states, the Social Enterprise Alliance defines a “social enterprise” as “Organizations that address a basic unmet need or solve a social or environmental problem through a market-driven approach.” Interestingly an entrepreneur can focus on starting a transitional housing as a social enterprise.

Transitional housing is temporary housing for certain segments of the homeless population, including working homeless people who are earning too little money to afford long-term housing. Transitional housing is set up to transition residents into permanent, transitional housing.

It is not in an emergency homeless shelter, but usually a room or apartment in a residence with support services. The transitional time can be short, for example one or two years, and in that time the person must file for and get permanent housing and usually some gainful employment or income, even if Social Security or assistance.

Sometimes, the transitional housing residence program charges a room and board fee, maybe 30 percent of an individual’s income, which is sometimes partially or fully refunded after the person procures a permanent place to live in. In the USA, federal funding for transitional housing programs was originally allocated in the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1986.

Transitional housing business is part of the community housing and homeless shelters industry and this industry provides a variety of community housing services, including:

Short-term emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse; temporary residential shelter for the homeless , runaway youths and parents and families caught in medical crises; transitional housing and assisted living for low-income individuals and families; and volunteer construction or repair of low-cost housing.

The Community Housing & Homeless Shelters Industry is indeed a large industry and pretty much active in most developed countries of the world.

Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 12,323 registered and licensed community housing and homeless shelters companies responsible for directly employing about 132,874 people and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $12 billion annually.

The industry is projected to grow at – 0.7 percent annually within 2014 and 2019. It is important to state that no company can boast of having a major market share in the industry.

Some of the factors that encourage entrepreneurs to start their own transitional housing company as a social enterprise organization could be that the business is thriving and profitable, and an aspiring entrepreneur can successfully launch the business if they have a pool of cash.

If you are going into the construction of transitional housing as a social enterprise organization, it is very important to be creative, to be able to use your ideas to meet the rapidly changing needs of the society when it comes to housing and meeting related social needs of your target market.

2. Executive Summary

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing , Inc. is a social enterprise and not a charity organization. It is a profit-generating business that serves not just to make money but also to make an impact in the lives of the homeless in the city where we are going to be operating from.

We will have our headquarters in Montgomery – Alabama and will major in the construction of transitional housing so as to provide a variety of community housing services, including:

Short-term emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse; temporal residential shelter for the homeless, runaway youths and parents and families caught in medical crises; transitional housing and assisted living for low-income individuals and families; and volunteer construction or repair of low-cost housing.

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is going to be a self-administered and a self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). We will engage in the construction of different transitional homes that will meet the needs of our clients.

We will work towards becoming one of the largest transitional housing construction companies in the United States of America with active presence in major cities.

As part of our plans to make our customers our number one priority and to become one of the leading social enterprise in the United States of America, we have perfected plans to adopt international best practices that can favorably compete with the best in the industry. St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. has overtime perfected plans that will help us to become specialists in our area.

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a social enterprise organization, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable social enterprise practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely. St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. will be owned majorly by Peter McCain and his immediate family members. Peter McCain has a Degree in Civil Engineering.

He is a property guru that has worked with top community housing companies in the United States of America for many years prior to starting his own social enterprise. Other organizations and investors with same social enterprise ideology whose name cannot be mentioned here for obvious reasons are going to be part of the business.

3. Our Products and Services

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is going to offer varieties of services within the scope of the community housing and homeless shelters industry in the United States of America. Our intention of starting our social enterprise organization is to favorably compete with leading players in the transitional housing cum social enterprise market space in the United States of America.

We will be involved in providing;

  • Short-term emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse
  • Temporary residential shelter for homeless, runaway youths and families caught in medical crises
  • Transitional and assisted housing for low-income individuals and families
  • Volunteer construction or repair of low-cost housing
  • Repair of homes for elderly or disabled homeowners as a support service

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

Our vision as a social enterprise is to become the leading operator in the social economy of Alabama whose main objective is to have a social impact rather than make a profit for our owners and shareholders.

Our mission of starting a social enterprise cum transitional housing construction business is to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse, the homeless, runaway youths, families caught in medical issues and average low – income earning families, own their own transitional housing in and around Montgomery – Alabama.

Our Business Structure

Our organization’s structure is not entirely different from what is obtainable in the community housing and homeless shelters industry. As a matter of priority, we have decided to create a structure that will allow for easy growth for our employees and also, we have created platforms that will enable us attract some of the best hands in the industry.

We are quite aware that the success of any social enterprise lies in the foundation on which the business is built on, which is why we have decided to build our transitional housing construction company on the right business foundation.

We will ensure that we only hire people that are qualified, honest, hardworking, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stakeholders.  As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more depending how fast we meet our set target.

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is fully aware of the modus operandi in the community housing and homeless shelters industry, hence adequate provision and competitive packages has been prepared for independent real estate brokers.

Our marketing department will be responsible for managing this aspect of our business structure. Below is the business structure we will build St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. on;

  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Company’s Lawyer / Secretary

Project Manager

Civil Engineer

Land Surveyor

Admin and HR Manager

  • Business Developer / Sales and Marketing

Transitional Housing Officer

  • Customer Service Executive / Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO (President):

  • Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results.
  • Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
  • Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
  • Responsible for providing direction for the business
  • Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
  • Evaluates the success of the organization
  • Reports to the board

Company’s Lawyer/Secretary/Legal Counsel

  • Responsible for drawing up contracts and other legal documents for the company
  • Consult and handle all corporate legal processes (e.g. intellectual property, mergers & acquisitions, financial / securities offerings, compliance issues, transactions, agreements, lawsuits and patents et al)
  • Develop company policy and position on legal issues
  • Research, anticipate and guard company against legal risks
  • Represent company in legal proceedings (administrative boards, court trials et al)
  • Play a part in business deals negotiation and take minutes of meetings
  • Responsible for analyzing legal documents on behalf of the company
  • Prepares annual reports for the company
  • Responsible for the planning, management and coordinating all projects on behalf of the company
  • Supervise projects
  • Ensure compliance during project executions
  • Providing advice on the management of projects
  • Responsible for carrying out risk assessment
  • Using IT systems and software to keep track of people and progress of ongoing projects
  • Responsible for overseeing the accounting, costing and billing of every project
  • Represent the organization’s interest at various stakeholders’ meetings
  • Ensures that project desired result is achieved, the most efficient resources are utilized and different interests involved are satisfied.
  • Responsible for preparing bids for tenders, and reporting to clients, public agencies and planning bodies
  • Ensures that sites meet legal guidelines, and health and safety requirements
  • Assessing the environment impact and risks connected to projects
  • Responsible for judging whether projects are workable by assessing materials, costs and time requirements
  • Drawing up blueprints, using Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages
  • Discussing requirements with the client and other professionals (e.g. architects and project managers et al)
  • Responsible for managing, directing and monitoring progress during each phase of a project
  • Responsible for creating building designs and highly detailed drawings
  • Working around constraining factors such as town planning legislation, environmental impact and project budget
  • Writing and presenting reports, proposals, applications and contracts
  • Adapting plans according to circumstances and resolving any problems that may arise during construction
  • Work with project team and management to achieve a common goal
  • Responsible for applying for planning permission and advice from governmental new building and legal department.
  • Responsible for undertaking land surveys/measurements
  • Responsible for presenting data to clients
  • Responsible for producing and advising about construction plans and drawings
  • Responsible for advising about technical matters and whether the construction plans are viable
  • Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
  • Design job descriptions with KPI to drive performance management for clients
  • Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders to review the effectiveness of HR Policies, Procedures and Processes
  • Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
  • Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
  • Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
  • Carrying out staff induction for new team members
  • Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
  • Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
  • Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.
  • In charge of inspecting and reporting on the structural attributes of a building
  • Responsible for handling reporting on and evaluating the component systems of a building (electrical, fire, roofing and plumbing)
  • Assessing compliance with building, electrical, plumbing and fire codes
  • Evaluating building plans and permits
  • Studying and assessing the soil composition and attributes of where the building is located
  • Reviewing and approving plans that meet building codes, local ordinances and zoning regulations
  • Issuing violation notices and stop-work orders until building in violation is compliant
  • Keeping daily logs, including photographs taken during inspection
  • Handle real estate consultancy and advisory services

Marketing and Sales Executive/Business Developer

  • Identify, prioritize, and reach out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
  • Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
  • Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s need s, and communicate with clients
  • Finds and qualifies land for development based on company’s land requirements; maintains a land search database; initiates discussions with property owners about the possible sale of property
  • Develop, execute and evaluate new plans for expanding increase sales
  • Document all customer contact and information
  • Represent the company in strategic meetings
  • Help increase sales and growth for the company
  • Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
  • Provides managers with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports
  • Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
  • Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
  • Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
  • Responsible for administering payrolls
  • Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
  • Handles all financial transactions for the company
  • Serves as internal auditor for the company

Front Desk/Customer’s Service Officer

  • Receives Visitors/clients on behalf of the organization
  • Receives parcels/documents for the company
  • Handles enquiries via e-mail and phone calls for the organization
  • Distribute mails in the organization
  • Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
  • Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
  • Manages administrative duties assigned by the line manager in an effective and timely manner
  • Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s properties that are put – up for sale, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries

6. SWOT Analysis

The fact that transitional housing construction business is a very rewarding business does not mean that there are no challenges in the industry. In order to compete favorably in the community housing and homeless shelters industry as a social enterprise organization we have been able to hire the services of tested and trusted business and HR consultants to help us conduct critical SWOT analysis.

We intend maximizing our strengths, explore all opportunities we will come across, properly manage our weakness and confront our threats. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc.;

Some of the strengths that we will be bringing to the table in the industry is our robust relations with properties investment moguls in the whole of the United States of America. Also, our access to pools of low-income earning families and the homeless who are willing to own their own transitional housing.

Again, we have a team of experts who have cut their teeth in the social enterprise market. Our commission structure and relationship with freelance real estate agents in Montgomery – Alabama and other state in the US will also count towards our advantage.

As a newbie in the transitional housing line of business, we might have some challenges competing with big time social enterprise organizations and other transitional housing construction companies that have been in the industry for many years; that perhaps is part of our weakness.

  • Opportunities:

Unemployment usually leads to a decline in income, which makes housing less affordable. A rise in the national unemployment rate will increase demand for community housing services. Conversely, a decrease in the unemployment rate will reduce the number of individuals seeking the services provided by the industry.

The national unemployment rate is expected to decrease in 2019. However, potential economic uncertainty in the near future could contribute to higher unemployment, presenting an opportunity for the industry.

The majority of industry revenue comes from the federal, state and local government-funded homeless and housing assistance programs. Any changes in funding or government policy will drastically affect industry revenue. Federal funding for social services is expected to decrease in 2019, posing a potential threat to the industry.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • Market Trends

Housing choice is a response to an extremely complex set of economic, social, and psychological impulses. For example, some households may choose to spend more on housing because they feel they can afford to, while others may not have a choice but to stick to transitional housing via as a way of escaping being homeless.

Market forces, policy decisions, and demographic changes have converged, making it more difficult to increase transitional housing for renters. The US affordable-housing crisis shows no signs of going away anytime soon, and it’s having the unadulterated effects on people with the lowest

So also, with the high rate of people migrating to the United States, it is the norm for them to contract transitional housing construction companies to help them with transitional housing that they intend leasing or renting on a short time basis. In essence, most transitional housing construction companies are targeting migrants and the vulnerable in the society who are likely going to need such properties.

Another obvious trend that is common with transitional housing construction companies in the United States of America is that most of them are improvising on more means of making money in the industry and as matter of fact, they are also acting as property developers and home staging agents.

One thing is certain for every transitional housing construction company; if they are hardworking, creative and proactive, they will always generate enough income to meet all their overhead and operational cost, keep their business going without struggle and make reasonable profits.

8. Our Target Market

As a social enterprise operating in transitional housing market space, our target market cuts across homeless and vulnerable families who are classified as low-income earners. We are coming into the community housing and homeless shelters industry with a business concept that will enable us work with a wide range of clients and make positive social impact in their lives.

Our target market are vulnerable and low – income earning families in the whole of the United States of America and we have put plans in place to recruit freelance agents (brokers) nationally to represent our interest wherever they are located in the United States of America.

Below is a list of the people and organizations that we have specifically designed our services for;

  • Victims of domestic violence
  • Sexual assault or child abuse victims
  • The homeless, runaway youths and parents and families caught in medical crises
  •  Low-income individuals and families
  • Families who are interested in acquiring/renting a decent and well renovated transitional apartment

Our Competitive Advantage

The availability of competent and reliable real estate professionals under our payroll, our business process, pricing model and social impact packages et al are part of our competitive advantages.

Another possible competitive strategy for winning our competitors in this particular industry is to build a robust clientele base, and ensure that our transitional homes designs are top notch and trendy. Our organization is well positioned, key members of our team are highly reliable and competent and can favorably compete with the some of the best in the industry.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and objectives. We will also engage freelance real estate brokers/agents on a commission level to help us market our services.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

  • Sources of Income

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is established with the aim of making maximum social impact and of course profits. Although we are a social enterprise in the transitional housing market space, but part of our work force are also licensed real estate agents hence we intend generating additional income from diverse means in the real estate agency.

We have successfully built a vibrant real estate network that covers the whole of the United States of America so as to help us build a profitable social enterprise organization. Below are the sources we intend exploring to generate income for St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc.;

  • Repair of homes for elderly or disabled homeowners as part of our give back to the community.

10. Sales Forecast

It is a known fact that as long as there are vulnerable people and low – income earning families in the United States of America, there will always be need to for transitional housing construction companies from time to time.

We are well positioned to take on the challenges that are synonymous with social enterprises that operate in the transitional housing market space in the United States, we are quite optimistic that we will meet out set target of generating enough income/profits from the first month or operations and grow the influence of our social enterprise beyond Montgomery – Alabama to other states within record time.

We have been able to examine the social enterprise market, we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projections are based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions peculiar to similar start – ups in Montgomery – Alabama;

Below are the sales projections for St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. it is based on the location of our social enterprise and the services we will be offering;

  • First Fiscal Year (FY1): $1 million
  • Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $2.5 million
  • Third Fiscal Year (FY3): $3.5 million

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and any major competitor offering same services and social impacts as we do within the locations where we have a strong business presence. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher since some factors are beyond our control.

  • Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We quite mindful of the fact that there are stiff competitions in the transitional housing market in the United States of America, hence we have been able to hire some of the best business developers to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall goal of the organization.  The training is not restricted to only our full – time employees but it will also get to our freelance brokers. St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies;

  • Introduce our social enterprise cum transitional housing construction company by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to low income earning families, vulnerable families, individuals and other key stake holders throughout the city where our social enterprise organization is located.
  • Advertise on the internet on blogs and forums, and also on social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn to get your message across
  • Create a basic website for our business so as to give your business an online presence
  • Directly market our services
  • Join local social enterprise organization associations for industry trends and tips
  • Join local chambers of commerce and industry with the aim of marketing our services
  • Advertise our social enterprise organization in community – based newspapers, local TV and radio stations
  • List our social enterprise on yellow pages’ ads (local directories)
  • Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals)

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to take the transitional housing cum real estate industry by storm which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our social enterprise organization.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise our social enterprise organization;

  • Place adverts on both print and electronic media platforms
  • Sponsor relevant TV shows so as to be able to communicate our brand and what we do
  • Maximize our company’s website to promote our business
  • Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and other platforms (real estate online forums) to promote our business and list our properties for sale and for lease.
  • Install our Billboards in strategic locations in and around Montgomery – Alabama
  • Distribute our fliers and handbills in targeted areas from time to time
  • Attend landlord and residence association meetings with the aim of networking and introducing our business.
  • Ensure that all our workers wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles and ambulances are well branded with our company’s logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

The fact that a social enterprise is not a charity organization but a profit-generating business that serves not just to make money but also to make a social impact, means that we will charge far less than what people in main stream industry will be charging.

We will ensure that we don’t know run at a loss but at the same make relative profits that we can easily leverage on to make maximum impact in our city.

  • Payment Options

At St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. our payment policy is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will not accept payment by cash because of the volume of cash that will be involved in most of our transactions.

Real estate deals usually involve huge amount of money. Here are the payment options that St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. will make available to her clients;

  • Payment by via bank transfer
  • Payment via online bank transfer
  • Payment via check
  • Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans without any itches and we will also pay our freelance sales agents (real estate brokers) with same platforms.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

From our market survey and feasibility studies, we have been able to come up with a detailed budget on achieving our aim of establishing a standard and highly competitive social enterprise cum transitional housing construction company in Montgomery – Alabama and here are the key areas where we will spend our startup capital;

  • The total fee for incorporating the business in The United States of America – $750.
  • The budget for permits and license – $2,000
  • The cost for hiring business consultant – $2,500.
  • The cost for computer software apps (Accounting Software, Payroll Software, CRM Software, real estate software, and QuickBooks Pro et al) – $7,000
  • The budget for insurance (general liability, workers’ compensation and property casualty) coverage at a total premium – $5,400.
  • The cost for acquiring suitable Office facility with enough space in Montgomery – Alabama – $1.5 million.
  • The cost for equipping the office (computers, printers, fax machines, furniture, telephones, filing cabins, safety gadgets and electronics et al) – $150,000
  • Other start-up expenses including stationery ($500) and phone and utility deposits ($2,500).
  • Operational cost for the first 3 months (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $100,000
  • The cost of launching our official Website – $600
  • Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $5,000

Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need approximately 2.5 million dollars to successfully set up a small scale but standard social enterprise in the transitional housing market space in the United States of America.

Please note that the salaries of all our staff members for the first month is included in the expenditure and the pool cash needed for the construction of the first set of affordable houses is not part of this financial projection. We will contact our partners to pool cash together when the time comes.

Generating Funds/Startup Capital for St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc.

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is a social enterprise that will be owned and managed by Peter McCain, his immediate family members and other business partners. They decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital for the social enterprise to just three major sources.

  • Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
  • Generate part of the startup capital from friends and other extended family members
  • Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $1 million (Personal savings $800,000 and soft loan from family members $200,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $1.5 million from our bank. All the papers and documents have been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers that they have, the capacity and competence of their employees, their investment strategy and business structure. If all these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business closes shop.

One of our major goals of starting St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to rent / lease / sell our transitional housing services a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

St. Peter McCain© Transitional Housing, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner.

We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List/Milestone

  • Business Name Availability Check: Completed
  • Business Incorporation: Completed
  • Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts: Completed
  • Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
  • Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
  • Application for business license and permit: Completed
  • Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
  • Acquiring of Office Facility and remodeling the facility in Montgomery – Alabama: Completed
  • Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
  • Generating capital from the CEO/President and Business Partners: Completed
  • Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
  • Writing of Business Plan: Completed
  • Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
  • Drafting of Contract Documents and other relevant Legal Documents: In Progress
  • Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
  • Printing of Marketing/Promotional Materials: Completed
  • Recruitment of employees: In Progress
  • Purchase of the needed furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
  • Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
  • Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
  • Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
  • Establishing business relationship with key players in the industry (networking and membership of relevant real estate bodies): In Progress

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Ever considered creating a social enterprise business plan? Most people haven’t. The idea sounds like an inefficient, unsustainable business structure to many, but it is, in fact, quite the opposite.

Setting up a social enterprise business plan may be the solution you have been looking for. Social enterprise can transform a company to make it a leader in its industry. The guide below will cover the in’s and out’s of building a social enterprise business plan outline.

What Is a Social Enterprise?

social enterprise business plan

The definition of a social enterprise varies by where you find it. Some definitions I found in my research include:

  • For-profit businesses seeking social impact
  • Tax-exempt nonprofit organizations
  • Social entrepreneurs building an enterprise
  • Individuals creating self-sustaining solutions

In the corporate sense, the definition of a social enterprise is somewhere between a nonprofit organization and a for-profit business. Think of it as a private business with a social mission.

Who can start a social enterprise?

Starting a social enterprise is similar to launching a business. The ideal candidates are a hard-working entrepreneur looking to influence social change or an existing business owner looking to expand or change its business model.

What is the purpose of a social enterprise?

business plan social enterprise

A social enterprise has a mission to achieve. This mission typically involves solving a social, cultural, or environmental issue. The central focus of its business structure is to solve that mission while also generating a sustainable profit.

Nonprofits sacrifice some freedom in return for some legal benefits, such as tax exemption. Their mission must be focused on a charitable cause in order to be eligible for nonprofit status.

Traditional businesses, on the other hand, must pay taxes, but they have more freedom. Most businesses set out on a mission to build their brand and grow sales, though they can also be underlined by a greater cause.

A social enterprise is an undertaking that yields financial and social results. Think of it as a private business with a social mission.

How do social enterprises make a profit?

How a social enterprise makes a profit may depend on its business structure. For example, a nonprofit social enterprise may rely on donations from the community through fundraising events . A for-profit social enterprise may be more focused on generating sales.

Why should I start a social enterprise?

Some companies find more success in converting to a social enterprise business plan model. Often, social enterprises have more of a social connection and community impact than traditional businesses. So, this opens the door to greater branding opportunities and more exposure to a community.

Social enterprises can make an impact on a local and global level, so the scope of your company  isn’t a huge factor. Furthermore, any size of company can undertake a social enterprise business plan.

However, you must have the right motives behind a building a social enterprise. Most companies already have a mission that is at least loosely focused on social, cultural, or environmental improvement. Transitioning to a social enterprise will only enhance or expand your existing mission.

You should not change your business plan if you are only interested in making money. A social enterprise may require some sacrifice to get off the ground. You must genuinely care about your cause to generate profits in the long run.

Developing a Social Enterprise Business Plan

social enterprise business plan

Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) is an organization that is building a network of successful social enterprises, big and small. At the core of its mission, SEUK seeks to transform the business atmosphere by supporting burgeoning social enterprises.

In a recent press release , CEO of SEUK Peter Holbrook announced:

“Today we’re calling on all social enterprises to join our movement. The country’s current economic model is broken but together we can use our collective voice and mandate to bring about the change that is so desperately needed.

“Increasingly more and more people recognise that social enterprise must be the future of business , we are seeing more and more CICs, community businesses, mutuals and co-ops emerge. Our message is that together we are much more powerful than we can ever be alone—our country and our world is crying out for economic models that nourish and support our communities rather than extract wealth and exploit. We are building a powerful movement and we need more of you involved. ”

This powerful statement just might push you to the edge. If you are contemplating starting a social enterprise, then take action today. SEUK’s stance on social enterprises proves that there is a future for these types of businesses.

Developing Your Plan

social enterprise business plan

To develop a social enterprise business plan, you must first have a cause, of course. Hence, do some research in your industry to find what problems need to be solved. Also, you can expand your existing mission.

For example, your business may have a mission to deliver the most rapid roadside assistance across Germany. You could develop this objective into a social and environmental cause to make old and new cars more reliable or to educate the public about auto care.

After researching and establishing your cause, create a detailed plan to fulfill this purpose. Come up with creative yet effective ways to meet your ends. How will you generate profit? What type of business is your enterprise—for-profit or nonprofit?

Also, outline how this business structure will help your brand.  Make your plan realistic. Dive into every small detail or challenge that you might face.

Marketing Your Social Enterprise

As you launch your social enterprise, marketing is essential to get the word out! So, develop a marketing strategy to accompany your business plan. Your marketing strategy should, of course, focus on the impact you plan to make in your community.

Who is your target market? What outlets will you use to reach your target audience? Then, implement your plan and hold your enterprise accountable. If you do not reach your marketing goals, reevaluate your technique and adjust accordingly.

Event marketing is a smart option for social enterprises. Events are the best way to reach your community in a powerful way. Consider planning an event marketing campaign to bolster your social enterprise. Valoso is your go-to partner for all your event marketing and video production needs.

Fill out the form below to learn more about Valoso and get in touch!

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Google could soon release ‘Gemini Business’ and ‘Enterprise’ plans for Workspace

The new subscription tiers will seemingly replace Duet AI.

The Gemini Era graphic from Google.

What you need to know

  • Google recently rebranded its AI efforts as Gemini, and told users to expect Duet AI to become Gemini for Workspace.
  • Now, a leaked changelog gives us our first look at how Google will sell advanced AI features to Google Workspace business customers.
  • New subscription plans, called Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise, will be available to give Workspace customers access to the Gemini 1.0 Ultra model and more.  

Google is planning to update its subscription offerings for Google Workspace business customers just over a week after the Gemini rebrand . The company still houses many of its AI features in Workspace under the Duet AI name . However, Google announced that it would rebrand these features under a new Gemini for Workspace brand. 

Following the leak of an upcoming changelog, first spotted by Testing Catalog in a post on X, we now know this rebrand will include new subscription tiers. The plans are called Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise. According to the changelog, these two subscription plans are slated for release on Wednesday, Feb. 21. 

“The new Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise plans give Google Workspace customers access to one of Google‘s most capable AI models, 1.0 Ultra in Gemini, and enterprise-grade data protections,” the changelog states. ”The Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise plans are available and optimized in English in over 100 countries and territories.”

#BREAKING 🚨 Google Gemini will release Python code execution for Gemini Advanced users and Enterprise-grade data protections for Workspace customers.Release announcements target 20.02.24 and 21.02.24 but these dates may easily change. More details below 👇 pic.twitter.com/Ce0Bbv3HrG February 19, 2024

The new Gemini Business and Enterprise plans will seemingly replace Duet AI, the existing subscription service for AI features in Workspace. That plan costs $30 per month per user, as of Google’s announcement in August 2023. However, with Duet AI being split into two subscription tiers, it’s unclear what will separate the Gemini Business and Enterprise options. There aren’t any answers in the leaked changelog.

It’s worth noting that you won’t need Duet AI, or whatever Google rebrands the subscription to, in order to access AI features in Workspace for much longer. While business Google Workspace customers will likely need a Business or Enterprise subscription, personal Workspace users can use the Google One AI Premium plan instead. That costs $20 per month, and it’ll be a cheaper way for average users to access AI features in Workspace.

However, Google hasn’t provided a timetable for when Gemini for Workspace features will become available for Google One AI Premium subscribers. 

Separately, a changelog entry dated Tuesday, Feb. 20, includes a mention of a new Gemini Advanced tool that can run Python code.

 “These coding capabilities are particularly beneficial for two main use cases: learning and verification,” the changelog explains. “For example, students can play with Gemini’s code examples to better understand how modifications impact the outputs … or, developers can quickly check if the code generated by Gemini runs correctly before copying it.“

These leaked changelog entries do not guarantee that these features will be released on the stated dates. However, it’s clear that Google is swiftly working to improve its AI tools and release new ones. Google already released fixes for the Gemini mobile app and announced a new AI model . 

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‘Gemini Business’ and ‘Gemini Enterprise’ plans for Google Workspace are coming

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Google’s work on Gemini continues with upcoming “Business” and “Enterprise” plans for Workspace customers. 

The upcoming changelog — as spotted by Testing Catalog and Dylan Roussel on X/Twitter today — reveals the existence of “Gemini Business” and “Gemini Enterprise” plans. This will give “Google Workspace customers access to one of Google’s most capable Al models, 1.0 Ultra in Gemini and enterprise-grade data protections.” Notably, this means employee “conversations aren’t used to train Gemini models.”

Uhoh! New Gemini release updates 🤯 Ability to edit and run Python code snippets directly from Gemini is really neat! The new plans are also awesome. What a crazy month for Gemini! 👀 pic.twitter.com/pb954EsJ4e — Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) February 19, 2024

According to Roussel , the “ upgrade today ” link directs you to the existing Google Workspace page about Duet AI. This would suggest that Gemini Business and Enterprise provide access to Help me write, organize, and visualize features, as well as the side panel , in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Chat, and Meet. 

From the leaked changelog alone, we’re not sure if Gemini Business/Enterprise will also provide standalone access to Gemini Advanced on gemini.google.com. Furthermore, it’s unclear what the difference between the two tiers are. There could be different capabilities, or come down to the size of a company/seats needed.

Google announced in August that Duet AI costs $30 per month/account. Meanwhile, Gemini features in the Workspace apps will be coming to personal Google Accounts that have the $19.99/month Google One AI Premium plan. Google said earlier this month that availability would be “coming soon,” but it does not seem like that will happen with the Gemini Business and Enterprise announcement. 

Meanwhile, the first Gemini Advanced exclusive feature is the ability to run Python code snippets “directly in Gemini’s user interface.” This is useful for experimenting, editing, and verifying “that the code works as intended.”

These coding capabilities are particularly beneficial for two main use cases: learning and verification. For example, students can play with Gemini’s code examples to better understand how modifications impact the outputs. This interactive learning experience can help you grasp coding concepts more effectively. Or, developers can quickly check if the code generated by Gemini runs correctly before copying it. This saves you time and ensures that the code you use is functional.

These two changelog entries are separate, with the Python feature dated a day earlier. As always, timing could shift and come later than Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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3. Writings On Education From Introduction To Tolstoy's Writings by Ernest J Simmons (1968)

After Tolstoy's speech at the Moscow Society of Lovers of Russian Literature in 1859, the president of that organization, devoted to popular views of the immediate social significance of literature, coldly reminded him that, however eternal truth and beauty may be in art, the artist is a man of his own times, and that the present historical moment was one in which self-indictment acquired a special meaning and an indefeasible right and hence must manifest itself in literature.

The time would come when Tolstoy's own views on literature for the people would radically change, but at the moment he had reached a point of despair and thought of abandoning literature forever. To scribble stories was stupid and shameful, he told A. A. Fet in a burst of enthusiastic confidence when he learned that this poet was thinking of settling on an estate near him and subordinating literature to farming. Literary friends, learning of his intention to plunge into educational theory and start a school at Yasnaya Polyana, pleaded with him not to deprive Russia of his literary leadership. He answered that his new endeavours bore a direct connection with his retreat from literature. For whom did Russian authors write, he asked? For themselves and the cultured few. For masses of illiterate Russian peasants literature was useless. If they could not read his writings, then he would teach them. This, he declared, was the first and essential step toward the creation of a "literature for the people." Here was a purpose that would satisfy his thirst for activity and moral influence.

When Tolstoy opened his school in the autumn of 1859 in a single room of his large manor house at Yasnaya Polyana, free education for peasant children did not exist in Russia. Occasionally, a village would boast of a priest or an ex-soldier who taught a few children at so much per head. The subjects were elementary, the method a mixture of blows and learning by heart, and the results negligible. This situation Tolstoy wished to remedy by substituting public education based on entirely original pedagogical methods.

With half a year of highly successful teaching behind him, it was almost inevitable that Tolstoy should find himself bedevilled in a maze of speculation on pedagogy and obsessed with schemes for improving national education. In March, 1860, he wrote to a friend, E. P. Kovalevsky, brother of the Minister of National Education, of his efforts and mentioned that he already had fifty students and that the number was growing.

"Wisdom in all worldly affairs it seems to me," he continued, "consists not in recognizing what must be done but in knowing what to do first and then what comes after."

He boldly questioned the value to progress in Russia of roads, the telegraph, literature, and the arts, as long as only about one per cent of some seventy millions of people were literate. As a remedy he proposed the establishment of a Society of National Education. Among its duties would be setting up public schools where they were most needed, designing courses of instruction, training teachers in suitable educational methods, and publishing a journal devoted to the dissemination of the society's pedagogical ideals.

Tolstoy received no official encouragement for his proposed program, but from the evidence of fragments of pedagogical essays at this time it is obvious that he had begun to think out his own course of instruction. In one fragment, entitled " On the Problems of Pedagogy ," he wrote:

"For every living condition of development, there is a pedagogical expediency, and to search this out is the problem of pedagogy."

Aware that he was trying, without sufficient knowledge, to handle large abstract concepts of educational theory, which in Russia were entirely dominated by Western European influence, he went abroad in 1860 to study them at the source. A full account of this effort reveals how thoroughly he pursued his objective. He visited schools and participated in classroom work in Germany, France, and England; he talked with teachers and leading educational theorists in these countries; and he collected and studied quantities of textbook samples and read numerous foreign treatises on education. After visiting schools at Kissingen, he jotted down in his diary:

"It is terrible! Prayers for the king; blows; everything by rote; terrified, beaten children."

Another entry shortly after:

"The idea of experimental pedagogy agitates me. I can scarcely contain myself...."

And in still a third entry, after reading Montaigne, he wrote:

"In education, once more, the chief things are equality and freedom."

Julius Froebel, nephew of Friedrich Froebel the celebrated educational reformer and founder of the kindergarten system, has left an interesting account of his discussion with Tolstoy:

" 'Progress in Russia,' he told me, 'must come out of public education, which among us will give better results than in Germany, because the Russian masses are not yet spoiled by false education."'

Tolstoy went on to inform him of his own school in which learning was in no sense obligatory.

"'If education is good,' he said, 'then the need for it will manifest itself like hunger."'

And Froebel also relates that Tolstoy spoke of the Russian masses as a "mysterious and irrational force," from which one day would emerge an entirely new organization of the world, and said that from the Russian artel would develop in the future a communistic structure.

This report reflects the proud, dogmatic, almost arrogant attitude that Tolstoy adopted toward European personalities he met on this educational study trip. While sincerely seeking knowledge, he invariably made it clear that he belonged to no school of thought, had his own point of view on most questions, and that Europeans did not understand the real failings of their civilization.

From his visits to the schools of Marseille, Tolstoy took away a gloomy impression of the futility of the subjects taught and the lifeless, unimaginative methods of teaching them. On the other hand, when he talked with workers and children on the streets, he found them intelligent, free-thinking, and surprisingly well informed, but with no thanks to their schooling.

This situation led him to conclude in a later account of these experiences, in an article entitled " On National Education ":

"Here is an unconscious school undermining a compulsory school and making its contents almost of no worth.... What I saw in Marseille and in all other countries amounts to this: everywhere the principal part in educating a people is played not by schools, but by life."

This is the kind of characteristic half-truth that Tolstoy was fond of deducing from incomplete experience, and it became an important factor in his educational theorizing. But even half-truths that blasted away the hard shell of traditional and erroneous thinking on vital social problems had their value for him.

Tolstoy returned to Russia in the spring of 1861. He erected a three-room schoolhouse at Yasnaya Polyana, and, with several teachers employed to assist him in the instruction, he worked for the next year and a half with self-sacrificing zeal on theoretical and practical problems of education. He expounded his theories and described his practice in twelve extensive articles and a series of notes published in a magazine he founded called Yasnaya Polyana, the issues of which appeared between February, 1862, and March, 1863. Teachers and students also contributed to the magazine. Much of what follows here is based upon Tolstoy's articles, which for that time were quite original in substance but often weakened by perverse and exasperatingly dogmatic reasoning. Though truth was his sole aim, he occasionally forgot that his sweeping generalizations were based on limited experience with his own little school and on the efforts of unique students and a unique teacher. A persistent scepticism was the trade secret of his thinking in educational matters as in other fields of human endeavour.

Over the door of the school Tolstoy placed the inscription: " Enter and Leave Freely ." Perhaps he was thinking, by way of contrast, of Dante's inscription over hell: " Abandon Hope, All Ye who Enter Here ," which he would hardly have hesitated to place above the entrance to most European schools he had visited. Certainly the atmosphere of his own school convinced the children that education was a precious and joyous heritage.

Tolstoy believed that all education should be free and voluntary. He supported the desire of the masses for education, but he denied that the government or any other authority had the right to force it upon them. The logic of things, and his study of the operation of compulsory education abroad, convinced him that in this form it was an evil. Pupils should come to learn of their own accord, for if education were a good, it would be found as necessary as the air they breathed. If people were antagonistic, then the will of the people should become the guiding factor. Tolstoy's faith in the " will of the people ," even though the people might oppose commonly accepted notions of progress, contained the seeds of his later anarchism, and was a direct slap at radical reformers who would uplift the masses against their will.

Tolstoy also believed that education should answer the needs of the masses, but his conception of their needs had nothing in common with that of contemporary progressive thinkers. Nor did he have any patience with the widespread pedagogical conviction that education should mould the character and improve the morals of students. These were matters for family influence, he declared, and the teacher had no right to introduce his personal moral standards or social convictions into the sanctity of the home. In public education he was concerned primarily with peasants, the vast majority of the population. But he was not bent on elevating them above their class by the power of education (a definite evil in his eyes); he was concerned with making them better, more successful, and happier peasants.

In this context the individualistic direction of Tolstoy's thought was apparent. The assumption of civilization's progress in Macaulay, Buckle, and especially in Hegel, he firmly rejected. For some time opposition between the good of the individual and the good of society had been troubling him. He was already developing a philosophy hostile to the pragmatic ideal that progress could be achieved only by social education of the people through the medium of democracy. Progress was personal, he felt, and not social. Education must serve the individual and not society, for the individual's capacity to serve humanity was what gave meaning to life. Yet he did not appear to see the contradiction in his rejection of the whole modern concept of progress. He would teach the peasant child what he needed, but what he needed was often conditioned by the social system in which he lived.

In his article " On National Education " Tolstoy defined education as "a human activity based on desire for equality and a constant tendency or urge to advance in knowledge." Education, he asserted, was history and therefore had no final aim. Its only method was experience; its only criterion, freedom.

Tolstoy attempted to realize in practice even the more extreme aspects of his educational philosophy. Since he believed that the functioning of a school must be adapted to the peculiar conditions of the pupils, he conceded that his own village school might well be the worst possible model for those elsewhere. Attendance was non-compulsory and free to all. Classes ordinarily ran from eight o'clock to noon and then from three o'clock to six, but, as Tolstoy proudly wrote a friend, the students often continued an hour or more beyond closing time,

"because it is impossible to send the children away — they beg for more."

During the morning, elementary and advanced reading were taught, composition, penmanship, grammar, sacred history, Russian history, drawing, music, mathematics, natural sciences, and religion; in the afternoon there were experiments in physical sciences and lessons in singing, reading, and composition. No consistent order was followed, however, and lessons were lengthened or omitted according to the degree of interest manifested by the students. On Sundays the teachers met to talk over the work and lay out plans for the following week. But there was no obligation to adhere to any plan, and each teacher was placed entirely upon his own. For a time they kept a common diary in which were set down with merciless frankness their failures as well as their successes.

Originality was the guiding spirit. Freedom ruled, but never to the extent of anarchy. When Tolstoy purposely left the room in the middle of a lesson to test the behaviour of his students, they did not break into an uproar as he had observed was the case in similar circumstances in classrooms he visited abroad. When he left, the students were enjoying complete freedom, and hence they behaved as though he were still in the room. They corrected or praised each other's work, and some-times they grew entirely quiet. Such results, he explained, were natural in a school where the pupils were not obliged to attend, to remain, or to pay attention.

Tolstoy insisted that only in the absence of force and compulsion could natural relations be maintained between teacher and pupils. The teacher defined the limits of freedom in the classroom by his knowledge and capacity to manage. And the pupils, Tolstoy wrote, should be treated as reasoning and reasonable beings; only then would they find out that order was essential and that self-government was necessary to preserve it. If pupils were really interested in what was being taught, he declared, disorder would rarely occur, and when it did, the interested students would compel the disorderly ones to pay attention.

The successful functioning of such a school demanded unusual ability on the part of the teacher. Tolstoy admitted this, and justly claimed for himself a certain pedagogic tact. Always in his mind was the pupil's convenience in learning and not the teacher's in teaching. He argued that there was no best method in teaching a subject; the best method was that which the teacher happened to know best. That method was good which when introduced did not necessitate an increase of discipline, and that which required greater severity was bad. The method should develop out of the exigencies of a given problem in teaching, and it should please the pupils instead of the teacher. In short, teaching, according to Tolstoy, could not be described as a method; it was a talent, an art. Finality and perfection were never achieved in it; development and perfecting continued endlessly.

In this free atmosphere of student-dominated learning, certain traditional subjects were resisted in a manner that led Tolstoy to doubt their ultimate usefulness and to question the desirability of teaching them to youngsters. Grammar was such a subject. Although his emphasis in instruction favoured analysis, the kind involved in grammar put the students to sleep. To write correctly and to correct mistakes made by others gave his pupils pleasure, but this was only true when the process was unrelated to grammar. After much experimentation with teaching the subject, he concluded in an article in Yasnaya Polyana that

"grammar comes of itself as a mental and not unprofitable gymnastic exercise, and language — to write with skill and to read and understand — also comes of itself."

In the pages of his educational magazine, Tolstoy provides vivid accounts, filled with all the charm of his realistic art, of daily life at the school. On a cold winter morning the bell would ring. Children would run out into the village street. There was no lagging on the way, no urge to play the truant. Each child was eager to get there first. The pupils carried nothing in their hands, no homework books or exercises. They had not been obliged to remember any lesson. They brought only themselves, their receptive natures, and the certainty that it would be as jolly in school that day as it had been the day before.

At the end of a lesson Tolstoy would announce that it was time to eat and play, and, challenging them to race him out-doors, he would leap downstairs, three or four steps at a time, followed by a pack of screaming laughing children. Then he would face them in the snow and they would clamber over his back, desperately striving to pull him down. He was more like an older brother to them and they responded to his efforts with devotion and tireless interest. Their close, even tender, relations are touchingly reflected in one of the magazine articles. He describes how, after school, he accompanies several of the pupils home on a moonless winter night by a roundabout way through the woods, entertaining them with tales of Caucasian robbers and brave Cossacks. The youngest, a ten-year-old boy, furtively clasps two of his teacher's fingers during the most fearful part of a story. At the end of the narration, by one of those quick transitions of children, an older pupil suddenly asks why do they have to learn singing at school? "What is drawing for?" Tolstoy rhetorically asks, puzzled for the moment about how to explain the usefulness of art. "Yes, why draw figures?" - another queries. "What is a lime tree for?" a third asks. At once all begin to speculate on these questions, and the fact emerges that not everything exists for use, that there is also beauty, and that art is beauty

"It feels strange to repeat what we said then," Tolstoy writes, "but it seems to me that we said all that can be said about utility, and plastic and moral beauty."

The ten-year-old was the last of the group to be delivered to his home. He still clung to Tolstoy's hand, out of gratitude it seemed, and as he entered the miserable thatched hut of his poverty-stricken parents, in which his father and the drunken village tailor were gambling, the lad said pathetically:

"Good-by! Let us always have talks like this!"

Tolstoy ended this account in his article by meditating on the age-old question of the moral and practical utility of educating the masses. The cultured, he wrote, would remonstrate: Why give these poor peasant children the knowledge that will make them dissatisfied with their class and their lot in life? But such a peasant boy, concluded Tolstoy, addressing the upper class,

"needs what your life of ten generations unoppressed by labor has brought to you. You had the leisure to search, to think, to suffer — then give him that for which you suffered; this is what he needs. You, like the Egyptian priest, conceal yourself from him by a mysterious cloak, you bury in the earth the talent given to you by history. Do not fear: nothing human is harmful to man. Do you doubt yourself? Surrender to the feeling and it will not deceive you. Trust in his [the peasant boy's] nature, and you will be convinced that he will take only that which history commanded you to give him, that which you have earned by suffering."

The question of art and its relation to his young peasant pupils interested Tolstoy. With his customary freshness, attention to detail, and marvellous power of direct vision he discussed the subject in one of his most remarkable articles, " Who Should Teach Whom to Write, We the Peasant Children or the Peasant Children Us ?" It was inspired by an exciting experience in composition in his school. Themes on the usual subjects, such as descriptions of a forest, a pig, or a table, drove the children to tears. Tolstoy then suggested that they write a story on peasant life, to illustrate a proverb. The pupils found this difficult too, but one boy proposed that Tolstoy write the story himself, in competition with them. He composed several pages and then was interrupted by Fedka, who climbed on the back of his chair and read over his shoulder. Tolstoy explained the plot of the story and the boys immediately became interested. They criticized what had been done and suggested different ways of continuing. Fedka took the leading part in this discussion and surprised Tolstoy by his imagination and sense of proportion, important qualities in every art. Tolstoy set to work to write to the dictation of his pupils Syomka and Fedka, who angrily rejected superfluous details offered by others and eventually took command of the situation. The rest of the boys went home.

Tolstoy described how he and his two pupils worked feverishly from seven in the evening till eleven. Neither hunger nor weariness bothered them. In his account of their collective effort, he gave a number of convincing examples of the artistic rightness and fitness of details, descriptions, and selection that the boys argued and insisted upon. They drew from their experience of village life and characters; and they were nearly always right. Tolstoy was tremendously excited and admitted that he had felt such a strong emotion only two or three times in his life. He was amazed at his discovery of such artistic and creative powers in two peasant lads who could scarcely read or write, and it seemed almost offensive that he, a nationally known author, was virtually unable to instruct these eleven-year-old pupils in his art.

The next day, and still a third day, they continued the story with equal enthusiasm. Then the work was interrupted because Tolstoy had to go away for a few days. During his absence a craze for making popguns out of paper swept the school and the unfinished manuscript of the story was unwittingly sacrificed to this childish diversion. When Tolstoy discovered the loss upon his return, he was deeply chagrined. Fedka and Syomka, aware of his keen disappointment, offered to reproduce the tale themselves. They came after school one evening at nine o'clock and locked themselves in his study. Tolstoy listened at the door and heard them laughing. Then all grew quiet, except for subdued voices discussing the story, and the scratching of a pen. At midnight he knocked and was admitted. Fedka still had a few more sentences to dictate to Syomka, who stood at the large table busily writing, his lines running crookedly across the paper and his pen constantly stabbing at the inkpot. At last Tolstoy took the copybook. After a merry supper of potatoes and kvas, the boys lay down on their sheepskin coats under the writing table, and until sleep over-took them, their healthy, childish laughter rang through the room.

Tolstoy read the story over and found it very similar to the original draft. Some new details had been added, but the tale contained the same truth, measure, and feeling for beauty of the first version. Under the title of the Russian proverb, " The Spoon Feeds, but the Handle Sticks in the Eye ," he printed it, with very few changes, in his pedagogical magazine.

From this unusual experiment in composition Tolstoy drew some interesting conclusions. He declared that nearly all contemporary art was intended for people of leisure and artificial training and was therefore useless to the masses, whose demand for art was more legitimate. He dismissed with some vexation the stale notion that in order to understand and appreciate the beautiful a certain amount of preparation was necessary.

"Who said this?" he asked in his magazine account of the writing of the story. "Why? What proves it? It is only a dodge, a loophole to escape from the hopeless position to which the false direction of our art, produced for one class alone, has led us. Why are the beauty of the sun, of the human face, the beauty of the sounds of a folk song, and of deeds of love and self-sacrifice accessible to everyone, and why do they demand no preparation? "

Tolstoy's position was no doubt extreme, and there was also considerable exaggeration in his unqualified praise of the literary ability of his pupils, who were unquestionably inspired by his own artistic interests. Yet such schoolboy efforts helped to teach him the fundamental truth that the need to enjoy and serve art was inherent in every human being, and that this need had its right and should be satisfied.

Although the Society for National Education that Tolstoy projected found no support among government officials, his school was not without its influence. After the emancipation of the serfs, the government encouraged them to open their own schools. Peasants in the Tula district, where Yasnaya Polyana was situated, appealed to Tolstoy for teachers, and he willingly suggested a number. By 1862 there were no less than thirteen village schools in his area, and their teachers were all zealous disciples of Tolstoy's pedagogical approach. They caught from him a devotion and enthusiasm in what was essentially a pioneering venture. Living like peasants in the dirty, stuffy huts where they held their classes, and using tables for blackboards, they worked from seven in the morning until late at night. At first, like Tolstoy, they had to overcome the ignorant suspicions of peasant fathers and mothers who distrusted these newfangled methods of teaching and were alarmed because their children were not regularly beaten by the masters. But the fact that they were entirely free to send them to school or take them out overcame resistance. Finally, the happiness of the youngsters and their obvious progress in so short a time eventually won the parent's complete confidence in the system.

In a brief note " To the Public " that introduced his pedagogical magazine, Tolstoy eagerly invited criticism. Much of it was hostile and unconstructive, and particularly that which came from progressive thinkers of the time. He was called a " pedagogical nihilist " and his experiment was castigated as a complete overthrow of educational order and discipline. In a few periodicals, however, several teachers, weary of slavish Russian devotion to foreign models in pedagogy, bravely encouraged the less extreme aspects of his school. But, in general, his efforts failed to inspire enthusiastic acceptance among educators. His principle of freedom for both teachers and pupils was too radical a demand for even the most progressive theorists.

Worse still, in the eyes of critics, was Tolstoy's conviction that his educational ideas amounted to a revolt against established opinion in the name of healthy common sense. More-over, he scorned scientific exposition in his articles and used the simple and forceful prose of which he was a master. If he had elected to write treatises on experimental pedagogy in the accepted trade jargon, buttressed with elaborate footnotes and well-chosen citations from approved authorities, he would doubtless have gained a hearing, even if an unfavourable one.

As a matter of fact, certain government officials regarded Tolstoy's activities in education with dark suspicion. In October, 1862, the Minister of the Interior wrote to the Minister of National Education to complain about the harmful aspects of the pedagogical magazine. He pointed out that its general direction and spirit perverted the fundamental values of religion and morality, and he suggested that the censor's attention should be specifically directed toward correcting the situation.

In part, the fears of the Minister of the Interior were correct: Tolstoy's educational articles did call into question the whole contemporary concept of morality. His extremely radical position represented a danger not only to the whole foundation of educational practice, but to the authority of the State. The freedom that he advocated seemed to verge on rebellion, and children educated in this spirit would hardly grow up with proper reverence for those institutions of tsarist government that had been infested by corruption and oppression. His educational philosophy would place the human worth and well-being of the individual above the well-being of the State. In short, the spirit of Christian anarchy that Tolstoy was later to preach so openly and eloquently had already crept into his thinking. For in his educational articles he condemned the false morality of government and society, their despotism, the use of force, and the belief in the legality of punishment. And he frankly stated his belief that the masses could exist without the educated classes, and hence without government, but that the educated classes could not exist without the masses.

Because of his marriage, various discouragements, and a suddenly renewed interest in fiction writing, Tolstoy abandoned his school and the pedagogical magazine at the end of 1862. But his concern for the education of the young, which soon revived when his own children came along, remained with him for the rest of his life, as frequent references to it in letters and in his diary indicate. For example, in 1872 he published his first ABC Book, in which, he said, he had put more work and love than in anything else he had done. It contained a complete curriculum for beginning pupils. There are sections on reading and writing, with drawings, exercises, and various typographical devices to aid in spelling and pronunciation; there are also sections on natural sciences and arithmetic. He realized the importance of effective examples and exercises, and his selections are original and often reveal rare artistic taste. The frame of reference is restricted by the limitations of the students and their daily lives.

"From the natural sciences," he wrote a friend, "I did not choose what may be found in books or anything that I by chance knew or what appeared to me necessary to know, but only that which was clear and beautiful, and when it seemed to me insufficiently clear and beautiful, I tried to express it in my own way."

Several of the stories used as examples in the ABC Book are entirely Tolstoy's own; others are drawn from various folk sources.

The ABC Book, based upon pedagogical theories that Tolstoy had developed and put into practice in his village school was designed, as he said, for the teacher who loved both his calling and his pupils. The work firmly eschews useless or erudite knowledge, or facts beyond the comprehension or experience of beginners. For the chief significance of teaching, he maintained, was not in the assimilation of a known quantity of information, but in awakening in students an interest in knowledge.

Tolstoy was sadly disappointed at the reception of the ABC Book, in which he had deliberately tried to avoid extremes in his theorizing. However, the innovations infuriated pedagogues, and a deluge of sharp, even vicious, reviews resulted. The reviewers charged that the work was an attack on accepted methods of instruction, that he had opposed to a pedagogical system of reason one of faith, to a system of science one of instinct and imagination, and to a system of conviction and ideas one of moral principles. Stubbornly he turned once again to teaching peasant children in his district, in order to demonstrate the methods he advocated in his ABC Book.

In 1873 an invitation from the Moscow Committee on Literacy to explain his educational system to them again aroused Tolstoy's conviction that he had a national public service to perform in education. One result of the meeting was a request to test his ideas on teaching, in several subjects, against the conventional methods employed in the schools. Two groups of Moscow children of similar ages and social backgrounds were provided. One of Tolstoy's experienced Yasnaya Polyana teachers instructed a group, and a teacher designated by the Moscow Committee on Literacy the other. At the conclusion of seven weeks of teaching, six members of the committee examined both groups of students. Although there was no unanimity among the examiners, a majority decided that the pupils taught by Tolstoy's opponent had excelled in all three subjects — reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Tolstoy felt that the test had failed to prove anything because it had been conducted under the worst possible conditions. And he submitted the article previously mentioned, " On National Education ," to the popular magazine, ' Notes of the Fatherland '. It is in the form of a letter addressed to the head of the Moscow Committee on Literacy. The article (September, 1874) is largely a reaffirmation of the views Tolstoy expressed in the pages of his own pedagogical magazine twelve years before. With ruthless dogmatism he condemns outright the phonetic and visual methods of teaching then used in Russian elementary schools. And those native teachers who burned incense to German pedagogical theory he sharply criticized for failing to understand or respect the educational needs of the Russian masses. All a teacher has to know, he declares, is what to teach and how to teach. To find out what to teach, one must go to the people, to the students and their parents. At present, he asserts, the people demand that their children learn how to read and write and to cipher. Until they demand something more, teachers have no right to teach more. As for how to teach, he sums it up in his old phrase: the only criterion for pedagogy is freedom, the only method is experience.

The article created a great stir among the public, infinitely more so than all of Tolstoy's publications on educational themes in the past. To be sure, the work was attractively written, but now it had also come from the pen of the famous author of ' war and peace ', and he had had the good sense to print it in a widely read periodical. In a real sense the effort suddenly made the public pedagogically minded and inspired a surprisingly large number of articles and letters in a variety of magazines. Although the experts, with few exceptions, vigorously attacked him, his views elicited widespread sympathetic response among laymen. After years of striving he at last had the satisfaction of knowing that his theories had reached the general public.

With such encouragement, Tolstoy felt impelled to try for further success. In February, 1875, he published his New ABC Book. It was shorter, cheaper, more practical, and as he remarked in the foreword, adaptable to any method of teaching. Here, too, he now won success, for the Ministry of National Education recommended the work. It was widely adopted by schools and ran into many large editions (100,000 copies were printed for the 1900 edition).

At the same time, Tolstoy published four children's Readers, which contained material taken mostly from his first ABC Book. The excellence and variety of the selections, the artistic simplicity of the narratives, and no doubt the inexpensive price gained an enormous market for these little books, and over the years they sold in tens of thousands.

Tolstoy's old dream seemed on the point of realization — he was beginning to exercise a pronounced influence on the course of elementary education in Russia. And the dream expanded. He wanted to take a prominent place in the larger field of national education, and he wrote to the minister to inquire whether the government would consider a detailed program that he was contemplating on instruction in the schools and another for training teachers. Although the reply was favourable, it was delayed so long that the impatient Tolstoy had already charged off in another direction. Breaking a rule he had set up for himself, he accepted election to the County Council and an appointment to its Education Committee.

One naturally thinks of the poet Matthew Arnold, inspector of schools in England at this time. With Arnold, however, the post was a means of livelihood and a most unpoetic business. Tolstoy, in his more restricted sphere, found a world of poetry in the work of inspecting local schools. He agitated with some success for inexpensive instruction in the district, and he launched his pet project of establishing at Yasnaya Polyana a teachers' training seminary, for he wished to train peasant teachers to take their place in the milieu in which they had grown up and to provide the kind of education for peasant children that would not instill in them alien desires or render them unfit for the performance of duties to which they would be called by their position in life. This was to be, he remarked, a " university in bast shoes ."

In 1874 the Ministry of Education approved Tolstoy's carefully prepared plan for a teachers' training seminary. And his request to the Tula government for financial assistance in return for a certain number of tuition teaching scholarships was granted. But for some unexplained reason, perhaps because educational centers in the Tula government did not favour the idea, only twelve candidates applied for the program. This poor showing discouraged Tolstoy and he refused to open his " university in bast shoes ." It was his last constructive effort to improve formal education in Russia. A long and arduous chapter in the history of Tolstoy's civic conscience had come to an end.

Despite hostility to Tolstoy's educational practices and writings during his lifetime, since then there has been a tendency to acclaim him a brilliant innovator and one of the most significant of educational reformers. Experimental schools in America and abroad have profited from the full accounts he left of his own experiences. His methods of teaching the alphabet and reading, his insistence on self-reliance by obliging students to do manual labor, and his belief that the child should be allowed as much freedom as possible in the classroom — these features of his system have had their influence in later progressive education. And one of his principal theses, that the school should always remain a kind of pedagogical laboratory to keep it from falling behind universal progress, has found wide acceptance as an educational premise.

In one respect it may be said that his first absorbing educational experiment between 1859 and 1862 fulfilled another purpose: the school at Yasnaya Polyana contributed as much to the historical development of Tolstoy as it had to the education of peasant children — it brought him back to the career of fiction writing. It was as though a kind of catharsis had been effected that once again left his mind and spirit free for artistic work.

V. I.   Lenin

Capitalism and “parliament”.

Published: Nevskaya Zvezda No. 13, June 17, 1912. Signed: A Non-Liberal Sceptic . Published according to the text in Nevskaya Zvezda . Source: Lenin Collected Works , Progress Publishers, [1975] , Moscow, Volume 18 , pages  129-131 . Translated: Stepan Apresyan Transcription\Markup: R. Cymbala Public Domain: Lenin Internet Archive (2004). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source. • README

The facts of democracy must not make us lose sight of a circumstance, often overlooked by bourgeois democrats, that in the capitalist countries representative institutions inevitably give rise to specific forms in which capital exercises its influence on the state power. We have no parliament, but then there is no end of parliamentary cretinism among the liberals and of parliamentary licence among all the bourgeois deputies.

The workers must thoroughly master this truth if they want to learn how to use representative institutions for promoting the political consciousness, unity, activity and efficiency of the working class. All the social forces hostile to the proletariat—the “bureaucrats”, landowners and capitalists—are already using these representative institutions against the workers. One has to know how they are doing this if one wants to learn to uphold the independent interests of the working class and its independent development.

The Third Duma decided to award bonuses to home manufacturers of machinery. Who are these borne manufacturers? The ones “operating” in Russia!

But upon examination we find that they, are foreign capitalists who have transferred their plants to Russia. Tariff rates are high and profits immense, so foreign capital is moving into Russia. For instance, an American trust—a corporation of capitalist millionaires—has built a huge farm machinery works in Lyubertsi, near Moscow. In Kharkov, farm machines are made by the capitalist Melhose and in Berdyansk by the capitalist John Grieves. These manufacturers are very much of the “truly Russian”, “home” variety, aren’t they?

But, of course, unless they were helped in every way by Russian capitalists, they would have been unable to operate in Russia at all. One good turn deserves another. American, British and German capitalists rake in profits with the help of Russian capitalists, who get quite a big share. Take, for example, the Lena gold-fields or the mining enterprises in the Urals. How many millions foreign and Russian capitalists have shared between them there!

The Duma is very useful to the industrialists in this respect. Both in the Duma and in the Council of State, the capitalists have a goodly number of representatives. The landlords, too, would not amount to much nowadays with out capital. For both the capitalists and the landlords, the Duma is a ready-made machinery for passing laws on “bonuses” (to be awarded to themselves ), protective tariffs (i.e., another form of bonuses to themselves), concessions (a third form of bonuses to themselves), and so on, without limit .

The “Sceptic”, a liberal writing in the liberal Rech , had some very apt comments to make on this matter. He writes with so much feeling against the “nationalists” (who award ed themselves “bonuses” to stimulate the “home” manufacture of machinery by Messrs. Grieves, Melhose, Elworthy, and other companies) that I, too, have become somewhat infected with scepticism.

Yes, the liberal “Sceptic” has not made a bad job of ex posing the “nationalists”. But why does he say nothing about the Cadets? When Golovin, for instance, was seeking a concession, did not his position as member of the Duma and former Chairman of the Duma stand him in good stead in that useful and lucrative pursuit?

When Maklakov was gobbling up his “Tagiyev” fees, did not his position as member of the Duma make it easier for him to get such “profitable” cases? [1]

And what about the numerous other Cadet landlords, merchants, capitalists, financiers, lawyers and brokers who extended their business, promoted their “connections”, and put through their “affairs”, thanks to their position as members of the Duma and to the benefits and advantages that position affords?

What if an inquiry were made into financial transactions   carried out by Duma members or with the aid of Duma members?

But no—in all capitalist countries measures have been taken to protect “trade secrets” and to guarantee that not a single “parliament” should permit such an inquiry.

However, the working-class deputies undoubtedly know a great deal about this matter; and if they took pains to look around, obtain additional Information, collect material, look up newspaper files, inquire at the stock exchange, etc., they could themselves carry out a very instructive and useful “inquiry” into the business transactions carried out by Duma members or with the aid of such members.

In European parliaments, such transactions are well known, and the workers constantly expose them, naming the persons involved, so as to enlighten the people.

[1] This refers to the following facts:

In October 1910 F.A. Golovin, a member of the Third Duma, announced that he was resigning his powers as a deputy, and shortly afterwards took an active part in a railway concession.

In March 1912 V.A. Maklakov, another member of the Third Duma, in spite of his status as a deputy, acted as defence counsel for Tagiyev, a big oil industrialist of Baku charged with manhandling Bebutov, an engineer employed by him.

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