AT recent times Social entrepreneurship is actively developing in Russia. This direction not only helps to involve poorly protected social strata in business by expanding the boundaries of effective demand, but also creates new economic infrastructure facilities. However, the development of this segment is hampered by the lack of regulation and lack of information about the activities of numerous enthusiasts.

General view

Basically, experts identify four features of social entrepreneurship. Firstly, it is a social impact, that is, the activity of the enterprise should be aimed at mitigating existing social problems. Secondly, it must be innovative, that is, in its work, the enterprise must apply new unique methods of work. Thirdly, it must have signs of financial stability, that is, solve social problems at the expense of income received from own activities. Finally, the fourth feature is scalability, that is, the ability to transfer acquired skills to other companies, markets, and even countries. Due to this entrepreneurial approach, social entrepreneurship is seriously different from traditional charity, since, in addition to the social effect, it is primarily aimed at making money.

In Russia, social entrepreneurship has not yet received such a serious development as abroad. " Social entrepreneurship- a recently emerged sector of the economy, much is debatable here: they try to attribute social entrepreneurship to either a commercial or non-commercial sphere. We believe that it exists and develops according to its own laws,” says Ruslan Abdikeev, strategic director of the Cloudwatcher Social Innovation Lab. According to him, a social entrepreneur is considered to be any entrepreneur who has formalized obligations to regularly carry out a certain set of social action to solve socially significant problems.

In the 1980s the concept of "social entrepreneurship" became popular thanks to Bill Drayton, the company's founder

Ashoka, however, it appeared long before that. In particular, in Russia, social entrepreneurship arose as early as turn of XIX–XX centuries An example of such entrepreneurship is the House of Diligence, founded by Father John of Kronstadt. Later becoming incredibly popular, such houses performed, in fact, the function of a labor exchange, where everyone in need could find a job. However, social entrepreneurship became truly popular only at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. It is no coincidence that in 2006 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time for social entrepreneurship: Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the microfinance organization Grameen Bank, received it.

In Russia, social entrepreneurship arose at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. An example of such entrepreneurship is the House of Diligence, founded by Father John of Kronstadt.

According to experts, social entrepreneurship increases economic efficiency, as it introduces into circulation resources that were not previously used in this capacity. Moreover, this applies not only to unused material (production waste), but also to human resources, for example, socially excluded groups: the poor, ethnic diasporas, etc. Based on this, Coimbatore Prahalad formulated in his works one of the approaches of social entrepreneurship: if you stop viewing the poor as a victim or a burden, and see them as entrepreneurs and consumers, then this opens up many opportunities not only for themselves, but also for business. Thus, for example, by working with the poor or disadvantaged segments of the population, a business can not only make a profit, but expand the market and create a huge number of new consumers. In order to make this possible, according to Prahalad, large firms should cooperate with civil society organizations and local authorities.

Main difficulties

In practice, the development of social entrepreneurship in Russia was not so simple. Firstly, according to experts, social entrepreneurship was most in demand in third world countries that suffered from acute social problems and at the same time retained insurmountable cultures. moral values traditional society. These conditions bore little resemblance to the conditions of Russia and even more so of the developed industrial countries of the West. Secondly, traditional social entrepreneurship NGOs, with which he offered to cooperate, did not receive popular development in Russia. Thirdly, in Russia, the practice of corporate social responsibility too often, upon closer examination, revealed the vested interests of business or government pressure. Fourth, for a long time, not only business, but also the citizens themselves did not demonstrate a great commitment to social solidarity. Despite the presence of serious difficulties, there is social entrepreneurship in Russia, and, moreover, in terms of innovative potential and social guidelines it is in no way inferior to Western counterparts. However, the main difference is determined rather by the scale of enterprises' activities, and most importantly, by the differences in the Russian social and institutional environment. Among the main difficulties, experts also refer to problems encountered in many countries, for example, long-term unemployment among ethnic minorities, social exclusion of people with disabilities, etc.

In 2006, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time for social entrepreneurship: Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the microfinance organization Grameen Bank, received it.

In general, at the moment, according to the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, today in Russia only about 1% of companies are engaged in social entrepreneurship in Russia in one form or another, in order to improve the situation it is necessary to increase it to at least 10%. “It is necessary to open up opportunities and create conditions for the development of entrepreneurship in the domestic social sphere. This will give an influx of new ideas, technologies, improve the quality of services, create hundreds of thousands of jobs,” says Vladimir Yablonsky, Director of the Social Projects Department of the ASI. In particular, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives is working in this direction: it collects the best social practices and helps to replicate them in other regions. The ASI plans to work on the introduction of new support measures for social entrepreneurs, including the simplification of registration and business procedures, the introduction of modern financing mechanisms, as well as the development of public-private partnership institutions in the social sphere.

Another major obstacle to the development of social entrepreneurship in Russia is the lack of regulation. At the moment the only government document, which defines social entrepreneurship, is Order No. 223 of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia. At the same time, social entrepreneurship is understood in it only as “ entrepreneurial activity aimed at solving a particular social problem. It can go both by providing services to a category of persons with handicapped and by ensuring their employment at the enterprise. True, there is another criterion for social entrepreneurship - enterprises that support the activities of people with disabilities due to health fall into this category, and the number of such employees must be at least 50% of the state, and their share of income must be at least 20% of the payroll labor. However, it is difficult to call such a definition complete.

Work results

Today in Russia there are several large organizations that support social entrepreneurship. So, for a long time The main fund for supporting social entrepreneurship was the fund "Our Future" by Vagit Alekperov. This organization annually holds an All-Russian competition social projects, according to the results of which it issues long-term interest-free loans, and also helps start-up entrepreneurs by offering them services in preparing a business plan. AT total the fund provided support to 75 social entrepreneurs on total amount more than 150 million rubles Competitions of projects on social entrepreneurship in Russia are also held by charitable foundation Reach for Change, whose representative office opened in Russia in December 2011, as well as the Interregional social organization"Young Achievements" Other representatives have recently taken up social entrepreneurship big business. For example, the Rusal company opened the first in Russia Innovation Center in the social sphere in Krasnoyarsk. The center's activities are aimed at involving people with entrepreneurial activity, as well as leaders of small and medium-sized businesses and socially oriented non-profit organizations, in solving social problems in the regions through the implementation of social and entrepreneurial projects. As explained at the opening ceremony by the First Deputy CEO RUSAL Vladislav Solovyov, "RUSAL is interested in increasing the level of social and business activity in the regions of presence." “The development of social entrepreneurship is a new direction for the company's social investments. Innovation centers in the social sphere should become anchor points for growth in order to solve important problems. social tasks. The best business projects of social entrepreneurs will receive support from the company and project partners,” he said. In the near future, the School of Social Entrepreneurs will start operating on the basis of the CISS in Krasnoyarsk, within the framework of which business representatives will get acquainted with the best international and Russian experience social entrepreneurship, learn business planning, and gain knowledge in the field of legal and financial fundamentals business. The new project fits into overall strategy development of social entrepreneurship of RUSAL. In particular, in 2010 this company announced the RUSAL Territory program, under which 50 projects were implemented with an investment of 150 million rubles.

Another area of ​​work is the development of microfinance. Since 2002, the Russian Microfinance Center (RMC) has also been operating in Russia, which organizes joint projects together with creative laboratory Grameen, Yunus Center and Yunus Social Business. In 2011, the Law on Microfinance Activities came into force: State Register microfinance organizations, which already includes several thousand companies. This market segment is constantly growing. According to NAMMS and Non-commercial partnership"Microfinance and Development" (NP "MiR"), in 2011 the market of microfinance institutions (including credit cooperatives) amounted to 33 billion rubles. In total, about 3,000 microfinance companies are currently operating in Russia, while in 2012 the market grew by 1,574 such organizations. True, 114 companies were excluded from the state register of microfinance organizations during the period of maintenance, although in total in 2012 the market increased by almost 63.5% in terms of the number of new players. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing markets in Russia. The total portfolio of loans issued by microfinance organizations reached 48 billion rubles, having increased by 30% last year, and by 25% the year before.

Social projects

If you look at specific projects in the field of social entrepreneurship, it turns out that they have already covered a wide variety of industries. In 2012 the winner All-Russian competition project "Social Entrepreneur - 2012", organized by the fund "Our Future", was the "Rehabilitation Clinic of the Physicotechnical Institute" from Astrakhan. This clinic will provide specialized medical care population with diseases of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, gynecological diseases and postoperative patients. To date, there has not been a single rehabilitation center or medical institution specializing in restorative medicine. For 2% of the total number of disabled people, participants in the Second World War with a violation of the musculoskeletal system, the clinic will provide services free of charge. Thus, 350 people will receive high-quality free consultative, restorative and diagnostic medical care. Another winner of the competition was the project "Rural Pharmacy in Aleshna", launched by an entrepreneur from Tula region Elena Kostyanovskaya. The main target audience of the pharmacy will be people from 11 villages located within a radius of 35 km. Until this time here in municipality Fedorovskoye Leninsky district Tula region, there was not a single pharmacy, and in order to purchase the necessary medicines, people had to go to Tula. Thanks to the project of Elena Kostyanovskaya, the purchase of medicines will become much easier for 4.6 thousand people. Another winner is a Moscow hairdresser's salon, which employs mostly the deaf. Within the framework of the enterprise, it is planned to organize close cooperation with boarding schools for children with hearing impairment and free education skills of students with hearing impairments.

There are similar projects in other regions. For example, the Nadezhda Charitable Foundation operates in St. Petersburg, which produces rehabilitation equipment for the elderly, the disabled, and people who have suffered a serious injury. The company also opened a paid rental office that provides rehabilitation equipment for the duration of the collection of certificates. In turn, the Moscow company Dospehi is engaged in the production of an orthopedic system that allows people with injuries or diseases of the spine that have led to paralysis of the legs to move independently. socially oriented projects even in the field of telecommunications. Thus, Smart Telecom, together with the Cloudwatcher Social Innovation Laboratory, launched the DobroSIM tourist SIM card, which provides mobile subscribers with a package of services and discounts, and also allows them to participate in charitable projects. Each time replenishing the account, the subscriber transfers 5% to support the work of the Mutual Help social exchange. Even more interesting idea Cloudwatcher Labs is a Translating project that helps disabled professional translators get commissions from commercial companies.

Despite the presence of serious examples, for further development social entrepreneurship, according to experts, it is necessary to develop a separate law on social entrepreneurship, as well as to finalize and expand legislative acts, in particular the law on NGOs, and supplement it with a more detailed description of the activities of socially oriented non-profit organizations. There is already a draft of such a bill, in particular, it is proposed to register the subjects of social entrepreneurship, including commercial and non-profit organizations, individual entrepreneurs, outline the requirements and restrictions for such activities, as well as establish tax incentives that such enthusiasts can count on. Furthermore, next step could be the creation of separate corporate forms or types of companies for social entrepreneurship entities. However, it has not come to this yet, although, according to a recent report by Natalia Larionova, director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and Competition of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, the ministry will support social entrepreneurs in 2013, but how, is still not known for certain.

Social entrepreneurship in Russia

I continue, as promised, the topic of social entrepreneurship. Now about the prospects of this business in Russia and about examples interesting business ideas actually working in our country. We know perfectly well that the goal of any business is to make a profit. But what distinguishes it is the desire to establish long-term partnerships with the client. Here the end in itself is not income generation, but the solution of a social problem. And since capitalism has turned to us not with a human face, but with an animal grin, many people are looking for how to combine business and solving social problems that concern them.

An example of the first social enterprise in Russia is the House of Diligence, founded by Father John of Kronstadt in late XIX century. Here, everyone in need (single mothers, the homeless, etc.) was helped to find a job, get help and shelter. Later, the houses of industriousness spread throughout Russia.

“Give each one, according to his strength, labor with which he could feed and clothe himself.” Father John of Kronstadt

Now social entrepreneurship in Russia can be divided into three categories:

1. Specialized businesses (e.g. for the visually impaired)
2. Non-profit and charitable organizations. They, even if they are engaged commercial activities, still depend on the money of sponsors and the state.
3. Small business social enterprises.

Since this site sanctifies rather interestingbusiness ideas for small businesses, when you do not need to invest a lot of money, then I will dwell on this type of social entrepreneurship in more detail. Perhaps some of these enterprises will prompt you to open your own business.

Astrakhan Center "Colored Milk"

She is engaged in preschool development of children, their health improvement and preparation for school. Despite serious competition, the center not only maintains its reputation, but also provides assistance to large and low-income families. The specialists of the center, based on the experience of the most progressive teachers, have created their own programs and lead families with children from pregnancy to school. How to organize a private Kindergarten, read .

Creative workshop "Merry felt" in Rybinsk

An excellent example of a modern interpretation of an old craft. This interesting business idea belongs to the spouses-artists Pavel Gavrilov and Leah Wisnap. With the help of ancient folk craft Yaroslavl region, felting, now create motley hares, tigers, cats and little men. In addition to toys, they make a lot of original accessories, beads, brooches, handbags, wallets, cell phone cases. They also create felt panels, slippers and, of course, they did not forget about the felt boots themselves, which have now also become brighter and more elegant.

Ecologically clean, warm and elegant things are bought with pleasure for themselves and children, for gifts and souvenirs. And women work in the workshop, including mothers of many children. Who better than them to know how best to turn reality into a fairy tale. Read more about the workshop here: www.vvoilok.ru.

"Rabbit Farm" in the Komi Republic

This farm shows that successful social entrepreneurs are possible in agriculture. The company is currently making good profits active sales organic dietary rabbit meat, which doctors have long recommended for healthy eating children and chronically ill adults. Now investing in the modernization of the farm big money which will significantly increase production. In addition, one workplace on the farm is provided to a disabled homeworker.

Here are three examples of social entrepreneurship in completely different areas of the economy. In the next article, I will also describe Russian examples, including quite original and interesting business ideas, but already related to the environment. So subscribe so you don't miss them.

Finally, a video about the prospects for social entrepreneurship in Russia:

In this chapter you will learn:

what is entrepreneurship and what are the prerequisites for the development of entrepreneurship in the social sphere.

what are the features of public and private entrepreneurship.

what factors influence entrepreneurial activity in the social sphere.

what role does a business plan play in entrepreneurial activity, the requirements for its development.

§1 Entrepreneurship and its role in the social sphere.

The term “entrepreneurship”, as well as the very phenomenon of entrepreneurial activity, entered public practice in Russia only in the second half of the 1980s.

Entrepreneurship can be characterized as an initiative independent activity of the owner (full or partial), aimed at making a profit at his own risk and property liability.

It can be carried out in different sectors of the economy, both with and without the involvement of wage laborers. The business environment is important for the development of entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurial Environment - a set of social institutions and conditions, legal norms, systems state support. It is also a certain social climate, security conditions, a special infrastructure for entrepreneurship, i.e. everything that ensures the further formation and development of entrepreneurship.

One of the areas of entrepreneurial activity is small business, or small business. It is most characteristic of the social sphere.

The concept of small business is connected, first of all, with the criterion of the size of the enterprise. Based on this, the assignment of entrepreneurship to small business can be carried out by assessing the amount of profit, by the volume of trade, by the number of employees. In the current legislation of the Russian Federation, the most significant criterion is the accounting of the number.

The law “On State Support of Small Business in the Russian Federation” proposes to classify as small enterprises those that have the following number of employees:

In industry - up to 200 people;

In construction - up to 100 people;

In wholesale trade - up to 50 people;

In agriculture - up to 50 people;

In science and non-production sphere - up to 25 people;

In retail - up to 15 people.

To date, small business has taken a fairly significant place in the Russian economy. It is most widely used in industries such as retail and services. Small business occupies a prominent place in construction, auditing, and insurance. A significant number of small enterprises and individual entrepreneurs are involved in the urban economy, health care, and science.

Entrepreneurship performs important socio-economic functions in society, in its individual subsystems, in the process of implementing economic reform. First of all, it is necessary to single out the role of small business as a flexible, fast-reacting sector of the economy in meeting changing consumer demand and establishing a certain balance in the consumer market. Small business successfully solves the problem of fast delivery of small and medium-sized consignments of goods to a specific consumer and the provision of services based on a wide variety of needs. It very successfully searches for the necessary goods both in the domestic and in the world market.

Small business, in principle, by its nature, is most effective in using small resource potential - unoccupied and obsolete fixed assets, secondary resources, waste, specific resources of the urban environment (which were practically not used before), small unoccupied land plots.

The role of small business in creating new jobs is extremely important. Here it largely compensates for the reduction in employment at large state-owned and simply unprofitable enterprises of all categories. A workplace in a small business does not require large expenses; it can be organized anywhere, including at home. In this regard, its role in providing employment for the disabled, women, and the elderly is significant. Small business, as the practice of a number of countries shows, plays a very important role in the production of a number of socially necessary goods and services. This is the production of many household items, clothing, certain foodstuffs, various types of repair work, construction services, the provision of the most different types services within social assistance population, organization of sports and cultural leisure of citizens.

Small business contributes to the restructuring of the economy, the formation of a publicly recognized market infrastructure (including credit and financial), a softer change in property relations, land reform, the creation of new organizational and technological forms of organization of production.

In the formation of small business there are a number of unresolved problems that hinder its development and call into question the possibility of survival. This is a system of strict taxation, an acute shortage of funds for potential and existing entrepreneurs to expand their business or to open it, a criminal environment that flourishes in this area.

Small business challenges include:

The absence of a realistic concept for the development of small business at the state (municipal) level and, accordingly, effective measures for its state support;

High level of risk;

Lack of normal relations with authorities.

The solution of these problems is possible only with an effective combination of supporting and regulating activities in relation to small businesses at all levels of government. At the same time, the emphasis should increasingly shift towards expanding the powers and degree of participation of local structures.

The main prerequisites for the development of entrepreneurship in the social sphere are:

The legal framework that creates opportunities for engaging in this type of activity;

Change in property relations and shifting the focus of the activity of the subject (entrepreneur) towards making a profit;

A sharp reduction in financial resources coming from the budget to the social sphere;

The emergence of wealthy strata of the population, which form the solvency of the demand for a number of new services in the social sphere.

Who can be called an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is an economic entity that organizes activities for the production of products or the provision of services at the expense of its own and (or) borrowed funds in order to make a profit.

The hallmarks of an entrepreneur are:

Participation in the formation of initial capital;

Participation in the management of the enterprise;

Financial responsibility for the results of activities;

The right to make decisions when choosing a development strategy;

The right to distribute and use profits.

In the social sphere, entrepreneurship is developing in the following areas:

Additional services within the framework of the main activity (for example, the creation of computer courses at school in order to train users of personal computers, learn foreign languages, use sports facilities for commercial purposes);

Services related to the main activity (for example, the university sells textbooks published by it);

Services not related to the main activity (rental of premises and equipment).

Questions for self-examination.

1. What is entrepreneurship?

2. Prerequisites for the development of entrepreneurial activity.

3. The role of small business in the social sphere.

4. What is the main goal of entrepreneurial activity?

September 30 to November 25, 2014 takes a course of nine 45-minute webinar lectures for everyone who is looking for and creating something new, interested in social entrepreneurship, who wants to find solutions and support, or who helps others.

The first webinar took place on September 30th. Recording can be viewed . Constantly Registration for the following webinars is open, the next one from the date of publication of this material is October 07, 2014 at 17.00 (Moscow time). Registration

We publish about review of materials based on the results of the webinar “Approaches and definition of social entrepreneurship. Movement of the Soul or Economic Calculation?”, held on September 30, 2014.

First of all, the need to search for a definition arises at the first meeting with the phrase "Social + Entrepreneur". In the minds and attitudes of the overwhelming majority of people, the problem of incompatibility of these concepts arises: "Entrepreneurship (business)" and "Social mission".

Here is how this situation is voiced by one of the initiators of the appearance this concept in Russian legislation, senator Alexander Borisov:“There is no classical formulation in our country. There is no legal definition. Such a form economic activity, which is at the intersection of entrepreneurship and charity, on the one hand, seems like an oxymoron. After all, entrepreneurship is aimed at making a profit, and here the solution of social problems is at the forefront.

Feeling incompatibility of concepts also arises when readingCivil Code of the Russian Federation (Civil Code of the Russian Federation) dated November 30, 1994 N 51-FZ, where relations between persons engaged in entrepreneurial activity, or with their participation, are regulated, based on the fact that entrepreneurial activity is an independent activity carried out at one's own risk, aimed at systematic profit from the use of property, the sale of goods, the performance of work or the provision of services by persons registered in this capacity in statutory okay. This rigidly fixed approach for many years creates the conditions for negative perception in general, everything related to entrepreneurship and business, integrating into historically conditioned ideas about capitalism, exploitation, class stratification, and, further, deceit, oligarchs, etc.

If you look at the situation of the attitude of Russian residents to entrepreneurship, you can find the following indicative figures:

4.3% are engaged in entrepreneurship, 2.2% want to start their own business;

93% of Russians do not even consider such an opportunity for themselves;

83% have never tried;

Nearly half of those who closed businesses in 2012 no longer want to be entrepreneurial. *

*Based on Babson College, London Business School and high school management of St. Petersburg State University (published in Kommersant, Vedomosti, April 2013)

There are even more fresh information: more than a third of the surveyed owners of their own business consider themselves "forced entrepreneurs" (have no other earning opportunities).

Most of the self-employed are in the consumer services sector (58%)*.

*According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Kommersant, 09/11/2014)

As a result, the problem of rejection of entrepreneurship in its only interpretation and approach is reflected in the speeches of the first persons of the state, already as a new challenge: Thus, the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov in November 2013, clearly voiced a new issue: “... many who have been involved in own business, look at just moving somewhere as an employee to a well-paid position, and they don’t need the headache of running their own business at all.

“The main thing for us now is how to make the motive of running your own business become a value. So far, unfortunately, this has not happened.”

The answer to these questions, in our opinion, is contained in the texts of one of the founders of social entrepreneurship, the founder of the Ashoka Foundation Bill Drayton:

“In order to solve any problem, first of all it is necessary to find the idea of ​​this solution. But the idea will start to work only in the hands of the entrepreneur. It is the combination of idea and entrepreneurship that is the basis of most structural changes. in any field, including education and social protection, the principle "idea + energy of the one who is able to implement it" works exactly the same as in business. If the second component of the formula is missing, the social sphere is in deep backwardness which, in fact, has been observed for centuries.

That is, it is initially important to look differently, on the one hand, at entrepreneurship in general, and, on the other hand, at such a phenomenon as social entrepreneurship. In both cases, attitudes and moods change. For the better.

This change in attitude is reinforced by another quote - already from the founder of Grameen Bank, Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus:

“Social entrepreneurship is a very broad concept. Any innovative initiative that aims to help people can be characterized as social entrepreneurship.” That is, here we see a proposal to consider as social entrepreneurs a much wider group of people, including public, civil leaders, urban enthusiasts, activists and so on.

Muhammad Yunus focuses not on all manifestations of social entrepreneurship, but on what he calls social business. “Social business differs from profit-maximizing enterprises in its goals: “the creation of social benefits for those for whom it operates”, i.e. it aims to solve social problems through the production of products and services. Break-even, but also not generating income or dividends in an economic sense - this is how the concept can be briefly described social business».

A few questions from colleagues asked before the start of the webinar in social network Facebook:

Question: If 2-3% want to be entrepreneurs, how many of them want to become social entrepreneurs?

The answer is just in the above texts. A social entrepreneur is not a percentage of a commercial entrepreneur. This is a much wider, different layer of active citizens who are not involved and not supported in this moment.

Question: Is it worth looking for and investing in social entrepreneurs if it is more efficient and easier to support people who can and will create profit, part of which can then be directed to solving social problems, helping?

We find the answer in another statement by Muhammad Yunus: "Experience shows that the desire for profit will always prevail." And we completely agree with this position, because if it is necessary to make a decision - which is more important - to make a profit or neglect it in the name of another goal, a person working for profit, for the investor's margin, cannot and should not neglect it for other goals, if he works in a regular commercial company.

Muhammad Yunus described this difference most accurately as follows:

“The principle of public good is replacing the principle of profit maximization. The business of a social entrepreneur fully pays for its expenses, ensures the return of invested funds, the activity is financed from the profit, and it is also distributed in the form of more low prices, higher quality of service and greater access to benefits for the poorest segments of the population”.

It is interesting how the same idea is confirmed by several more definitions from Russian experts:

Igor Zadorin, head of the Zircon research group: “Social entrepreneurship is social activity in the format of a business or a business focused on solving social problems.

Sergey Golubev, Head of the School of Social Entrepreneurship: “Social entrepreneurship - people are engaged in this activity, as a rule, not thanks to, but in spite of. They see, fix a certain social problem that also worries them. And they begin to expand their activities, but at the same time they communicate powerfully with the local community in terms of building entrepreneurial schemes in order to make it sustainable.”

At this stage, you can do intermediate conclusions webinar and outline the key voiced approaches to the definition of:

Social entrepreneurship:

A. A business built on the principles of maximizing the public good, not profit.

B. A business that implements an idea to solve a social problem.

The next step in the formation of an approach to definition is the transition from a general approach and ideology to functionality. In this case, we will be helped by an analysis of the criteria existing in practice for self-determination (and definition) of a social entrepreneur.

First of all, let's look at the criteria used by Bill Drayton in the activities of the Ashoka Foundation when searching for and supporting social entrepreneurs from around the world. There are four such criteria:

Creativity. Both in setting goals and in finding solutions.

Entrepreneurial qualities. “This is the most difficult criterion. There are many creative people, altruists, good managers who will never achieve systemic changes. They can help five families, they can create one camp, but they will never change the whole system. The main sign of a social entrepreneur in any sector is the desire to change the entire system. That's what makes these people happy and keeps them busy with the problem for as long as it takes. They are ready to measure their vision with reality, listen to the environment and constantly change the idea until it works, because if you are aimed at structural changes, the idea goes through many stages: the environment changes - you learn. It's permanent creative process, and it is the combination of two traits - creativity and entrepreneurial qualities - that is the most rare.

moral stability. “If you want to make a difference and get people excited about your idea, remember that you won’t succeed unless you have full trust.”

The social significance of the idea. “The idea should be convincing for other people, it should give a clear understanding of how many people will receive help, how effective the help will be.”

In Russia, for self-determination and the definition of a social entrepreneur, a substantive frame of five criteria has become widespread:

Social impact. Targeted focus on solving / mitigating existing social problems, sustainable positive measurable social results.

Innovation. Applying new, unique approaches to increase social impact.

Self-sufficiency and financial stability. The ability of a social enterprise to solve social problems for as long as it is needed and from the income generated from its own activities.

Scalability and replicability. Scaling up social enterprise (national and international level) and sharing experiences (models) to increase social impact. There is a big risk of losing the "soul" of the project.

Entrepreneurial approach. The ability of a social entrepreneur to see market failures, find opportunities, accumulate resources, develop new solutions that have a long-term positive impact on society as a whole.

As we can see b about Most of the criteria in both lists are the same. It is also interesting to see how these criteria are reflected in the definitions of Russian experts.

Mikhail Mamuta, Head of the Main Department of the MFO Market and Financial Inclusion Methodology of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation:

“In fact, it works like a normal business, that is, it must be profitable, not unprofitable. But at the same time, social goals act as its main goal or goals. This company does not set itself the goal of maximizing profits, it sets itself the goal of solving a specific problem or set of problems.

Tatiana Burmistrova, Director of the Towards Change Foundation: “This is both business and non-profit organizations that offer innovative solutions serious social problems that can lead to systemic changes. In doing so, they use their entrepreneurial potential and strive for sustainability.”

Now that we have decided on the approaches and content framework for the concept of social entrepreneurship, we can see how social entrepreneurship is seen by the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of economic development.

In the annual order of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation on supporting small and medium-sized businesses, we can find the following detailed and functionally thought-out definition:

“Creation (development) of social entrepreneurship, which is a socially oriented activity of small business entities
and medium-sized businesses aimed to solve social problems, including those ensuring the implementation one of the following conditions:

a) provide employment for disabled people, women with children under the age of 7 (seven) years, orphans, graduates of orphanages, people retirement age, persons in difficult life situation(hereinafter - persons belonging to socially unprotected groups of citizens), as well as persons released from places of deprivation of liberty within 2 (two) years preceding the date of the competitive selection,

on condition,
that the average number of these categories of citizens among their employees is at least 50%; and the share in the wage fund - at least 25%;

b) carry out activities for the provision of services (production of goods, performance of work) in the following areas of activity:

Promoting vocational guidance and employment, including promoting employment and self-employment of persons belonging to socially vulnerable groups of citizens;

Social services for persons belonging to socially vulnerable groups of citizens and families with children in the field of healthcare, physical culture and mass sports, conducting classes in children's
and youth circles, sections, studios;

Organization social tourism- only in terms of excursion and educational tours for persons belonging to socially unprotected groups of citizens;

Providing assistance to victims of natural Disasters, environmental, man-made or other disasters, social, national, religious conflicts, refugees and forced migrants;

Production and (or) sale medical technology, prosthetic and orthopedic products, as well as technical means, including motor vehicles, materials that can be used exclusively for the prevention of disability or the rehabilitation of people with disabilities;

Ensuring cultural and educational activities (museums, theaters, studio schools, musical institutions, creative workshops);

Providing educational services persons belonging to socially unprotected groups of citizens;

Facilitating the involvement in socially active activities of persons belonging to socially unprotected groups of citizens, as well as persons released from places of deprivation of liberty for 2 (two) years and persons suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism).

Precisely on the basis this definition it is proposed to provide state support for social entrepreneurs, but, as can be seen from the order, this only applies to small and medium-sized businesses. Socially-oriented non-profit organizations do not fall within the scope of this order and activities within the framework of the relevant SME support programs.

It is all the more important to understand and hear the position of the Ministry of Economics of the Russian Federation, first of all, key persons for the development of social entrepreneurship:

Natalia Larionova, Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation: “First of all, from my point of view, the specifics are connected with a very difficult balancing between social functions, which the business has voluntarily assumed, and the need to ensure profitability.

There really should be some interesting solutions in the same marketing. separate issue- this is building labor relations, if people with disabilities are hired, or, say, women who care for children. That is, such specificity, after all, exists.

Artyom Shadrin, Director of the Department innovative development Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation: “In my opinion, this is a business with a large positive social external effect, at which the social effect, the effect of solving social problems is comparable to or exceeds the traditional business effect associated with earning money and paying taxes.

Both definitions help us to see the position and interest of the state in relation to social entrepreneurship. And the position expressed by Artem Shadrin about considering social entrepreneurship not only as a source of tax revenues, to some extent can even be “revolutionary” - since such an attitude towards SMEs is still extremely rare, in principle.

There is another aspect of the issue concerning the clarification of the situation with the definition of social entrepreneurship - initiatives to legislate this concept.

At the end of 2013, several initiatives were launched in this direction. On the one hand, a separate bill on social entrepreneurship was initiated, on the other hand, a draft amendment was introduced to the federal law “On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation”.

I will not dwell on the details and key participants in this process, but will present only the proposed definition of social entrepreneurship itself:

THE FEDERAL LAW"About amendments to the federal law"On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation"

Social entrepreneurship is understood as the socially oriented activity of small and medium-sized businesses aimed at achieving socially useful goals, solving social problems, including providing support to people in difficult life situations, and in the implementation of which at least one of the following conditions is met:

1) employment is provided (a list of socially unprotected categories of citizens will be posted here), provided that the average number of employees belonging to the specified categories of citizens is at least 50 percent, and their share in the wage fund of employees is at least 25 percent;

2) as the main view economic activity carried out the following types activities for the production of goods (performance of works, provision of services), the proceeds from the implementation of which, excluding value added tax, is at least 70 percent: (a list of areas of socially significant activity will be posted here)”

At the moment, there are grounds to expect that it is in this formulation that the first legislative definition social entrepreneurship.

And we will have to rely on this functional, moderately formalized definition to formulate our own approach to this amazing phenomenon.

For example, as several other Russian experts did:

Irina Pavlova, Head of the Department of Social and Charitable Projects, Foundation for Regional social programs"Our future":

“Social entrepreneurship is an innovative activity aimed at solving or mitigating social problems. Without reference to the organizational and legal forms that exist, since, basically, the non-profit sector has become a conductor of social entrepreneurial activity in Russia. On the other hand, taking into account the various options and those programs that were introduced some time ago, self-employment and the initiative of one person, which is enshrined in legislation as individual entrepreneurship, has also been developed precisely in the direction of social entrepreneurship. Also today such activities are carried out by LLC. All this shows that there are no objective restrictions on the conduct of this type of activity. The main thing is that this activity should be aimed at achieving a positive social effect, and the primary mission should be fixed in achieving this effect, so that everything that is provided for by law is observed. And then one person with a small team of like-minded people and with little support can begin to change the world of those people who turned out to be the most vulnerable due to certain circumstances.”

Olga Ryabova, member Coordinating Council The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on the development of social business and entrepreneurship: “This is a business or an entrepreneurial project that is created to solve or mitigate some very specific social problem. As a rule, social problems are not global - they are always tied to a specific region, the place where you live, and where you want to fix something ... Well, or you don’t want to. Those who want to create social entrepreneurship or social business. And the official definition now used by experts in Russia is as follows: It is an entrepreneurial activity, a sustainable business aimed at solving or mitigating social problems. Business with a social mission”.

Alexandra Moscow, Head of the HSE Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation: “If we take short definition is a commercial enterprise social purpose. That is, created for a social purpose, but implementing and using commercial mechanisms and existing on self-sufficiency. In order for the realization of the goal to be carried out by such means, an innovative idea is used, some unusual combination of resources - very often - simply creative will, acquaintances, kindness, connections, talents of the most different people with whom the social entrepreneur has met in his life.

Thus, summing up, we can draw several conclusions.

The first is the definition functions of social entrepreneurship in relation to the specifics of the current “moment”: social entrepreneurship is the “other entrance” to the economy self-employment and self-help, taking into account the development of needs (social problems and difficulties), and, therefore, growth of wealth and prosperity residents under certain conditions:

On the one hand, against the background of a reduction in the activity of classical small business;

On the other hand, against the backdrop of growing state support for the non-profit sector;

On the third, calling "social services" and social service population for both sectors - SMEs and SO NPOs.

And the second. Of course, as part of a webinar dedicated to the definition of social entrepreneurship, it is important to offer your own version: Social entrepreneurship– activities of economic entities initiated to solve a social problem based on an entrepreneurial approach.

In more detail: Created by an entrepreneur (activist, leader of an initiative group, public leader, head of an NPO or individual entrepreneur, LLC) a case aimed at solving a social problem based on the vision of its solution as self-sustaining, demanded by both society and the market for the production of a product and service.

And in short: "The movement of the soul based on the vision of solving a social problem and understanding the expectations of the market to ensure a sustainable result."

Everything you do will come back a hundredfold, and especially good. Those who live according to this law try to share the received benefits, resources, and opportunities. Therefore, not so long ago, a massive insight happened in the field of business - you can not only help people in difficult situations, but also make money from it. As they say, you're good, and we're good.

For those who first encountered this concept, it may seem that we are talking about making money on someone else's misfortune. But this is not so: socially oriented entrepreneurship has a charitable connotation in the first place, and already generates income in the second place.

The essence of social entrepreneurship lies in the independence of the philanthropist from the kindness of others, his independence and the ability to engage in humanitarian activities having its own financial base under its feet.

What is social entrepreneurship?

Social entrepreneurship is a kind of business where the main idea is to solve social problems and help people. Unlike pure charity, the idea of ​​self-sufficiency and profitability of the project is important here. Researchers identify several features of a social business that allow it to be called such:

• social orientation (resolution or relief of people's problems);
• the novelty of the approach (since the old methods usually offered by the state do not work, new solutions must be sought);
• replicability (the ability to transfer experience to other entrepreneurs in the country and even around the world);
• self-sufficiency (the ability to work without sponsorship);
• profitability (in order for the business to develop and its owner to eat, the project must bring money).

This concept appeared not so long ago and has been actively used in the world for only three decades, but its beginnings can be traced back in the mists of time. AT different countries philanthropists periodically appeared, introducing elements of business into charity and vice versa. So, one can recall Florence Nightingale, who founded a nursing school on the British island in the 19th century and developed new standards for their work.

Social entrepreneurship in Russia began to “peck” at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, but then a revolution happened and its development was suspended in anticipation of a better time. AT recent decades social business is gaining momentum, and in Last year he became especially popular. We can say that in the business environment, he is now experiencing a real boom.

Types of social entrepreneurship

We can distinguish the following types of social entrepreneurship by target orientation:

• improvement of the ecological situation;
• helping people going through difficult times;
• employment of the disabled;
• useful leisure;
• child development;
• rehabilitation after psychological and physical injuries.

Ideas for social entrepreneurship

Exists great amount ideas for social entrepreneurship, and some of them are quite unexpected. This niche is so new that it allows endless experimentation. The main thing is not to flirt and not to forget about the key component - the benefits for people. Here we will look at the most common and already tested ideas in practice.

• Ecological packaging. It takes up to two hundred years for an ordinary plastic bag to decompose. And remember how many bags of kefir, juice, frozen vegetables and sausages we carry every day in a garbage (again) bag! All these package mountains will grace our planet for decades if we don't stop. The manufacturers of eco-packaging also thought the same, deciding to use fundamentally different materials for this purpose. In principle, nothing new - most eco-friendly packaging consists of paper and cardboard. They decompose in just two years - much faster than polyethylene. So far, not all products have learned how to pack eco-friendly - for example, a replacement for plastic bottles has not yet been found. However, this is a breakthrough.
• Recycling of plastic. Mankind annually consumes a huge amount of plastic products - bags, bottles, cans, films, boxes, etc. This problem is not only about pollution. environment, but also the total consumption of resources. After all, while we throw tons of bottles into the landfill, enterprises use the same amount of material to produce new ones. So why not kill two birds with one stone? Plastic waste can be used to make new packaging, bristles for brushes, building materials and much more.
• Rural tourism. This entertainment is quite popular today among residents of megacities. Many townspeople have already forgotten what an ordinary cow looks like and what trees potatoes grow on. For them, going to a remote village is a whole adventure. They are even willing to pay to help a rural grandmother dig a garden, milk goats and collect eggs in a chicken coop. Fresh air and occupational therapy have a beneficial effect on the psyche; at the same time, such tourism contributes to the development of villages where it is common.
• Educational computer games for children. Children love to play on various gadgets, and the field of game development is quite lucrative. So why not combine business with pleasure? In the form of a game, you can learn languages ​​and school items, to master the ten-finger set. By using computer games social learning can also be done by modeling the behavior of characters so that children acquire useful skills for interacting with society.
• Children's development center or kindergarten. Another type of social business that helps children develop their abilities. By the way, such a center can be combined with a private kindergarten, thereby helping parents free up time for work. Not everyone can arrange a child in the garden on time because of the long queues, and the quality of child care there is not so hot. A private garden for 10-15 children is in many cases preferable - it is easier for educators to keep track of fewer kids, such gardens are better equipped, more high requirements and the development program always keeps pace with the times. True, there is more pay, but it's worth it.
• Club healthy lifestyle life. Many people dream of becoming slim, beautiful, eating right, running in the morning and hiking in the summer. But doing it alone is boring. So why not create an organization in which participants for a certain amount of money will be united in groups, advised, motivated, and conducted classes?
• Crowdfunding (collective financing of projects). On the Internet, you can find platforms where business financing is carried out on the principle of "from the world on a string." Those who want to implement their idea present it on the page, and those who are interested deposit as much as they can afford into the account. This is how good and useful startups rise to their feet. It is noteworthy that most of them relate to culture, art, journalism, cinema and the same social entrepreneurship.
• Training, retraining and employment of people who find themselves in a difficult life situation. Many categories of our fellow citizens fall under this concept - people who have recently been released from prisons, single mothers, women who have survived domestic violence, those who go through the process of rehabilitation after getting rid of drugs and alcohol addiction, disabled people. It is difficult for them to find work. For them, you can open training courses for simple professions and open a company where only people with a difficult fate are recruited. Benefits for an entrepreneur? Those who have received a second chance are, for the most part, diligent and diligent, hold on tightly to the workplace and at the same time do not require a large salary.
• A dating club for single people. After 30 years, it is already more difficult to make acquaintances and fall in love. But everyone wants warmth and love, regardless of age - both at 40 and at 70. Therefore, any organization that helps the older generation find each other will be in demand. It can be a search agency for a soul mate, and a club of interests, and “speed dating”, and dances for those who are a little over 20.

As you can see, you can do good for your own benefit. It's nice that the social component in entrepreneurship is becoming more and more, many businessmen are pouring into philanthropy. Even "ordinary" firms do not stand aside - some donate part of their income to charity, others make discounts on their products for the poor, and others conduct charity events. It's good when good deeds are popular: this is exactly the case when being fashionable is necessary and even necessary.