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Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World
Principles for driving significant change throughout an entire systemDrawing on the knowledge and experience of working with hundreds the world's top social change leaders in all fields, Beverly Schwartz presents a model for change based on five proven principles that any individual leader or organization can apply to bring about deep, lasting and systematic change. "Rippling" shows how to activate the type of change that is needed to address the critical challenges that threaten to destroy the foundations of our society and planet in these increasingly turbulent times.
These actionable principles are brought to life by compelling real-life stories. Schwartz provides a road map that allows anyone to become a changemaker.Presents some of today's most innovative and effective approaches to solving social and environmental challengesOffers a vision of social entrepreneurs as role models, catalysts, enablers and recruiters who spread waves system changing solutions throughout societyThe author offers a model of change that begins with the end result in mindFirst book from an insider at Ashoka, the foremost global organization on social change through social entrepreneurship
"Rippling" clearly demonstrates how and when empathy, creativity, passion, and persistence are combined; significant, life-altering progress is indeed possible.
These actionable principles are brought to life by compelling real-life stories. Schwartz provides a road map that allows anyone to become a changemaker.Presents some of today's most innovative and effective approaches to solving social and environmental challengesOffers a vision of social entrepreneurs as role models, catalysts, enablers and recruiters who spread waves system changing solutions throughout societyThe author offers a model of change that begins with the end result in mindFirst book from an insider at Ashoka, the foremost global organization on social change through social entrepreneurship
"Rippling" clearly demonstrates how and when empathy, creativity, passion, and persistence are combined; significant, life-altering progress is indeed possible.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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363 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 2, 2021
Rippling is a fantastic book that documents the stories of social entrepreneurs – all Ashoka fellows – making significant impact around the world. What I find incredibly profound about Rippling is not merely the understanding of “social impact” in measurable terms. Having come from a non-profit background, and later exposed to social entrepreneurship through an accelerator, it is easy to think about cutting edge in the discipline as “measurement”, “impact investments”, “theory of change”, “business model canvas” etc. In some ways, these ideas of social entrepreneurship gives people who want to “do good while doing well” a possibility to do so.
But fundamentally, Rippling presents social entrepreneurs who are not merely entrepreneurs. They are changemakers – people whose missions are interchangeable with their person/being. They are driven by a strong sense of purpose that makes them go on for years, overcoming incredible challenges along the way.
Many would no doubt point to the incredible innovation, the brilliance of their ideas, the scale of their vision as some of the key factors that made these social entrepreneurs’ success today possible. But reading closely the 18 cases and the stories of the fellows, I find that systems change is fundamental to the social entrepreneur.
Not merely impact in terms of numbers – this is merely the tip of the iceberg, even when your projections or past results show exponential numbers. The systems change that allows other changemakers to build on their work, to spin it off, create new networks, and create impact beyond the imagination of the social entrepreneur him/herself. In the words of Schwartz – the program of the social entrepreneur “will lead to the inclusion and mobilization of multitudes of changemakers (p. 241)”. Exponential growth may well be in the control of the entrepreneurs – but I believe exponential impact lies beyond. To implement this exponential change successfully, “many people need to be inspired, involved, engaged and active (…) This takes work, time and persistence on everyone’s part” (p. 238).
Connecting to this is the idea of succession. But not in the sense of who takes over as CEO of this successful social enterprise, but rather how many are inspired – or rather “ignited” into becoming changemakers too. After all, the “key factor for success for any individual, any institution, any country, is what percentage of your people are changemakers”.
A great challenge indeed – and one that cannot be solved by any single entity!
But fundamentally, Rippling presents social entrepreneurs who are not merely entrepreneurs. They are changemakers – people whose missions are interchangeable with their person/being. They are driven by a strong sense of purpose that makes them go on for years, overcoming incredible challenges along the way.
Many would no doubt point to the incredible innovation, the brilliance of their ideas, the scale of their vision as some of the key factors that made these social entrepreneurs’ success today possible. But reading closely the 18 cases and the stories of the fellows, I find that systems change is fundamental to the social entrepreneur.
Not merely impact in terms of numbers – this is merely the tip of the iceberg, even when your projections or past results show exponential numbers. The systems change that allows other changemakers to build on their work, to spin it off, create new networks, and create impact beyond the imagination of the social entrepreneur him/herself. In the words of Schwartz – the program of the social entrepreneur “will lead to the inclusion and mobilization of multitudes of changemakers (p. 241)”. Exponential growth may well be in the control of the entrepreneurs – but I believe exponential impact lies beyond. To implement this exponential change successfully, “many people need to be inspired, involved, engaged and active (…) This takes work, time and persistence on everyone’s part” (p. 238).
Connecting to this is the idea of succession. But not in the sense of who takes over as CEO of this successful social enterprise, but rather how many are inspired – or rather “ignited” into becoming changemakers too. After all, the “key factor for success for any individual, any institution, any country, is what percentage of your people are changemakers”.
A great challenge indeed – and one that cannot be solved by any single entity!
December 30, 2013
Just a collection of short case studies of Ashoka Fellows, written in breathless style. Just an extended puff piece.
December 19, 2018
Hablando con sinceridad antes de leer este libro nunca había escuchado el término emprendedor social y una vez terminándolo, no solo he conocido su significado, sino que he entendido el camino a recorrer si se quiere ser nombrado con este mote.
Efecto dominó puede clasificarse como una compilación de ejemplos, todos verídicos, de personas que han logrado el éxito empresarial sin perder de vista su humanidad, es decir, siempre pensado en como apoyar al prójimo, todos comenzando por sus comunidades, localizando un problema o necesidad imperiosa, y esparciendo su visión al resto de sus respectivos países y, en algunos casos, a nivel mundial.
En mi opinión, la autora ha hecho un excelente trabajo al obtener tantos datos sobe estas personas y no solo eso, sino que a través de este conocimiento ha concluido que existen cinco mecanismos estratégicos con los que los emprendedores sociales cambian los sistemas:
1) Reestructurar las reglas institucionales
2) Cambiar las dinámicas del mercado
3) Usar las fuerzas del mercado para crear valor social
4) Avanzar en el ejercicio de la ciudadanía plena
5) Cultivar la empatía
Probablemente, al solo leer estos cinco puntos, no haya quedado del todo claro, pero no pretendo ahondar en éstos en la reseña, sino que mi intención es invitarlos a leer el libro y quedar tan fascinados como yo lo estoy al conocer las historias tan conmovedoras e inspiradoras de estos verdaderos líderes sociales.
Definitivamente una lectura que vale la pena, totalmente recomendable, es gratificante darte cuenta que aún existen personas que buscan ayudar a los demás antes que a ellos mismos y que tienen bien arraigado en sus mentes que la economía social es la próxima nueva economía.
Efecto dominó puede clasificarse como una compilación de ejemplos, todos verídicos, de personas que han logrado el éxito empresarial sin perder de vista su humanidad, es decir, siempre pensado en como apoyar al prójimo, todos comenzando por sus comunidades, localizando un problema o necesidad imperiosa, y esparciendo su visión al resto de sus respectivos países y, en algunos casos, a nivel mundial.
En mi opinión, la autora ha hecho un excelente trabajo al obtener tantos datos sobe estas personas y no solo eso, sino que a través de este conocimiento ha concluido que existen cinco mecanismos estratégicos con los que los emprendedores sociales cambian los sistemas:
1) Reestructurar las reglas institucionales
2) Cambiar las dinámicas del mercado
3) Usar las fuerzas del mercado para crear valor social
4) Avanzar en el ejercicio de la ciudadanía plena
5) Cultivar la empatía
Probablemente, al solo leer estos cinco puntos, no haya quedado del todo claro, pero no pretendo ahondar en éstos en la reseña, sino que mi intención es invitarlos a leer el libro y quedar tan fascinados como yo lo estoy al conocer las historias tan conmovedoras e inspiradoras de estos verdaderos líderes sociales.
Definitivamente una lectura que vale la pena, totalmente recomendable, es gratificante darte cuenta que aún existen personas que buscan ayudar a los demás antes que a ellos mismos y que tienen bien arraigado en sus mentes que la economía social es la próxima nueva economía.
November 30, 2014
(This review was done for an academic purpose)
The word ‘Change’, is quite the buzzword these days. Change the system, change the society, change the rules, change the game or change yourself- every change has a context, a story.
Rippling, by Beverly Schwartz is about the stories behind change! It depicts, very successfully, the stories of eighteen different social innovations in different parts of the globe. It tries to illustrate the context behind all these innovations. It quickly recapitulates the path to become a social change-maker. According to Beverly Schwartz, the right mix of empathy , passion, creativity and persistence pave the way ahead for tremendous social change.It talks about the four Ps of Social Entrepreneurship- Purpose, Passion, Pattern and Participation.
In short, Rippling is a narration of tales about how social entrepreneurs ( Ashoka fellows in this case) spread innovation throughout the world, precisely trimmed into compact stories, wrapped in emotions and packed with inspiration!
Some people watch it happen,
Some people say , “what happened?”
Some people say, “did something happen?”
Some people didn’t even notice that something happened
And some people make it happen.
(Anonymous)
Rippling is about the last set of people, who made it happen!
Some of the rather significant take away(s) are listed below:
What is your ‘Why’?
For an innovation to burst the thought-bubble at the ideation stage and enter into this world of reality and criticism, it is a long journey. Long enough to get lost in the middle or never escape the bubble trap of imagination. But for the successful ideas which got converted into reality and then gradually were accepted by the world to make it a movement of sorts, one common prerequisite is inevitable- their “Why”. If the ‘why’ is strong, ‘how’ and ‘when’ become very easy. It is clearly demonstrated in almost all the stories in the book. For example, when Denmark’s Thorkil Sonne saw his own son diagnosed with Autism at the age of three, the direction of his life changed. He started researching more about the problem and the patients. He presided over the autism society there and understood the skills that autistic children possess. He then started Specialisterne (The Specialists), an employment agency for the million autistic adults in the world. His idea to grow so that the infectious inspiration spreads was followed up by starting the Specialist people Foundation which trained people to replicate the Specialisterne model and earn a license.
How over what?
Most of the social entrepreneurs in the book tackled the challenges not by asking what is to be done but by posing a question to themselves asking how is it supposed to be done? ‘How’ gives us clearer answers. For example, in the case of the Rickshaw bank, started by Pradip kumar Sarmah in India, he conceptualized an idea to allow the rickshaw pullers to own their vehicles. To understand ‘how’ the rickshaw pullers can earn more out of the same amount of work- he took the help of the design team at IIT Guwhati, and came up with a more ergonomic design, with space for corporate advertisements. He realized that he needed to improve the dignity of the profession and he figured out a way to do the same. He came up with uniforms, ID badges and bank accounts for the beneficiaries/rickshaw-pullers. He always knew what to do. All through his efforts, he just figured out how to do the same.
Expertise on Board
Sometimes, being creative and having empathy may be good enough just for the start. But to take it to a different level, a certain amount of technical expertise is absolutely necessary. For example, let’s understand the case of Lily Thapa- a widow in Nepal, who decided to fight for the human rights of the widows and give them justice. After forty-five days after she was widowed, she met Laxmi who had recently lost her husband and realized how much of a pain the society can be for widows in Nepal. She started an informal “Bedana Bisune Thalo”- a platform for sharing. This was a place where the widows gathered shared their stories and got moral support from their fellows and friends. But she could take it to another level, only after Rita Thapa, an experienced program, manager met her and suggested to start an NGO for easy availability of funds and scaling up. She started Women For Human Rights (WHR) , which helped her scale up the activities, and extend the reach of the activities far and wide.
Empathy- a cure to many an ailment
To quote Arianna Huffington from the book, “The role empathy plays in our lives has only grown more important. In fact, in this time of economic hardship, political instability, and rapid technological change, empathy is the one quality we most need if we are going to flourish and survive in the twenty-first century.”
By using activities to induce empathy in people, Andreas Heinecke of Germany started the Dialogue Social Enterprise. To make people realize the meaning of being blind, he conducted the ‘dark room’ activity, after which people actually valued them better. In a world, where there’s diversity in every corner, the only way to appreciate humanity is by accepting the differences among us. By Creating DSE, he exposed people to the differences in humanity and gave them a wider world view. The act of infusing empathy is also done by the Alfredo Olivera who started La Colifata in Argentina to make the mentally challenged patients a part of the regular society through radio channels.
Some important notes on Social Entrepreneurship:
• Take responsibility of your life and jump to the driver’s seat. Take criticism constructively, analyze the feedback and incorporate in your ideas.
• Work to prove the worth of your idea to yourself by examining all possibilities. Don’t work to prove to someone else.
• Act. Have a “nothing is impossible attitude”. Dream big.
• Don’t focus on problems. Think of Solutions. “How over What”, remember?
To summarise the essence of the book which succinctly captures the idea of social entrepreneurship, I quote Ms Huffington again, “ To summon our better angels, there are two essential ingredients we’ll need: innovation nurtured by an entrepreneurial spirit, and empathy nurtured by a strong civil society.”
The word ‘Change’, is quite the buzzword these days. Change the system, change the society, change the rules, change the game or change yourself- every change has a context, a story.
Rippling, by Beverly Schwartz is about the stories behind change! It depicts, very successfully, the stories of eighteen different social innovations in different parts of the globe. It tries to illustrate the context behind all these innovations. It quickly recapitulates the path to become a social change-maker. According to Beverly Schwartz, the right mix of empathy , passion, creativity and persistence pave the way ahead for tremendous social change.It talks about the four Ps of Social Entrepreneurship- Purpose, Passion, Pattern and Participation.
In short, Rippling is a narration of tales about how social entrepreneurs ( Ashoka fellows in this case) spread innovation throughout the world, precisely trimmed into compact stories, wrapped in emotions and packed with inspiration!
Some people watch it happen,
Some people say , “what happened?”
Some people say, “did something happen?”
Some people didn’t even notice that something happened
And some people make it happen.
(Anonymous)
Rippling is about the last set of people, who made it happen!
Some of the rather significant take away(s) are listed below:
What is your ‘Why’?
For an innovation to burst the thought-bubble at the ideation stage and enter into this world of reality and criticism, it is a long journey. Long enough to get lost in the middle or never escape the bubble trap of imagination. But for the successful ideas which got converted into reality and then gradually were accepted by the world to make it a movement of sorts, one common prerequisite is inevitable- their “Why”. If the ‘why’ is strong, ‘how’ and ‘when’ become very easy. It is clearly demonstrated in almost all the stories in the book. For example, when Denmark’s Thorkil Sonne saw his own son diagnosed with Autism at the age of three, the direction of his life changed. He started researching more about the problem and the patients. He presided over the autism society there and understood the skills that autistic children possess. He then started Specialisterne (The Specialists), an employment agency for the million autistic adults in the world. His idea to grow so that the infectious inspiration spreads was followed up by starting the Specialist people Foundation which trained people to replicate the Specialisterne model and earn a license.
How over what?
Most of the social entrepreneurs in the book tackled the challenges not by asking what is to be done but by posing a question to themselves asking how is it supposed to be done? ‘How’ gives us clearer answers. For example, in the case of the Rickshaw bank, started by Pradip kumar Sarmah in India, he conceptualized an idea to allow the rickshaw pullers to own their vehicles. To understand ‘how’ the rickshaw pullers can earn more out of the same amount of work- he took the help of the design team at IIT Guwhati, and came up with a more ergonomic design, with space for corporate advertisements. He realized that he needed to improve the dignity of the profession and he figured out a way to do the same. He came up with uniforms, ID badges and bank accounts for the beneficiaries/rickshaw-pullers. He always knew what to do. All through his efforts, he just figured out how to do the same.
Expertise on Board
Sometimes, being creative and having empathy may be good enough just for the start. But to take it to a different level, a certain amount of technical expertise is absolutely necessary. For example, let’s understand the case of Lily Thapa- a widow in Nepal, who decided to fight for the human rights of the widows and give them justice. After forty-five days after she was widowed, she met Laxmi who had recently lost her husband and realized how much of a pain the society can be for widows in Nepal. She started an informal “Bedana Bisune Thalo”- a platform for sharing. This was a place where the widows gathered shared their stories and got moral support from their fellows and friends. But she could take it to another level, only after Rita Thapa, an experienced program, manager met her and suggested to start an NGO for easy availability of funds and scaling up. She started Women For Human Rights (WHR) , which helped her scale up the activities, and extend the reach of the activities far and wide.
Empathy- a cure to many an ailment
To quote Arianna Huffington from the book, “The role empathy plays in our lives has only grown more important. In fact, in this time of economic hardship, political instability, and rapid technological change, empathy is the one quality we most need if we are going to flourish and survive in the twenty-first century.”
By using activities to induce empathy in people, Andreas Heinecke of Germany started the Dialogue Social Enterprise. To make people realize the meaning of being blind, he conducted the ‘dark room’ activity, after which people actually valued them better. In a world, where there’s diversity in every corner, the only way to appreciate humanity is by accepting the differences among us. By Creating DSE, he exposed people to the differences in humanity and gave them a wider world view. The act of infusing empathy is also done by the Alfredo Olivera who started La Colifata in Argentina to make the mentally challenged patients a part of the regular society through radio channels.
Some important notes on Social Entrepreneurship:
• Take responsibility of your life and jump to the driver’s seat. Take criticism constructively, analyze the feedback and incorporate in your ideas.
• Work to prove the worth of your idea to yourself by examining all possibilities. Don’t work to prove to someone else.
• Act. Have a “nothing is impossible attitude”. Dream big.
• Don’t focus on problems. Think of Solutions. “How over What”, remember?
To summarise the essence of the book which succinctly captures the idea of social entrepreneurship, I quote Ms Huffington again, “ To summon our better angels, there are two essential ingredients we’ll need: innovation nurtured by an entrepreneurial spirit, and empathy nurtured by a strong civil society.”
November 18, 2019
Many beautiful examples of social entrepreneurship
More than a formula to spread the benefits of social entrepreneurship the book reinforces a few negative trends in the field.
On the one hand it may renonce the heropreneurship mindset that undermines social innovation which could thrive through open source, experimentation, and new small open organizations instead of globalized solutions which are less sustainable.
On the other it may also reinforce the snobbism around responsible products. Tempting purely profit minded people to green and social washing in the aim of chasing higher price tags for products that are trending in the consumer markets. A sad outcome of some well intended initiatives like fair trade.
The book lacks a bit of hard research to support some ideas and name drops some theories without really digging into how they made such examples possible.
More than a framework to learn and try, it is a collection of interesting stories that touch the heart of some people. Better curating the stories or showing the dark side of some of them would make it a much better book.
More than a formula to spread the benefits of social entrepreneurship the book reinforces a few negative trends in the field.
On the one hand it may renonce the heropreneurship mindset that undermines social innovation which could thrive through open source, experimentation, and new small open organizations instead of globalized solutions which are less sustainable.
On the other it may also reinforce the snobbism around responsible products. Tempting purely profit minded people to green and social washing in the aim of chasing higher price tags for products that are trending in the consumer markets. A sad outcome of some well intended initiatives like fair trade.
The book lacks a bit of hard research to support some ideas and name drops some theories without really digging into how they made such examples possible.
More than a framework to learn and try, it is a collection of interesting stories that touch the heart of some people. Better curating the stories or showing the dark side of some of them would make it a much better book.
May 1, 2022
Read for my social entrepreneurship class in school
April 6, 2017
Hiding behind the abstract title of this book is an engrossing account that might better have been subtitled “How Ashoka Fellows Spread Innovation Throughout the World.” (I won’t venture to suggest a better title.) The social entrepreneurs in question are, indeed, all Ashoka Fellows, the author served Ashoka as global marketing director for eight years, and Bill Drayton, Ashoka’s founder and chair, wrote a foreword. But I guess “social entrepreneurs” is more inclusive and thus presumably sells more books than “Ashoka Fellows,” so I really shouldn’t complain.
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with Ashoka, please do yourself a favor and click on the underlined name in this sentence. The Ashoka network is nothing less than one of the greatest social innovations of the 20th century. Its more than 2,000 Fellows in over 70 countries around the world are, collectively, the most powerful engine for constructive social change on Planet Earth.
There are two aspects of this first book from Ashoka that I found especially winning:
First, author Beverly Schwartz told the stories of 18 Ashoka Fellows from around the world, and none of them are the usual suspects (the Fellows whose names and tales are familiar to anyone who has read more than a book or two about social enterprise).
Second, Rippling is organized in a manner that illuminates the range and the character of the work that Ashoka Fellows do: “the five strategic ways that social entrepreneurs change social systems — inclusive of both social business and citizen sector models.” These five paths include “restructuring institutional norms,” “changing market dynamics,” “using market forces to create social value,” “advancing full citizenship,” and “cultivating empathy.” Schwartz presents three or four examples in each of these sections, so the reader gains understanding about both the commonalities and the differences among Ashoka’s growing network of Fellows. Most of these stories are engaging. Some are deeply moving. A few were riveting.
Even a cursory familiarity with Ashoka will expose you to the organization’s distinctive vocabulary. Its credo is “Everyone a changemaker.” The work of its fellows engenders “virtuous cycles of social benefit.” Its core value is “empathy.” Far be it from me to try explaining these terms. I suggest you read the book. Do so, and you will gain hope for the future of our species.
(From www.malwarwickonbooks.com)
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with Ashoka, please do yourself a favor and click on the underlined name in this sentence. The Ashoka network is nothing less than one of the greatest social innovations of the 20th century. Its more than 2,000 Fellows in over 70 countries around the world are, collectively, the most powerful engine for constructive social change on Planet Earth.
There are two aspects of this first book from Ashoka that I found especially winning:
First, author Beverly Schwartz told the stories of 18 Ashoka Fellows from around the world, and none of them are the usual suspects (the Fellows whose names and tales are familiar to anyone who has read more than a book or two about social enterprise).
Second, Rippling is organized in a manner that illuminates the range and the character of the work that Ashoka Fellows do: “the five strategic ways that social entrepreneurs change social systems — inclusive of both social business and citizen sector models.” These five paths include “restructuring institutional norms,” “changing market dynamics,” “using market forces to create social value,” “advancing full citizenship,” and “cultivating empathy.” Schwartz presents three or four examples in each of these sections, so the reader gains understanding about both the commonalities and the differences among Ashoka’s growing network of Fellows. Most of these stories are engaging. Some are deeply moving. A few were riveting.
Even a cursory familiarity with Ashoka will expose you to the organization’s distinctive vocabulary. Its credo is “Everyone a changemaker.” The work of its fellows engenders “virtuous cycles of social benefit.” Its core value is “empathy.” Far be it from me to try explaining these terms. I suggest you read the book. Do so, and you will gain hope for the future of our species.
(From www.malwarwickonbooks.com)
October 10, 2014
from addendum to STANFORD SOCIAL INNOVATIONS REVIEW OF
BEVERLY SCHWARTZ's RIPPLING
comments written by C. Thomas Boone
Bev Schwartz’s RIPPLING is an utter joy to read. Bev’s organization is systematic and anecdotal. Everything about RIPPING soars and inspires. I picked it up from Amazon as soon as it was published, thinking to myself “here we go again - yet another incomprehensible attempt (for the layman) at what we mean by applied social entrepreneurship, the network effect, and RIPPLING to make matters even more confounding). Rather like looking at a mirrored image of a mirrored image or reading the ripples spawned by a pebble cast across a pond. Even though I knew Bev had made a huge investment of time, personal funds, energy, and sheer nerves of steel into writing this tomb, I was still expecting the same-old same-old.
Much to my surprise and delight, I picked the book up and did not put down until some four or five hours later, I had completely devoured it. We have not seen an explanation as coherent and comprehensively organized as this - let alone one as inspiring as RIPPLING is - at least since Bornstein’s HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD and frankly because this is more concise, more coherent, and does a much better job of really explaining the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship plus the wondrous RIPPLING phenomena, I believe for the general reader who isn’t interested in the ins and outs of the sociologic or advanced intricacies of philosophic business models supporting social entrepreneurship (both of which can become very weighty topics), this is the PERFECT book!
It even contains a short chapter by President Bill Clinton.
Buy RIPPLING. Read RIPPLING. Pass it around to everyone you know. Keep those books in motion because the more people who read and get RIPPLING, and are turned on by the promise and hope and wondrous magic Bev has so aptly captured here (which you really have to be Genghis Khan, Scrooge, or the Grynch not to be), the MORE RIPPLING ...
An absolutely joyful book that teaches, inspires, and is c ertain to be Rippling for a very long time to come written by one a true social change-making genius with inestimable warmth, love, and heart. RIPPLING and its author simply cannot be appreciated enough.
BEVERLY SCHWARTZ's RIPPLING
comments written by C. Thomas Boone
Bev Schwartz’s RIPPLING is an utter joy to read. Bev’s organization is systematic and anecdotal. Everything about RIPPING soars and inspires. I picked it up from Amazon as soon as it was published, thinking to myself “here we go again - yet another incomprehensible attempt (for the layman) at what we mean by applied social entrepreneurship, the network effect, and RIPPLING to make matters even more confounding). Rather like looking at a mirrored image of a mirrored image or reading the ripples spawned by a pebble cast across a pond. Even though I knew Bev had made a huge investment of time, personal funds, energy, and sheer nerves of steel into writing this tomb, I was still expecting the same-old same-old.
Much to my surprise and delight, I picked the book up and did not put down until some four or five hours later, I had completely devoured it. We have not seen an explanation as coherent and comprehensively organized as this - let alone one as inspiring as RIPPLING is - at least since Bornstein’s HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD and frankly because this is more concise, more coherent, and does a much better job of really explaining the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship plus the wondrous RIPPLING phenomena, I believe for the general reader who isn’t interested in the ins and outs of the sociologic or advanced intricacies of philosophic business models supporting social entrepreneurship (both of which can become very weighty topics), this is the PERFECT book!
It even contains a short chapter by President Bill Clinton.
Buy RIPPLING. Read RIPPLING. Pass it around to everyone you know. Keep those books in motion because the more people who read and get RIPPLING, and are turned on by the promise and hope and wondrous magic Bev has so aptly captured here (which you really have to be Genghis Khan, Scrooge, or the Grynch not to be), the MORE RIPPLING ...
An absolutely joyful book that teaches, inspires, and is c ertain to be Rippling for a very long time to come written by one a true social change-making genius with inestimable warmth, love, and heart. RIPPLING and its author simply cannot be appreciated enough.
January 8, 2013
Great stories of really amazing social entrepreneurs, their big ideas and inspirational, impressive abilities to make them succeed and change the world for the better. Each one is a tasty story and Bev does a great job breaking down what issues they address, how, and why they're special.
Another great addition to the few must-reads about social entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurs. Goes great with "How to Change the World" by David Bornstein.
Another great addition to the few must-reads about social entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurs. Goes great with "How to Change the World" by David Bornstein.
August 8, 2014
Motivational yet rather shallow book on various examples of social entrepreneurship around the world.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews