How to Create a Successful Social Enterprise

Alex Hofmann, co-founder of Changents.com will join us to share his secrets for social enterprise success. While Changents has only been around for 3 years, its founders are well-known media industry veterans -- Alex Hofmann (former ABC/Disney) and Deron Triff (former VP of Digital for PBS)--are applying a for-profit social enterprise model that has 3 revenue streams: sponsorship/Web 2.0 values marketing services, media rights development (to take Change Agent stories from online into traditional media venues such as books, magazines, films), and commerce. The guys were finalists in the prestigious Echoing Green 2007 Fellowship Program and the site is filled with social entrepreneurs to whom Alex and Deron feel a particular allegiance to serve. Alex and Deron have created a very unique online experience where socially conscious individuals from all parts of the world are engaging with the dynamic Change Agents in ways that are personal, exciting and impactful - without the bureaucracy of traditional institutions. In addition to the Changents.com site, their vision is to serve Change Agents by providing social media marketing and unique partnership opportunities that help propel public awareness of and support for their good work in the world. For example, this year Changents is partnering with Timberland to break emerging, dynamic "green" Change Agents onto the global environmental scene - http://tiny.cc/X0rZP. It's interesting that Changents is bridging the gap that often exists between a company's CSR and marketing divisions. In this case, Changents and Timberland are building a 'values marketing' program to roll-out an unprecedented array of online and on-the-ground opportunities that create new, exciting ways for the public to get up close to and take action with emerging environmental Change Agents (called Earthkeeper Heroes).