I believe 2018 will be the tipping point for social enterprise. Here are five specific predictions for the sector and the positive gains it will create in the workplace and the world.

  1. The blockchain revolutionizes social responsibility reporting. In 2018, I believe blockchain technology will begin revolutionizing the assessment of CSR (corporate social responsibility) and how a company measures its accountability and sustainability based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and behavior.
  2. Consumers will be rated on social responsibility. As a citizen consumer, you’ll be rated on a number of fronts, from your personal energy consumption to your use of alternative transportation, from your charitable donations and volunteer work to the purchases you make from companies rated as socially conscious.
  3. Nonprofits will become more like for-profits.The rise of for-profit social enterprises combined with new government tax policies will change the way nonprofits operate, and those that embrace disruption will flourish.
  4. Corporations take a stand and invest accordingly. Companies will extend the current trend of brand activism by taking contentious stands on issues of public importance.
  5. Women will rise in the social enterprise economy. Society now has the momentum that will embolden women and cause corporations to make significant changes to workplace policies, close the gender wage gap, and achieve parity in senior management and corporate boards.

Read the full article predictions about social responsibility in 2018 by Yitzi Weiner at Thrive Global.