Social entrepreneurs are attracted to solving the world’s most difficult problems early in their career, with 55% of identifying themselves as younger than 35. That's just one of the findings from Echoing Green's annual survey of social entrepreneurs. As well, social entrepreneurs are blurring the lines between nonprofit and for-profit experience and are often serial entrepreneurs. In 2010, there was a 15% decrease in respondents that have worked in the nonprofit and government sectors as compared to 2008. In 2010, more than 37% of respondents structured their new venture as hybrid organizations, simultaneously fulfilling public duties and developing commercial market activities. This is nearly a 20% increase from 2007. Visit www.echoinggreen.org/blog/2010-social-entrepreneurship-survey for complete survey results.

The Group of 20 and Ashoka’s Changemakers, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, are looking for the best models worldwide that catalyze finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This challenge is open to all private sector participants, including private financial institutions, private investors and companies, socially responsible investors, foundations, and civil society organizations. The deadline for entries is September 5th. Visit www.changemakers.com/en-us/SME-Finances for more information.

Social Enterprise has the potential to provide 65,000 jobs and contribute to the objective of economic recovery, this new report, Adding Value Delivering Change - The Role of Social Enterprise in National Recovery, states. In Europe the social enterprise sector accounts for between 4% and 7% of GDP, but in Ireland it represents just 3%, says the report, published by the Social Enterprise Task Force, an initiative of Clann Credo - the Social Investment Fund and the Dublin Employment Pact. Visit http://ryanacademyse.wordpress.com.

The Summit Declaration, which was created during the National Summit for a People-Centred Economy in Ottawa, ON, outlines the participants' determination and commitment to building a people-centred economy. This includes a desire to increase people-centred finance and investment, new social enterprises, local revitalization, and international solidarity. Visit www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/summit#documents for more information.

The 2010 Echoing Green Fellows will develop a total of sixteen new nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid organizations in the fields of human rights, health, the environment, and education, among other fields. Chosen from a pool of 1,000 applicants from 73 countries, Echoing Green will provide each venture with seed funding, leadership development and technical assistance, as well as mentoring from its network of 500 alumni fellows. Visit www.echoinggreen.org for more information, or meet the sixteen fellows and hear about their ideas directly from the source at http://2010fellows.echoinggreen.org.

Ashoka, the world’s community of leading social entrepreneurs, and Staples, Inc. announced the launch of the fourth annual Staples/Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition. The global competition highlights youth-led organizations focusing on social issues affecting their communities, and is part of Ashoka’s Youth Venture®, an initiative that identifies and fosters young entrepreneurs all over the world who are creating positive change. The competition is open to existing and new Youth Venture teams, which are made up of young people between the ages of 12 and 24, who are creating entrepreneurial ventures that make a positive impact on communities. Nominations and entries will be accepted on a rolling basis through Sept. 20, 2010.http://www.ashoka.org/node/7045

Finance Markets reports that Big Issue Invest, Britain’s first social enterprise investment fund, is set to close its first round of investments having raised almost £3 million towards a £10 million total. “We are offering investors a chance to invest in businesses that will have a real and measurable social impact and will also deliver a good return,” said Nigel Kershaw, chief executive of Big Issue Invest. “This is not charity, we are not anti-business and we are not anti-profit. http://www.financemarkets.co.uk/2010/05/11/britains-first-social-enterprise-fund-raises-3m/

Tides Canada announced the appointment of Margaret Dickson as director of Tides Canada Initiatives (TCI), an operating charity dedicated to fostering a healthy environment and just Canadian society. Dickson will oversee TCI, home to over 40 of the country’s leading environmental and social justice projects working on the frontlines of critical issues such as climate and energy, forest and marine conservation, social inclusion and poverty alleviation, as well as food and water security.http://tidescanada.or

The report, Financing Social Enterprise: Understanding Needs and Realities highlights the need for social enterprises to understand and adopt sustainable business operations, including moving the focus away from reliance on grant funding. “The greatest challenge for emerging social businesses is their lack of access to capital for growth and development,” said Ingrid Burkett, report author. http://www.foresters.org.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/Financing%20Social%20Enterprise%20finalemail.pdf

Recipients of the 2010 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship include three organizations – Forest Trends, Imazon and Telapak – working to tackle climate change through innovative efforts to preserve tropical forests in the Amazon, Indonesia and beyond. As part of the award, each organization receives a $765,000 grant. http://www.skollfoundation.org/media/press_releases/internal/033110.asp