What+is+Echoing+Green?

What is Echoing Green?

Before moving on to explain what "**Echoing Green**" is, and how this organization is affecting our world right now, I will first show the video which does a marvelous job in briefly summarizing the concept.

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Basically, Echoing Green is a large, global organization that invests and supports new and upcoming social entrepreneurs around the world today. It is quite similar to [|Ashoka] in terms of investing in new social entrepreneurs. These social entrepreneurs, receiving the money to start their organizations, proceed to provide magnificent solutions to global problems, such as poverty, starvation, refugees, and the list goes on. Not only do they provide raw resources for the social entrepreneurs, "Echoing Green" also helps these outstanding visionaries hone and define their solutions to "society's most difficult problems". It is not surprising, then, that Echoing Green now invests in over $28 million to 471 social entrepreneurs to date.

I have below copied the motives and goals of "Echoing Green" to fully define what this organization truly strives to accomplish: **How We Make a Difference**
 * //We **Identify** Visionaries//: Through our multi-tiered selection process, Echoing Green identifies talented, yet unproven, **social entrepreneurs** who are dedicated to addressing the root causes of societal challenges.
 * //We **Invest** in Innovation//: We provide seed grants to help Echoing Green Fellows transform innovative ideas into action. By applying **entrepreneurial principles** to social sector investment, we help launch cutting-edge organizations that transform communities.
 * //We Provide Hands-on **Support**//**:** We provide technical assistance and consultations to help **new leaders** build organizations, increase their organization’s capacity, and manage growth. We also facilitate peer-to-peer learning to enhance leadership skills and ensure organizational sustainability.
 * //We **Connect** People//: We harness the experience and expertise of our global network of social entrepreneurs to share best practices and ensure success for all.

But even before I go on and talk about the impact and influence this organization had on thousands, if not millions of people around the globe, I will first explain what **Social Entrepreneurship** means and how this concept ties in with this organization. 

 What is Social Entrepreneurship?

Social Entrepreneurs, according to Echoing Green, are "//those exceptional individuals who dream up and take responsibility for an innovative and untested idea for positive social change, and usher that idea from dream to reality//". My definition for these entrepreneurs are: people with ambitions and dreams to completely change the world, for the better. These people create solutions and strive to achieve them. They are not Einstein nor Ghandi; these social entrepreneurs ages range from twelve to seventy.

I have a friend, back in Canada, named John Park. He is now a senior, but he is one of the most sought-after speaker for schools across Canada. He is a social entrepreneur. In 2006, John went on to the Arctic on a cruise boat to learn about wildlife. What he did find was shock itself. Canadian Polar Bears, known for their exquisite white fur, where being exploited and murdered simply for their fur. After skinning them alive, these baby cubs were left on the ice to die, its blood staining the ice red. John was shocked, and he began to speak out against these atrocities when he was merely a freshmen. He created shirts and sweaters and sold them around school, and when it got bigger, around cities. He was an art major, so it tied in nicely (he designed all of the shirts). He contacted professors and activists on the matter, and after getting resources, he began to teach those around him on the matter. These "study sessions" quickly turned into something he did in school, then another school invited him to speak, then another, and so on. Now, he is off to college in June, and he tells me that he wants to start an online website soon. This is a small, but a powerful example of a social entrepreneurship.

Like my friend John, social entrepreneurs attack the root of the social problem. They are directly tied to the problem itself, and do whatever in their power to help solve them.

Echoing Green and Social Entrepreneurs

Since 1987, Echoing Green funds, finds, and supports newly emerging social entrepreneurs. Although there are many people around the world with great ideas what will ultimately ease social problems, they are often short of money and support, and therefore, are unable to fully follow through their plans. There are many different organizations that also commit to support these up and coming entrepreneurs, like **Ashoka** (like mentioned before), **Skoll Foundation**, **Schwab Foundation,** and **Draper Richards Foundation**.

How it works:



Impact

The impact of Echoing Green is enormous. Every year, the Fellows of Echoing Green (Entrepreneurs that the organization funds annually) raises double the amount of money that they are lent by Echoing Green. The Fellows have sparked social change on five different continents, around the globe.

Here are some of the statistics on the website that I found interesting:


 * By year two, 58 percent of Echoing Green organizations have budgets over $100,000, compared to 43 percent of peer organizations.
 * By year two, 86 percent of Echoing Green Fellows hire at least one additional staff member, compared to 75 percent of peer organizations.
 * Approximately two out of three organizations founded through an Echoing Green investment reaches sustainability.
 * Of the organizations without current fellow involvement, 75 percent continue to thrive under new leadership.