Social

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Entrepreneurship 101
ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS
SOCIAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101
Discover Your Passion and Path to Change the World
Course Description
Ever dream of changing the world or making
a difference? You are invited to roll up your
sleeves and join a group of entrepreneurs
on a journey to change lives by changing
systems. In this 5-module introductory
course from +Acumen, we’ll cover what
social entrepreneurship is and why it’s
so exciting. Built from Acumen’s years of
experience investing in social entrepreneurs,
this course will also feature firsthand stories
and advice from 4 inspiring founders:
Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org, Thulsiraj
Ravilla of Aravind Eyecare, Leila Janah of
Samasource, and JB Schramm of College
Summit. Designed for anyone approaching
social entrepreneurship for the first time,
this interactive learning experience will
give you an overview of the sector. You’ll
begin to identify a problem you care about,
understand the considerations needed for
impact and financial sustainability, and
learn about how various entrepreneurs have
thought about scale.
Course Format
This is an online course. You can view and
access all course materials at your own pace
during the period that the course is open.
There are no live sessions or specific times
you need to log in.
+ACUMEN Social Entrepreneurship 101
Statement of Accomplishment
Upon completion of this course, you will
earn a Statement of Accomplishment signed
by the Director of +Acumen that you can
share with your professional networks.
What You’ll Learn
+ Understand the concept of social
entrepreneurship and be inspired
to find new ways to tackle the
world’s greatest challenges
+ Appreciate that social
entrepreneurship is a mindset to
tackle problems across different
sectors (public, private, non-profit)
+ Discover a pathway for how you
can make change whether this is
founding an enterprise, serving
on a board, or supporting social
entrepreneurs in other creative
ways
2
COURSE
SYLLABUS

+ACUMEN Social Entrepreneurship 101

+ Video: What is Social + Reading: Social Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship? as Defined by Social Entrepreneurs

+ Video: Introduction to Donors + Reading: Social Entrepreneurship

Choose vs. Other Models of Social Change

+ Video: Introduction to Samasource + Reading: A Force for

+ Video: Introduction to College
Summit
+ Video: Introduction to Aravind
Eyecare
+ Reading: Our Approach to Social
Entrepreneurship
Transformative Change
+ Reading: Starting with a Crazy
Idea
+ Reading: Frequently Asked
Questions
+ Activity: Life Map

3
+ Video: How to Identify a Social + Reading: Understand Your

+ACUMEN Social Entrepreneurship 101

Problem to Tackle Customer

+ Reading: Identify Your Mission + Activity: Passion-Skill-Problem

+ Reading: Find and Understand a

Problem

+ Reading: Understand a Theory of + Reading: An Impact Approach for

Change Your Own Enterprise

+ Reading: Acumen’s Framework for + Activity: Develop a Theory of

Measuring Impact Change

+ Reading: Acumen’s Measurement

Approach

4
+ Video: Planning for Impact + Reading: Social Enterprise Revenue

+ACUMEN Social Entrepreneurship 101

Engines
+ Video: Achieving Financial
Sustainability + Activity: Solutions Map

+ Reading: Building a Financially

Sustainable Model

+ Video: How to Think about Scale + Reading: Many Ways to Scale

+ Reading: Scaling Your Impact + Activity: Build a Launch Plan

+ Reading: Think about Your End + Activity: Reflection

Game

+ Reading: 4 Tips to Scale Smart

5
WHERE WILL YOU GO NEXT?
+Acumen is a vibrant community of change
leaders around the world. We believe that
by working together to amplify the impact
of each other’s work, we’ll create a world
beyond poverty. When this course wraps up,
how will you continue to stay connected?
Skoll Scholarship for the Oxford MBA
Want to continue accelerating your social
impact? If so, check out the fully funded
Skoll Scholarship for the Oxford MBA from
our friends at Skoll.
Take Another +Acumen Course
With the largest offering of online education
in the social impact space, we’ve got courses
in personal development, leadership and
social entrepreneurship. As you have just
experienced, our hands-on courses offer
a practical and collaborative environment
CONNECT WITH +ACUMEN courses@plusacumen.org
+ACUMEN Social Entrepreneurship 101
to move your work forward. Check out our
calendar of upcoming courses.
If you’re interested in learning more about
impact and business, check out:
+ Business Models for Social Impact:
Build a business model to launch
your social enterprise
+ Lean Startup Principles for the
Social Sector: Apply the innovation
methods from Silicon Valley to
social issues
+ Introduction to Human-Centered
Design: Learn from IDEO.org to use
human-centered design for social
innovation
6
WHERE WILL
YOU GO NEXT?

Learn from the Best Become a Catalyst

At +Acumen, we’re fortunate and grateful
to work with some of the world’s most
incredible thought-leaders. They are
masters of their craft who have generously
given their time to create courses based on
their work. +Acumen Master Classes include
Catalysts are current and former students
who care deeply about helping others
unlock their potential. They enrich the
course experience as guides—answering
questions, helping students get unstuck,
and encouraging them to go beyond their

+ACUMEN Social Entrepreneurship 101

instructors such as Chris Anderson (Head of limitations. Apply what you’ve learned in
TED), Angela Duckworth (an award-winning the course in a new way by coaching others
psychologist and MacArthur genius), Krista through the material, engage deeply in the
Tippett (an NPR Radio Host) and Dan Ariely work of others and meet students from
(a professor of behavioral psychology from around the world. Apply to be a catalyst.
Duke University). If you’re interested in
learning more about impact and business, Join the +Acumen Corps
check out: We launched the +Acumen Corps to bring
individuals together to collaborate and
Adam Grant connect. We all know that driving social
on Developing change is hard work and that in order to
Original Ideas: create the change we seek in the world, we
How to become an need each other. Corps members are bonded
original thinker by our shared goal of creating a world
capable of driving beyond poverty and that it will take all of us
creativity and to achieve it. To join the +Acumen Corps you
change in the must participate and complete a +Acumen
world Challenge. Check out the +Acumen Corps
website to learn about and apply for
Seth Godin’s upcoming challenges.
Leadership
Workshop: Create
an alternative
future for yourself
and others