Social entrepreneurship is the use of entrepreneurial principles and market-based methods to solve social issues such as extreme poverty, educational inequity, and environmental degradation.  This emerging field is bringing greater innovation, efficiency, sustainability, and rigor to the social sector–and has the potential to greatly impact the most pressing needs of our society.

And if you’re interested in setting yourself apart for top grad schools or career opportunities, it’s important to understand that business, academic, and political powerhouses are paying more attention to this sector as well.  From the White House’s new Office of Social Innovation to Harvard Business School’s most popular student group–the Social Enterprise Club, and partnerships with Stanford University of Medicine to tech engineers at Google.org, this movement is building momentum and gaining international support.

Check out a few articles on this movement in the New York Times and BusinessWeek, and the grad school partnerships that Teach For America (a well-known social entrepreneurial organization) has landed for its corp members–this will help paint a better picture of the value behind social entrepreneurial experiences.  You can also check out this definition of social entrepreneurship here or click on this link to our recent blog post: What is Social Entrepreneurship?