When COVID-19 happened in 2020, we were faced with the challenge of transitioning our in-person incubation program for idea-stage entrepreneurs to a 100% online setting. All our coaching sessions and bonding moments by the water dispenser – they had to change. How could make sense Academy continue to support its startups in the midst of a global lockdown?

While it was tough for us, it was even harder for our budding social entrepreneurs (socents). As if launching a startup wasn’t hard enough. No one had planned for a pandemic; how would we scale? How would we survive?

Through the collaborative nature of our work, plenty of trial and error, we found the answer: community.

We knew this on an intellectual level – after all, community development has always been the heart of what we do. Nonetheless, the need for socents to lean on their communities to weather crises has never been more glaringly apparent, as young and established organizations alike struggled to navigate the uncertain waters of 2020.

It was a community that helped our socent massively scale after just 7 months in operation. It was a community that allowed another to sell a solution despite cultural barriers. It was a community that, once activated and involved, became the best resource of sustainable solutions for another.

If you’re in doubt, here are two case studies to show you just why your community plan matters more than your business plan.

Read the full article about social entrepreneurship by Andrea Lopez at avpn.