9th Annual Social Enterprise Summit Focuses on Building Networks, Forming Partnerships...

9th Annual Social Enterprise Summit Focuses on Building Networks, Forming
Partnerships and Accessing Capital

BOSTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Sunday, March 9, the Social
Enterprise Alliance kicks off the 9th Annual Social Enterprise Summit, a
gathering of 600 leaders from enterprising nonprofits, social-purpose
businesses, and capital providers dedicated to using market-based strategies
to advance social change. The three-day event at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel
will foster learning and connections among social enterprises, foundations,
lenders, educators and technical assistance providers from across the country.
"This summit provides a unique opportunity to network and learn from the
growing community of social enterprises while learning about successful
earned-income strategies to advance social missions," says Social Enterprise
Alliance Chair Chuck Lief.
Growing in numbers, social enterprises harness the strength of marketplace
practices with the values and objectives of the social sector to address some
of the most pressing social problems. As government funding for social
services declines, today's social enterprises are more important than ever to
sustain vital human and employment services, youth development, environmental
quality, and other public benefit programs.
The program features four keynote speeches by leading experts and
practitioners:
Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant, who spent four years studying
thousands of nonprofits to write Forces for Good: The Six Practices of
High-Impact Nonprofits.
Ronald L. Phillips, president and founder of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. of
Wiscasset, Maine a nonprofit that has mobilized $1.3 billion to develop micro
businesses, create affordable housing and preserve natural resources.
Robert L.E. Egger, founder and president of D.C. Central Kitchen, where
since 1989 more than 605 unemployed workers have learned culinary skills and
prepared 17.4 million balanced meals.
Robert Chambers, founder and president of Bonnie CLAC, and winner of a
2006 Purpose Prize for Social Innovation, which helps low- and moderate-income
individuals purchase fuel-efficient cars, guaranteeing more than $10 million
in loans.
More than summit 50 workshops will explore the keys to entrepreneurial
success, and five tours will visit social enterprises at work in Boston. For
full conference details, visit http://www.se-alliance.org/summit.cfm.
About the Social Enterprise Alliance
The Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA) has emerged as the common ground for
practitioners, lenders, investors, grantmakers, consultants, researchers and
educators who recognize the increasing impact of social enterprise. In
addition to hosting the annual Social Enterprise Summit, SEA provides its
members with current information, tools, and other resources that address the
unique needs of social enterprises.
SOURCE Social Enterprise Alliance

Kris Prendergast of Social Enterprise Alliance, +1-202-247-6499,
kris@se-alliance.org