Chuck Holland

My encore work is all about supporting social entrepreneurs and enterprises for maximum social impact.

I am part of a small marketing and business development team called Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) where we serve social enterprises -€“ organizations that strive to do well and do good.

SEG supports social entrepreneurs and enterprises with business tools to harness market demand to achieve their missions. We help organizations tell their stories and scale their business.

One example: SRDS, a network of researchers and educators who have found the secret for getting students to love writing, which has a cascading effect on their success in school and life.

Our work for partners includes identifying products and services with revenue potential, capturing the compelling story, creating investment opportunities and building and supporting the team. We utilize larger networks of socially-inspired entrepreneurs and social capital investors to find and support entrepreneurs. And we are looking for partners to share our passion and help these causes.

While there are many great programs to work with, we have found a huge difference in impact per dollar. Occasionally, there is an opportunity that: 1) addresses a root issue that can have cascading effects 2) scales very efficiently 3) spreads through existing networks.

Creating a donor advised fund (for charitable giving) exposed me to the nonprofit world and organizations like Social Venture Partners, which led to the co-founding of SEG. My background in startups led me to focus on social enterprise to increase sustainability and to leverage funding and investments for the maximum impact or social ROI.

The greatest impact comes from the people I work with. Many I may have advised have built strong businesses that do great social good. Our social enterprise support network is a thriving employer itself and has helped 150 organizations employee 750 workers in enterprises that positively affect the lives of 250,000 people. My part is small, but being in on the beginning is the biggest thrill.

Experienced workers can bring unique perspectives to your business due to both work and life experiences. They can bring patience and understanding to your dealings with customers and employees. And they can bring their passion and their networks.