The business of doing well by doing good

Image attribution: "Cultivating growth" by SumAll on Flickr

What led me to volunteer and to enrol as a participant to the LSE Batch 29 was somewhat an accidental encounter. After a long day during a business trip and searching through the internet alone in my hotel, I chanced upon this link about LSE Netherlands. The powerful words – Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship, and the participation of my old Alma Mater led me to curiosity to inquire about this initiative.

Having a management and development studies background, and my work experience in the corporate sector crunching numbers and later in the non for profit sector managing programs on corporate social responsibility (CSR), the concept of businesses working for social change is not something new to me. And in most circumstances when we say the business sector, the focus has been more on the involvement of large industries or corporations who have the means and resources to fund development projects as recognition of their corporate social responsibility. However, there has always been somehow a bit of scepticism about the involvement of businesses in social development. It could also be argued that at the end of the day the motivation for businesses is to still look at the business value and profit to “invest” in social change. Simply put, its corporate involvement has to make business sense.

Listening to the introductory session on Social Entrepreneurship lectured by Mr. Edwin Salonga, the idea of a social enterprise i.e. “organisations that are organised in an entrepreneurial spirit and which pursue both social and economic goals”, has taken a different mindset in the motivation of establishing an enterprise. Unlike traditional businesses, there is a growing recognition of the important role played by entrepreneurs and individuals (like myself) to make a positive change in society. And unlike the traditional businesses, the focus is not primarily on maximizing profits but also recognizing the need to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to a social problem.

Come to think of it, with all the pressing social problems that requires attention means there are enough opportunities to create a social enterprise. We know that in our own country alone, the Philippines, there are more than enough challenges and problems. Think about issues on poverty alleviation, employment, housing, caring for the elderly and for those with special needs, and the provision of basic services such as health, education, security and safety etc. In other words, what difference can you make? Who do you want to help? And how are you going to do it? As Mr. Bill Drayton stated, founder of Ashoka, a global network of social entrepreneurs – anyone can be a social entrepreneur, but we only have to give ourselves permission to see a problem and most importantly to also give the time needed to find a solution. “The challenge is to help everyone become a change maker who is able to create the changes that the world needs”[1].

And what better way to promote the concept of Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship (LSE) to Filipino migrants and overseas workers who have been hailed as economic heroes for their important role in the economic sustainability of the Philippines. The LSE for this matter aims to encourage and support Filipino migrants and their families to be empowered and become highly respected members of the society and consciously contributing to nation building. Social entrepreneurship has gained ground over the last several years. In the United Kingdom for instance social enterprises contribute about 5% to the national Gross Domestic Products and employs over a million people.

The LSE sessions are thought provoking, interactive and provide a holistic approach to learning. The first session with Mr. Ed Villanueva started with looking into one’s inner self, characteristics and motivation then builds up on the concept of (Servant) Leadership. We need to cultivate and prepare people with leadership skills and innovative ideas so they could be effective change makers. During the Financial Literacy session with Mr. Vince Rapisura, the participants are confronted with the common issues of migrants – sending regular remittances to the Philippines and creating a culture of dependency. The Financial Literacy sessions emphasized the importance of financial planning, setting savings targets and monitoring expenditures with the vision that migrants can have enough savings to invest later. Moreover, it encourages the participants to share these concepts to their family members and their dependents to promote financial independence. Finally students are expected to create a business plan to develop their own social enterprise and use the concepts learned during the LSE sessions.

As a volunteer and participant of the LSE, what is most interesting and rewarding for me is to witness the concept of social enterprise at work. There is really one way to learn something and that is by doing it. The LSE program whether in the Netherlands or in other locations such as in Dubai, Brussels, etc, is made possible by the committed volunteers managing the program. Different players contribute to the success of the LSE – the secretariat some consisting of ex students volunteer to keep the program running, the network of valuable resource speakers provide their time and resources, the Philippine Embassy’s support, and the funding support from the sponsors and partners who are also mostly entrepreneurs. The secretariat members with very diverse backgrounds and experiences, and the enthusiasm among the team members are contagious and everyone is eager to contribute in his or her own capacity.

Volunteering, participating in the classes, interacting with other Filipino and non Filipino participants has been for me a very inspiring and rewarding experience. At the end of the day, many of us in the class has similar aspirations. While we consider the importance of providing first and foremost a good quality of life to our families, most of us also hope to see a more sustainable Philippines in terms of economic and social development. The LSE program has encouraged us to look at a broader picture and to look beyond our role as only being financial providers to our families, but to see ourselves as potential leaders and change makers who can contribute to nation building.

Sitting in the LSE classes, I could not also help to have a sense of déjà vu when fifteen plus years ago during one of my classes in Theology of Liberation, my then late Jesuit teacher Fr. Vitaliano Gorospe, asked me “Myra, why do you want to get rich?” Before I even answered, he simply replied “you want to get rich so you can help the poor and marginalized. It was such a powerful statement then and with my LSE experience, I hope that I will be equipped to start my own enterprise with a mission for social change.

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[1] The Father of Social Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship, Issue 11, Autumn 2012

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