The Initiative on Collaborative Opportunities for Nonprofit Social Enterprise (ICONSE)

The economic health of the Greater Philadelphia Region is inextricably tied to the availability of a well-trained, reliable workforce. Nonprofit organizations are intimately involved in training individuals for this workforce. In recent years, the resources available for these organizations to operate effectively have diminished, while the demand for the services they provide has increased significantly. Growing numbers of TANF recipients, undereducated individuals, and adjudicated offenders are a massive burden on local social service providers that often lack adequate resources for preparing these populations to contribute to society. Should such obstacles which adversely impact the regional economy remain unaddressed; the ability to attract new businesses or improve the quality of life for citizens in the region will be jeopardized. Such outcomes should be considered unacceptable.

To address such conditions, non-traditional approaches are being employed. Nonprofits are identifying earned income strategies which fit their organizational capacity. From cause-related marketing to licensing; government contracting to cooperatives, diversified sources of revenue now support the social mission of nonprofits across this nation. In addition to the creation of wealth for programmatic support, these "new economy" nonprofits are reinvesting with the objective of building internal capacity for staff development, systems design, financial controls, and other organizational efficiencies. These activities enhance the organizations' ability to be sustain the delivery of much needed services

Social enterprise has become a "rising tide" in the nonprofit sector. However, this sea change of operating philosophy is not occurring in a vacuum. Academic institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford have organized curriculum and programs dedicated to social entrepreneurship. Prominent consulting firms like McKinsey & Company and Abt Associates have joined forces with members of philanthropic community such as Pew Charitable Trust and the Fannie Mae Foundation to achieve notable results in social enterprise development. Ben & Jerry's, Home Depot, Boeing, and Aramark are among the private sector participants whose expertise and dollars have contributed to successful ventures. Established financial institutions (Calvert Fund, Goldman Sachs) are at the table devising innovative forms of venture capital. New loan funds generated from community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are included in this approach to 21st Century philanthropy.

The Initiative on Collaborative Opportunities for Nonprofit Social Enterprises (ICONSE) is being presented as a strategy that holds the promise of avoiding the pitfalls associated with a weakened nonprofit sector in the economy of the Greater Philadelphia Region. Organizational assets will be leveraged to contribute to the economic health of the region by applying its proven, time- tested methods of developing technical skill set(s) for individuals who have functioned around the margins of society. In moving from past practices to best practices, ABO Haven, Inc. is prepared to export the core competencies of the organization - education, training, and job placement - in order to create wealth dedicated to the support of our social purpose mission.

ICONSE strengthens and expands the core business of ABO Haven, Inc. by engaging in direct, sector, and company specific agreements for training new employees. Targeted sectors will center on skill sets which the current curriculum of ABO Haven, Inc. is designed to accommodate (information technology and healthcare related fields). Processes must be explored that result in tailored training and job readiness for corporations representing these sectors, with the cost being shared between the firms and the Pennsylvania and or U. S. Department of Labor.

Webster defines the word icon as a picture, image, or other representation. It is therefore fitting that the acronym for this proposed initiative embrace the notion of setting the pace for a shift…a fundamental shift from the paradigm of merely transferring wealth to the creation of wealth based on collaborations between philanthropic, academic, government, and corporate stakeholders of the nonprofit sector. The results are promising and warrant a review by leaders and policy makers in the Greater Philadelphia Region.