The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World

No one knows the business of social entrepreneurship better than Rupert Scofield. Cofounder and president of FINCA International--a nonprofit microfinancing institution with 7,000 employees serving 750,000 customers in 21 countries--Scofield has been a social entrepreneur for 40 years.

In The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook, Scofield leads you through the entire process of starting up and running a nonprofit, sharing personal success stories and advice on what not to do--valuable lessons he learned the hard way. The process, while risky, isn't as difficult as you might think. Practically speaking, you need only two things: an idea and a plan. The former comes from you and you alone. This book supplies the latter.

The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook illuminates the path to building a successful nonprofit from the ground up. You'll learn how to:

• Create a realistic plan for getting started in your chosen cause
• Assemble the perfect team for putting your plan into action--and keeping it rolling in the right direction
• Develop a business model specifically designed to run a nonprofit organization
• Keep yourself, your staff, and your cause in solid financial shape

One of the many beauties of social entrepreneurship is that it's never too late to start. You can be right out of school or working in the highest ranks of corporate America. It doesn't matter. Social entrepreneurship begins with a noble cause, which turns into a passion, and soon becomes a mission worth dedicating your life to.

The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook is the one and only resource you will need to attain your dream of working full-time in service to others--and making a real, measurable difference in the world.

Rupert Scofield is president and CEO of FINCA International. Under his leadership, FINCA has grown from 60,000 clients and a loan portfolio of $5 million to more than 750,000 clients and a loan portfolio of more than $300 million. An agricultural economist, Scofield has 30 years' experience as a social entrepreneur in Africa, Latin America, Eurasia, and the Middle East.