Overview

Class Central Tips

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to create real change? You don't have to start your own organization to make a difference in the world. Everyone can learn the social entrepreneurship mindset and skillset to build social impact. In this course, you will immerse yourself in a social or environmental challenge you want to tackle. You'll start by researching your topic of choice, talking to people, and ideating a potential solution that you can contribute. Then, you'll build a business model around that solution, understanding concepts like measuring social change, ensuring financial viability, funding and pitching. This course is a safe space to experiment and explore. You'll be guided by a ten stage framework to help structure your journey. Along the way, you'll hear from social entrepreneurs around the world through case studies and campus conversations. These include Yale alumni, members of the New Haven community, and global changemakers. Everyone is welcome to join this course! You can apply your lived, learned, or professional experience to discover how you're going to make a difference.

Syllabus

Getting Started

Breeze through these short introductory videos to get a flavor of the course and determine if this course is right for you.

STAGE 1: RESEARCHING YOUR TOPIC

Your journey really starts here! This is the first stage in becoming a changemaker - understanding and researching your challenge.

STAGE 2: LISTENING TO PEOPLE

The most important part of your entrepreneurial journey is to understand (and engage with) the people who are most affected by your challenge. This module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to create meaningful community connections.

STAGE 3: DESIGNING A SOLUTION

This module focuses on creating innovative solutions to social challenges through the process of user-driven design. This approach facilitates the development of your solution by mobilizing existing resources in a new way.

STAGE 4: DEVELOPING YOUR IDEA FURTHER

In this module, you’ll figure out how people will interact with your offering. To do so, you need to talk to as many people as possible! First, you'll work on articulating your mission, vision, and values. Then, you’ll ask for informational interviews and talk to customers, others who have tried similar ideas, and anyone else who will talk to you and help connect you to others. The goal is to understand how your customers will interact with your solution.

STAGE 5: MEASURING OUTCOMES

This week, you will specify what success looks like, and how you will measure it.

STAGE 6: ENSURING FINANCIAL VIABILITY

In this module, you will address the financial viability of your solution, based on revenue and distribution models that are commonly adopted by social enterprises.

STAGE 7: FUNDING YOUR ENDEAVOR

In this module, you will review the financing approaches associated with social entrepreneurship. Hopefully, you will determine which one(s) could be right for you!

STAGE 8: STRUCTURING AS AN ORGANIZATION

This week, you will learn how to organize and structure the resources required for institutionalizing your endeavor.

STAGE 9: PITCHING & COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING

This module is about effectively communicating with stakeholders. Pitches and Business Plans are essential communication tools, but they’re not the only ones. You are encouraged to draft and comprehensive communications plan that specifies what to convey to whom and why, when, and how.

STAGE 10: EXPANDING YOUR IMPACT

In this module, you will learn different ways to reach beyond your solution. While you are contributing to the improvement of your social challenge, there’s a limit to what you can achieve on your own. To broaden the impact of your solution, you need to build partnerships with other entities that share your goal. This is the last module of the course, but your journey is just beginning!