Philanthropreneurship: The New Philanthropy

I came across something that I found to be rather interesting… Philanthropreneurship.

Philanthropreneurship is a hybrid of philanthropy and entrepreneurship. It’s a term that is claimed to be coined by Internet entrepreneur Mark Desvaux in 2004.

It’s a developing form of philanthropy that I believe will soon become a common trend amongst aspiring entrepreneurs. As more and more entrepreneurs step to the forefront in the marketplace with new ideas, I think there will be a growing desire amongst these leaders to address global issues in creative and innovative ways like we’ve never seen before. One source describes these type of leaders as “interested in effecting positive changes in the world and alleviating suffering, and doing so for profit. Their contributions are investments rather than donations.”

Over the past few years, we’ve all heard stories of how social media has been used in creative ways to rally support for social causes (ie. TOMS, Pledge to End Hunger, GiftCard Giver and Ashton Kutcher’s rally to support World Malaria Day on Twitter).

I also stumbled across this amazing video from TED that I think is rather insightful regarding the future of philanthropy both here in America and abroad. Check it out here.