Cross-posted from Presentense.org.
We’re starting a new series on our blog, “Spotlight on a PT Partner,” highlighting longtime PT supporters who have made a significant impact on our programs. First in our series: The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
Over the past 24 years, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation has become an inveterate supporter of Jewish innovation. Read More »
Lisa Lepson is the executive director of the Joshua Venture Group.
“Social entrepreneurs” may be the latest buzzword in the Jewish community, but at Joshua Venture Group, it is much more—and holds significant meaning.
As Joshua Venture Group re-launched our Dual Investment Program in Fall 2009, we pushed ourselves to question what we know and don’t know about the inherent qualities that define social entrepreneurs and embarked on a process to better understand and identify what we were looking for. We surveyed the academic and popular literature for definitions and qualities of social entrepreneurs, and we looked at those individuals inside and outside of our community who were, to our mind, accomplished social entrepreneurs. Read More »
Summary: Social entrepreneurs change the world. Joshua Venture Group was founded on this premise, and our program is as much about cultivating social entrepreneurial talent as it is about growing sustainable ventures. But the question is: what makes someone a social entrepreneur? Picking a Needle out of a Haystack: Selecting for social entrepreneurs takes a look at frameworks from the corporate human capital arena to shed light on the inherent qualities that define social entrepreneurs.
Author: Joshua Venture Group
Download: Picking a Needle out of a Haystack: Selecting for social entrepreneurs
The following is cross-posted from the Joshua Venture Group‘s The Grapevine e-newsletter.
Inspired by a conversation sparked at our June retreat, we have been on the lookout for new and alternative models for organizational leadership to share with our Fellows. At a time when organizations using crowdsourcing like Craigslist and eBay have overtaken more traditional companies, we are intrigued by the concept of open source or decentralized leadership. Read More »
Sandy Cardin is president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. This article was first published on JTA on Aug. 16, 2010.
“Another leadership development program? Don’t we already have enough of them in the Jewish world? What I think we need are some ‘followership’ programs. Go find me some of those to fund.”
When Charles Schusterman spoke those words to me in 1999, he had a good point: back then, most Jewish organizations and foundations seemed more interested in producing leaders than in building inspired communities.
If Charles were alive today, however, I think he would feel otherwise. Read More »
JOSHUA VENTURE GROUP ANNOUNCES 2010-2012 FELLOWS
8 Social Entrepreneurs Receive $100,000 Each for New Jewish Idea
New York, NY—April 12, 2010–Today, Joshua Venture Group announced its new cohort of 8 fellows, each of whom will be awarded $100,000, as well as extensive organizational support and leadership development. Members of the group hail from the Bay Area, Austin, Philadelphia, Seattle and New York City, with ventures that address a wide range of Jewish needs and issues; including community, spirituality, identity, culture and social justice.
More information is available here: www.joshuaventuregroup.org/fellows
The JVGroup Fellows were selected through a three-stage process that involved over 60 readers, and a final panel of JVGroup board members and alumni.
“I am very excited about the extraordinary group of activists and social entrepreneurs Joshua Venture Group has selected,” said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. “I am confident these dynamic young Jewish adults will be able to develop programs that will encourage their peers to become more deeply involved in Jewish communal life.”
This is, undoubtedly, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as JVGroup also offers its Fellows early-stage capital, a signature “social entrepreneur toolkit”, access to professional and communal networks, increased exposure, Jewish learning and reflection.
Joshua Venture Group seeks to reinvigorate and expand the Jewish community by cultivating the leadership of talented, passionate Jewish social entrepreneurs and by investing in their ground-breaking ideas. Since its inception in 1998, JVGroup has established itself as a leading national investor in Jewish social entrepreneurs and their ventures.
2010-2012 JVGROUP FELLOWS: