This whole social venture space seems to have some real issues with standardizing its terminology. Is it social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, social ventures, social business, earned income, socially responsible business, corporate social responsibility...? Oh and my favorite - "nonprofit entrepreneur." Isn't that an oxymoron?
What's the difference between any of these terms? Fine, it's a new field, but we really ought to be clear on what we're talking about - I have enough trouble explaining this stuff to my mother without a constantly changing lexicon.
Jerr Boschee at the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs actually tried. I won't say I agree with all his definitions, but I commend the effort. And his "five essential concepts" aren't bad:
"Dependency": The traditional business model for nonprofits, in which they depend solely or almost entirely on charitable contributions and public sector subsidies, with earned income either non-existent or minimal
"Sustainability": The ability to fund the future of a nonprofit through a mixed revenue stream -- a combination of earned income, charitable contributions and public sector subsidies
"Self-sufficiency": The ability to fund the future of a nonprofit through earned income alone
"Social entrepreneur": Any person, in any sector, who runs a social enterprise
"Social enterprise": Any organization, in any sector, that uses earned income strategies to pursue a double or triple bottom line, either alone (as a social sector business) or as part of a mixed revenue stream that includes charitable contributions and public sector subsidies
Full 80-term glossary available here - let's hope he continues to update it.
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