Social Enterprise 101 Course

Social Enterprise 101: Building Sustainable Business Models for Nonprofits

A 6-Week Intensive Cohort Experience for Mission-Driven Organizations

This transformative group course guides nonprofit leaders to develop profitable business ventures that complement their mission—creating financial sustainability, reducing dependency on grants and donations, and amplifying their social impact through earned revenue. Learn and grow alongside a cohort of like-minded changemakers who are ready to think beyond traditional fundraising.

What You'll Achieve

By the end of this 6-week journey, you'll have a concrete business plan and the strategic foundation to generate sustainable revenue streams that support and expand your nonprofit's mission while maintaining your organization's core values and legal compliance.

Core Outcomes:

• Identify and validate profitable business opportunities aligned with your mission

• Establish robust operational systems that support both nonprofit and business activities

• Develop leadership strategies that balance profit generation with servant leadership principles

• Create compelling brand messaging that attracts customers while honoring your mission

• Choose the optimal tax status and organizational structure for sustainable growth

• Secure appropriate financing and investment for your revenue-generating initiatives

• Build board and stakeholder support for your business venture

• Design success metrics that measure both financial performance and mission impact

Program Structure

Weekly 2-Hour Cohort Sessions - Connect with fellow nonprofit leaders, share challenges, celebrate breakthroughs, and learn from diverse organizational experiences and business models.

Individual 1:1 Strategy Sessions - Receive personalized guidance tailored to your specific organization, mission, and revenue opportunities through dedicated coaching time.

Between-Session Implementation - Apply frameworks and strategies immediately with structured action steps and accountability support from peers and mentors.

Weekly Curriculum Overview

Week 1: Setting a Solid Business Foundation Assess your organization's assets, capabilities, and market opportunities. Identify viable business models that align with your mission and build on your existing strengths.

Week 2: Servant Leadership in the Marketplace Develop leadership approaches that maintain your organization's values while driving business success. Learn to balance mission-driven decision making with profitable operations, and build strategies for engaging your board and key stakeholders in your business venture.

Week 3: Brand, Voice & Media Strategy Craft authentic messaging that appeals to paying customers while staying true to your nonprofit identity. Position your business venture as an extension of your mission, not a departure from it.

Week 4: Choosing Your Tax Status Evaluate the best organizational structure for your venture: maintaining nonprofit status, creating a for-profit subsidiary, or exploring hybrid models like B-Corps and L3Cs. Make informed decisions that optimize both impact and revenue potential.

Week 5: Financing & Investment Strategies Explore funding options from program-related investments to social impact bonds. Learn to pitch your business venture to investors who value both financial returns and social outcomes.

Week 6: Launch Planning & Sustainability Create a comprehensive implementation roadmap with realistic timelines and systems for ongoing evaluation. Develop success metrics that balance financial performance with mission outcomes, and build strategies for securing ongoing board and stakeholder support as you scale.

Who This Course Is For

• Nonprofit executives seeking to diversify revenue beyond grants and donations

• Startup social entrepreneurs building out their revenue models

• Development directors wanting to reduce fundraising pressure through earned income

• Program directors with ideas for monetizing existing services or expertise

• Board members exploring sustainable funding models for their organizations

• Social entrepreneurs within nonprofits ready to scale their impact through business

• Organizations preparing for or recovering from funding cuts or economic uncertainty

Investment in Your Sustainability

This intensive 6-week program combines peer learning with expert coaching to ensure you leave with both the knowledge and confidence to launch profitable ventures that strengthen rather than compromise your mission.

Program includes:

• 6 weekly group sessions (2 hours each)

• 6 individual coaching sessions (45 minutes each)

• Comprehensive workbook with legal templates and business planning tools

• Access to exclusive resource library with case studies from successful nonprofit enterprises

• 30 days post-program implementation support

• Private community platform for ongoing peer collaboration and resource sharing

Learn from Success Stories

Gain insights from real nonprofits that have successfully integrated business models alongside testimonials from industry thought leaders. Discover how organizations across various sectors have reduced their dependence on traditional funding while deepening their community impact through strategic business ventures.

Ready to transform your nonprofit's financial future while amplifying your mission? Join us and discover how earned revenue can become your pathway to greater independence and expanded impact.