PhD Social Enterprise Immersion Day
I’ve always been critical of the academic “heaviness” of the Social Entrepreneurship space, especially in South Africa. My criticism is often justified; anecdotal evidence suggests that there are more people researching social entrepreneurship than social entrepreneurs in the industry. My greatest concern is that academic research often happens in a vacuum, with little experience in, or understanding of, the real-world realities of social entrepreneurs. However, I was fortunate enough to be asked to organise a Social Entrepreneurship Immersion day for ~35 PhD-level researchers from the UK and South Africa. This day would form part of a week-long “Development Through Enterprise” programme, organised by Dr. Diane Holt (University of Essex Business School) and Dr. Eliada Griffin-EL (University of Cape Town GSB), and funded by the British Council.
Webafrica Small Business Seminar
Webafrica, South Africa’s largest independent ISP, will be hosting a free seminar for small businesses focusing on helping them improve their online presence, without breaking the bank.
“How to take your business online cost effectively” is a free seminar that will focus on all the different aspects of getting your business online and establishing it on all important online platforms. These include:
- Websites: Cost effective website options (find out more here)
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): How to be found by Google
- Paid Advertising (PPC): How Google Adwords can help grow your business
- Social Media: How to use social media to grow your business
You will gain valuable insight into the online aspect of running your business and have the opportunity to chat to our online marketing experts, while enjoying some refreshments!
Small Business Seminar Details:
Date: Friday, 20 March and Friday, 27 March 2015
Where: The Bandwidth Barn, Block B, 3rd Floor, Woodstock Exchange
Time: 10:00am – 12:00 pm followed by some refreshmentsRSVP: RSVP now to book your spot or simply contact Kelly at: kelly@shiftone.co.za, or 0215542498.
Cost: Absolutely Free.
PLUS: Stand a chance to WIN a FREE Website:
We will be doing a free website review at the seminar, and the business with the worst website (as nominated by ourselves) will win a brand spanking new one! So bring your domain name (web address) with you.
Not In Cape Town?
Would you like Webafrica to host a Small Business Seminar in your city? Just fill out this survey and we will keep you in the loop!
We hope to see you there!
The Webafrica Team
Spark Changemaker Programme
Spark invites you to join their Changemaker Programme, 26 – 31 July 2015, in Cape Town.
The Spark* Changemaker Program is a powerful opportunity for passionate South Africans who are at the early stages of building social businesses and organisations that exist to make a difference for people living in poverty. If you are successful in your application you:
– ATTEND THE CHANGEMAKER ACCELERATOR – An intensive five day live-in workshop in Cape Town where you join a small group of Spark* Changemakers and access world class social entrepreneurship training designed to help you focus your non-profit or business and accelerate the growth of your venture.
– ACCESS THE CHANGEMAKER SUPPORT NETWORK – Beyond the accelerator you receive ongoing training and support from Spark* International and we connect you to experts and professionals who can help you as you launch and grow your non-profit or social business. Specifically we provide you with three years of access to graphic designers, website creators, business coaches, mentors, research assistants, lawyers and accountants (all super helpful for you as a social entrepreneur working to grow your venture). You also have the opportunity to continually apply for small grants (approximately 2000 – 2500 rand) to help you overcome barriers and test ideas to grow the impact or sustainability of your venture.
– ACCESS POWERFUL CONNECTIONS – Spark* is an official pipeline partner with a number of powerful organisations that can help you scale a proven social enterprise including Ashoka, Echoing Green and the Unreasonable Institute as well as impact investors to help you raise capital if you are a social enterprise. We can prepare you for these opportunities and make connections for you.
We are looking for South African social entrepreneurs who:
– Are based in Cape Town or surrounding provinces.
– Have already launched a social enterprise that is already making a difference in the lives of tens of people living in poverty.
– Want to scale their social enterprise to impact many more people living in poverty.
PROGRAM COST
We ask that each successful applicant contributes R1000 to the cost of the program. This amount helps Spark* provide you with 5 days of accommodation, food, transport and world class training as well as three years of ongoing support and connections.
The cost to Spark* is much higher but we request that you make this contribution to help us cover a small portion of the expenses we will incur.
If you are not able to make R1000 contribution, we encourage you to seek sponsorship from friends, family, or your community.
We are confident that, as an entrepreneur, you will have no trouble finding a creative way to raise R1000!
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 25th May 2015
The application must be completed by the applicant themselves. While you may ask for guidance and support from others, the form must reflect your ideas and your passion, expressed in your own words. We may conduct a phone interview with you if you are shortlisted.
Remember: If your application is successful, you will be training alongside some exceptional social entrepreneurs. If you put forward an honest and authentic application and are selected, you will do great. If you haven’t, you may quickly find yourself out of your depth!
Ger more details and the full application form here
Financing Impact Workshop
The African Management Initiative (AMI) in partnership with Impact HUB Johannesburg is offering up to 30 scholarships to attend a 1-day training workshop to help social enterprises find and secure investment.
Why take Financing Impact with AMI?
This course, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, is designed to help you identify sources of investment and to provide you with the tools to negotiate and close a deal to fund your social enterprise. This course is designed to help participants understand when they are ready for external investment, what types of investment are available and how to go about seeking capital. It was developed by AMI in partnership with I-DEV International, an international consultancy that helps social entrepreneurs secure impact investment.
What will the course cover?
- Am I ready for investment?
- Finding investors
- Closing the deal
What does the course include?
- 14 video based lessons
- 3 downloadable practical tools with print-outs
- 12 group activities
- 1 final exam
- Detailed case study of an African social enterprise
- 12 informal quizzes
- 3 Units tests
- 1 final practical assignment to help you apply what you learn
- the chance to network with other social entrepreneurs
- expert facilitation
- personalized printed Certificate of Completion
Fees & Practicalities
The training will be held on Saturday, 27th September 2014 at Impact HUB Johannesburg from 8.00am- 5.00pm. AMI and Impact HUB have partnered with the Rockefeller Foundation to offer scholarships to promising social entrepreneurs for this highly sought-after training event. Successful candidates will pay a token fee of only R100 (compared to the standard cost of R500 for AMI’s prestigious management training workshops). The fee includes which the full-day course, plus access to quizzes, practical downloadable tools, a personalised Certificate of Completion and extra educational content online, lunch and refreshments. Discounted membership to AMI’s innovative pan-African online learning and networking platform will also be available to successful candidates at $25 for 12 months (normally $75).
How do I apply?
To apply for an AMI IMPACT scholarship, complete this form: http://johannesburg.impacthub.net/event/financing-impact/
This is a highly valued and competitive training for a limited number of entrepreneurs, therefore please register now to avoid inconvenience. For more information, please call: 011 048 2542 or email hosts.johnnesburg@impacthub.net
Wharton Social Entrepreneurship MOOC
There’s another Social Entrepreneurship MOOC coming up later this year, this one hosted at Coursera. This course is hosted by Ian McMillan, James Thompson, and Peter Frumpkin from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. James and Ian are also the authors of The Social Entrepreneur’s Playbook.
Starting in September, it’s focus is to teach you how to:
- Launch social entrepreneurship projects which have high-potential of significant positive social impact,
- Direct energy and limited resources to efficiently launching those projects with the most promise,
- Apply tools and frameworks to testing and scaling your own social enterprise.
It runs for six weeks and covers:
- Week One: What is Social Entrepreneurship? What is Social Innovation?
- Week Two: Solution Design
- Week Three: Competitive Analysis and Concept Testing
- Week Four: Performance Measurement
- Week Five: Organization Form and Pilot
- Week Six: Establishing Checkpoints, Building for Scale, and Pitching
For more information, check out the Coursera page here – https://www.coursera.org/course/socialimpact
Jaco Slabbert 