Social entrepreneurs are hot these days. It’s not that they’re riding on a fad but society responds positively to entrepreneurs who meld profit, passion, and purpose. This resonates to many of us who are not content with just making money but want to find meaning to what we do as well.
We can take the route of Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga, one of the most successful social entrepreneurs in the country. Or we can turn our existing business more socially responsible by doing things that benefit our larger community.
But what if you don’t have a business? Well, start at home.
Your household is a kind of an enterprise, with revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities. So why not make it a social enterprise? You grow your cash flow and net worth while doing good. How? Here are five suggestions:
- Go green. You can start by being more eco-friendly. Reuse, reduce, and recycle. Cut back on energy use. You can be sure you will save money just by helping take care of the environment.
- Be a better employer. If you have household help, including a yaya or driver, you are an employer. Before you give money to the poor, start by paying fair wages and offering incentives to the very people who work for you at home. Then educate them on how to better manage their money. You will make a huge financial impact on them and their family. And you get loyal employees, saving you the cost of high staff turnover.
- Give. Increase your donations to causes you believe in. Regularly tithe to your church. Help people who are less privileged. You can already do a lot just by giving more.
- Raise funds. You can involve your family in raising funds for social causes. Do a garage sale, join a bazaar, sell cookies to neighbors, etc.
- Teach your kids. Train your children how to take care of the environment, show compassion to the needy, and be financially responsible. Doing these will them grow up to be positive contributors to society and your family.
It’s about time we Filipinos go beyond being a consumer society and start being a giving and investing one.
Photo by Abigail Keenan on Unsplash
