The Founder of a social enterprise does many things – the visionary, the fundraiser and they bring the magic. What can we pass on from our experiences and what do you need the successor to bring? Most importantly, how do you collectively maintain the culture and mission? Inspired by the song “I Can See Clearly Now” (sung by Jimmy Cliff) we reflect on all these aspects of succession planning with Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, Ruth Ibegbuna and Rupert Roniger.

Carole King’s song “You’ve got a friend” beautifully epitomises the care and support that we as social entrepreneurs need while we look at the best way to celebrate our eldership in our succession and our leadership. Dr. François Bonnici, Adriana Craciun and Tim Hanstad discuss this fascinating topic.

We hear insights from Dan Viederman (an award-winning social entrepreneur) who shares his experiences of the succession process and his learnings from being on boards across the non-profit and commercial sectors.

Rachel Harrington and Andrea Coleman, discuss key insights on succession, leadership, funding, boards and the private sector, as well as exploring the differences and similarities between family-businesses and social enterprises.

DY Suharya describes her powerful founder journey, how her organisation works with the government in Indonesia and practical insights into her succession plan.

Gary Cohen and Neelam Chhiber discuss this important question. Just some of the points covered - how social entrepreneurs come to be labelled as 'heroes'; how this affects their wellbeing; that it’s organisations, networks and movements (not lone 'heroes') that create systems change and the importance of recognising and empowering others.

Monica Culen provides insights into her detailed approach to succession. Collince Dundo tells us why he believes transition and succession planning is a critical component of the sustainable impact of his young, vibrant organisation.

This article explores the insights Gary Cohen and Neelam Chhiber shared on the pressing issue of hero culture in the social impact sector.

Areeba Hamid, Joint Executive Director at Greenpeace UK, joined us to talk about how she and Will McCallum decided to apply for the leadership role together, and how it works in terms of practicalities and relationship management.

Dr. François Bonnici, Adriana Craciun, and Tim Hanstad exploring the personal impacts of succession and reframing the narrative from the ‘end of the road’ to a collective journey supported by practical and emotional guidance.

DY Suharya describes her powerful founder journey, how her organisation works with the government in Indonesia and practical insights into her succession plan.

Dr. Susanna Kislenko (Director, The Founder Leadership Research Lab at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University) shares her groundbreaking research on Founder’s Syndrome.

When we think about diversity, the conversation typically revolves around race, gender, and sometimes socio-economic background. However, there's an often-overlooked dimension of diversity— age and experience. This article discusses eldership as a crucial aspect of diversity, exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with ageing and the value of intergenerational collaboration. It's time to reevaluate how we view eldership. This article is based on a conversation between the Elders Council for Social Entrepreneurs and Kathryn Hall-Trujillo and Hae-Young Lee.

We’ve all felt it: that overwhelming sense of having too much to do, the endless list of tasks and goals still unachieved. This can feel particularly pronounced in the social innovation sector, where there is a constant drive to create meaningful change for the benefit of others but amid this pressure, it's essential to take a moment to recognise the journey, celebrate the successes, and learn from the failures.

Cynthia Rayner and Mel Young discuss storytelling and its power to change perceptions, culture and systems. They use ‘The Beautiful Game’, a Netflix film inspired by the Homeless World Cup, as a case study.

An article exploring the valuable insights Dan Viederman shared on working with a board of trustees. Dan is as an award-winning social entrepreneur with extensive experience on both non-profit and for-profit boards.

Webinar: We hear insights from Dan Viederman, an award-winning social entrepreneur, who shares his experiences of the succession process and his learnings from being on boards across the non-profit and commercial sectors.

Dr. Susanna Kislenko (Director, The Founder Leadership Research Lab at the University of Oxford and Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University) shares her groundbreaking research on Founder’s Syndrome to help us understand it and avoid it.