What does good mean to you?
Everyone has their own definition. Some find good in small daily acts of kindness. In friendship and neighborliness. In sacrifice and generosity. Others find good in big, systemic change. In the pursuit of justice. In second chances and disruptive solutions.
Many define good as all of the above and everything in between. Generally, we all want more good in our lives and in our communities.
Social entrepreneurs go a step further: they pick their definition of good and then they work tirelessly to make it happen for themselves and for others. They imagine alternative futures, rethink social systems, and launch transformative movements.
They are nonprofit founders and community organizers; spiritual leaders and working professionals; business leaders; scholars and students of life. We’re proud to count many of them as part of the Stand Together community.
If you examine the work of these individuals—our nation’s most effective social entrepreneurs—you’ll find a common thread: how they pursue their most valued goals is just as important as what they’re aiming for.
Their solutions are based on their lived experiences of serious challenges and proximity to issues that have created barriers for many. They create cultures in which people invest in each other as much as they invest in themselves. They lead with a deep belief in people and curiosity instead of seeing people as problems to be solved or things to be controlled.
In other words, they make good happen by empowering people.