Andrew J. Germak

Exploring the Motivation of Nascent Social Entrepreneurs

Abstract Social entrepreneurship (SE) is an increasingly popular practice in which business solutions are applied to social problems. While empirical study of the various facets of SE is on the rise, the motivation of social entrepreneurs – a key antecedent of SE – has received little attention. In contrast, substantial theoretical and empirical work exists on the motivation of commercial entrepreneurs as well as the motivation for public–social sector work. Seeking to fill a gap in the SE literature, this paper presents qualitative findings from in-person, in-depth interviews with self-identified nascent social entrepreneurs that participated in an SE training program in the USA. The findings provide an empirical foundation for further theory development and research on SE motivation.

Social Entrepreneurship: Changing the Way Social Workers Do Business

Social workers are among the best prepared professionals to respond to the worlds social problems. However, in the current realm of forward-looking, functional solutions to societys social ills, social workers are not easy to find. This paper makes the argument that given the tremendous need for solutions to todays pressing social challenges, it is time for social workers to stand up and embrace much of the straightforward business sense found in social entrepreneurship, a hybrid of social work macro practice principles and business innovation activities. To address this issue, the paper examines the imperative for social workers to explore and engage in social entrepreneurship. Ethical considerations concerning practice are discussed and a few examples of social entrepreneurship are described. Finally, the article ends with some recommendations for educating social workers and conducting future research in this emerging area of inquiry.

What Ignites and Sustains Activism: Exploring Participatory Competence

Qualitative methods were employed to investigate processes and competencies experienced by self-described activists, who represent social welfare and civil rights causes in a single northeastern state. In the tradition of phenomenological research, a small number (eight participants) was secured, and in-depth interviews were conducted. Analysis of interview data explored pathways into—and maintenance of—activist orientation. Within this sample, it was determined that activism contextualizes a long-term empowering process and contributes to participatory competence among study participants. The authors argue that this framework is useful for social work educators to facilitate empowerment through activism for students.

Antecedents of social entrepreneurship: between public service motivation and the need for achievement

A survey designed by the authors was administered to social impact hub members worldwide in an effort to better understand the motivational bases of social entrepreneurs. A specific focus in this study was the relationship between entrepreneurial traits, social entrepreneurial identity, and the actual success of a social venture. The assumptions from field observations that the construct of social entrepreneurial identification (SEII) and the successful start of a social venture (SUCC) are related were confirmed when controlling for gender, family, and cultural influences. Public service motivation (PSM), paired with a strong locus of control (LoC), innovativeness (INN) and tenacity (TE) were found to be the suggested qualities of social entrepreneurs. However, managerial experience and a pro-entrepreneurial background culture were much more predictive than was SEII. This study provides an empirical foundation for future research in the area of social entrepreneurship motivation, as well as practical implications for fostering social ventures.

The Impact of Structured Training on Knowledge and Perceived Job Performance of Child Support Professionals

Using data from the New Jersey Child Support Institute, this article evaluated the professional knowledge of child support workers before and after a training program and examined how changes in knowledge influenced their perceived job performance. The findings found that child support workers only answered 54.5% of the questions correctly on the pre-training assessment. The training program significantly improved workers’ knowledge of child support enforcement and that the increase in knowledge was associated with a 0.64 standard deviations of perceived job improvement for worker. The findings highlight the importance of training in a continually changing profession.

Building China’s Social Service Capacity: Lessons Learned from Professional Training Program Collaborations

Both the general economy and the provision of social services have grown in recent years in China. An opportunity has evolved for U.S.-based schools of social work to collaborate with counterparts in China to provide social service training and professional development programs. This article describes the lessons learned from two such programs that were developed, implemented, and evaluated by a continuing education division of a U.S. school of social work in conjunction with a Chinese university. Evaluation data are presented from the Training Skills Certificate Program (TSCP) and the Non-governmental Organization Leadership Development Program (NGO-LDP). The development and delivery processes of both of these programs are also explained. Implications for similar cross-cultural training programs are discussed. This article aims to provide a basic roadmap for U.S.-based social work institutions seeking to help China develop its capacity in social service delivery by way of training and professional development of the social service workforce.

The Law of Tax-Exempt Organizations (9th Edition) by Bruce R. Hopkins: Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007, 1,259 pages.

In his first sentence, Bruce R. Hopkins states that the highlight of his life is writing about tax-exempt organizations and their associated laws. In reading through the hundreds of robustly comprehensive pages that follow, one grows acutely aware of the author’s passion for and mastery of this field, which allows for enjoyable reading of otherwise dense, technical material. Law, the tax code, and the relations between them are complex matters to say the least. Fortunately, Hopkins, a seasoned tax attorney, explains these topics in a straightforward and simple manner. Separating the book into seven main parts, each of which is divided into chapters and subchapters, the author walks the reader through the anatomy of a tax-exempt organization and the legal environment in which it exists, including an explanation of the underlying philosophy and purpose of exemption, the various types of organizations, laws that govern them, the procedure for acquiring and maintaining exemption, and unique structures among tax-exempt organizations. The volume concludes with several helpful appendices, including common Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and a table of court cases cited in the text. In parts one through four, Hopkins explores the nature of tax exemption by explaining what a tax-exempt organization is and what it is not. Simply stated, a tax-exempt organization is any corporate entity that qualifies for exemption from paying federal (and most state) taxes on income. A tax-exempt organization is not exempt from paying payroll taxes, certain excise taxes, or tax on unrelated business income. Although there are 72 categories of tax-exempt organizations—including, curiously, professional football leagues and cemetery companies—most social workers are employed by so-called charitable organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. For each category of tax exemption, there are associated rules that determine whether an organization is exempt from income tax. In addition, the author explains that tax-exempt organizations are commonly referred to as nonprofits even though many consistently earn profits. The key distinction of tax-exempt organizations from non-exempt ones is in how profits are distributed.

Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine their Potential by Dan Pallotta: Medford, MA: Tufts University Press, 2008, 312 pages.

Dan Pallotta is a provocateur on a mission: to revolutionize the way the nonprofit sector is designed, thereby achieving social impact of tremendous scale. The author purports that large-scale social problems persist because the very organizations charged to address such problems do not effectively eliminate them; rather, they exist to serve mankind’s perpetual desire to behave charitably. Simply put, Pallotta believes that nonprofits exist more for the benefit of the organizations and their benefactors than for clients in need. Throughout this book the author hammers at this central theme, often in blunt and argumentative ways. Although I often found myself nodding in agreement while reading, Pallotta’s tone could be deterring, especially to those who may not have experience within the nonprofit sector. Still, Pallotta’s steadfastness is admirable and his arguments are well-researched (this text includes dozens of pages of footnotes) and rooted in analytical evidence. The book is divided into four main chapters followed by an MBA-style case study describing the rise and fall of the author’s fundraising company, Pallotta TeamWorks. The case study, replete with charts and data, is a nice addition that could be used as a teaching tool in nonprofit management classes. Chapter one is a robust introduction to the evolution of charity in America. Pallotta does a good job of condensing a few hundred years of history—from charity’s puritan roots to its current form—in about 30 pages. The author challenges us to divorce ourselves from the historical tenets of charity and embrace new models of achieving social impact; whether such models are nonprofit, for-profit, or some combination is not important to Pallotta. The author opens chapter two with a sub-chapter entitled, “Economic Apartheid,” in which he essentially blames the current structure of charity and the disparity between corporate wealth and nonprofit poverty for continued social ills. He then lays out five fundamental errors that he thinks contribute to the ineffectiveness of nonprofits: constraints on compensation,