We continue our series of articles on social entrepreneurship. What are the appropriate terms? Which criteria make the enterprise a social one? Social entrepreneurship in Belarus, the region and the world: cases, interview, analytical data. Today’s article is about the social impact, which is something social entrepreneurs put before profits, and about ways it can be measured. However, first we will try to understand who these social entrepreneurs are and what makes them different from other businessmen?

Text by: Alyona Lis
“Social investment”, “conscious investment”, “ethical and responsible investment”, “impact investment”… All these terms are used to define a new trend in financial investment, which is gaining popularity all over the world. The investors today are ready to get a lower level of income from their financial investment, provided they achieve some positive social changes or improve the environmental situation.

On May 28, Minsk welcomed the Third Belarusian Social Business Forum, a platform to exchange best practices and discuss how businesses can contribute to solving social and environmental problems. This article contains an overview of new social enterprises and forms of cooperation with large businesses.