For the first time in a long time, [I] sense a vibrant kind of caring among a younger generation that is really committed to social change, and I haven't felt anything like this in the country for 30 years. I believe you represent the vanguard of that, I believe you're the pioneers who can create that.

New Profit's second annual Gathering of Leaders convened 120 of the nation's top social entrepreneurs and their counterparts from business, policy, and philanthropy to connect change leaders from across sectors and release the potential of social entrepreneurship. Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Gathering was designed by and for social entrepreneurs to enhance their ability to create broad social progress at a time when the opportunity to realize the American Dream is out of reach for many citizens.

The three-day program of panels, speaker presentations, and working sessions sought to build relationships and collaborations that will lead to more effective public policies and powerful new ways of allocating private and public resources at national, state, and local levels. Selected session highlights included:

• An opening panel discussion featuring David Gergen, James Jensen (The Jenesis Group), and social entrepreneurs Cheryl Dorsey (Echoing Green), Jon Schnur (New Leaders for New Schools), Trabian Shorters (Ashoka), and Michelle Nunn (Hands On Network) explored the vision and promise of social entrepreneurship to help restore to all citizens the opportunity to pursue the American Dream.
• Harvard Business School Professor Clay Christensen led a session on catalytic innovation in the social sector. Clay's thought-provoking presentation, which was among the highest rated sessions by participants of the Gathering, introduced his theory of how innovations take root in the private sector and applied it to driving systemic change in the social sector, with a particular focus on the potential for change that results from the use of innovative distribution systems.
• Working sessions focused on identifying integrated approaches for accelerating change, bringing together change leaders from across sectors including Mayor Shirley Franklin (Atlanta), Stephen Goldsmith (Former Mayor of Indianapolis and currently at the Kennedy School of Government), Jeanne Shaheen (Former Governor of New Hampshire), and Nancy Roob (Edna McConnell Clark Foundation). The sessions were organized around key areas of impact, including education (in and around school), democracy and civic engagement, and anti-poverty, to help social entrepreneurs and other leaders identify ways to synchronize their efforts for greater efficiency and powerful impact.

The 2006 Gathering also served as the public debut of an Action Tank for Social Entrepreneurs-an entity designed to help provide the relationships, knowledge, skills, opportunities, and sanction that will enable social entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential to create broad-scale systems change. Currently in year-one concept development with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Action Tank will undergo further design this summer to include selected early launch activities. We look forward to sharing more information about the Action Tank in the coming months.

Selected Participants

Social Entrepreneurs

Some of Our Thought Partners