Gabriela: Social Entrepreneurship [02/03/09 class]

During the february third class the main topic of conversation was social entrepreneurship. A great example of this would be the Gates Foundation, founded by Bill Gates and his wife Melinda. Their mission statement reads as follows, " Our life that every life has equal value is at the core of our work at the foundation. We follow 15 guiding principles, which help define our approach to our philanthropic work, and employ an outstanding leadership team to direct our strategies and grantmaking." 

The Guiding Principles are the following: 

1. This is a family foundation driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family

2. Philanthropy plays an important but limited role

3. Science and technology have great potential to improve lives around the world

4. We are funders and shapers-we rely on other to act and implement

5. Our focus is clear-and limited-and prioritizes some of the most neglected issues

6. We identify a specific point of intervention and apply our efforts against a theory of change

7. We take risks, make big bets, and move with urgency. We are in it for the long haul

8. We advocate-vigorously but responsibly-in our areas of focus

9. We must be humble and mindful in our actions and words. We seek and heed the counsel of outside voices

10. We treat our grantees as valued partners, and we treat the ultimate beneficiaries of our work with respect

11. Delivering results with the resources we have been given is of the utmost importance-and we seek and share information about those results

12. We demand ethical behavior of ourselves

13. We treat each other as valued colleagues

14. Meeting our mission-to increase opportunity and equity for those most in need-requires great stewardship of the money we have available

15. We leave room for growth and change 

These principles give shape to this organization. To learn more about the Gates Foundation visit the following link: 

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx