Entrepreneurship for the Common Good

There are two demographic groups that are pursuing entrepreneurship in large numbers these days — the Entrepreneurial Generation (those under 25) and those at or near retirement, including the Baby Boomers.
StartupJournal reports that many of those in the “older” demographic group are becoming social entrepreneurs, choosing to start-up non-profits in their later careers.

Civic Ventures, a San Francisco think tank, identifies these ambitious and resourceful folks as being among a new breed of “social entrepreneurs.”
“They may have been business entrepreneurs in their middle years,” says Marc Freedman, the organization’s president. “Now they’re worshiping a different bottom line — a better society, enhancing the common good. If you create wealth, it’s OK, but it isn’t enough.”
For many of these people, what they’re doing is like starting a small business: They see a need for a service, form an organization, seek financing, and aim for an expanding venture that can help to support and perpetuate itself.

The article goes on to profile four very inspirational stories of social entrepreneurs.
(Thanks to John Russell for passing this along).