Social enterprises – businesses with a revenue model that try and make the world a better place – are on the rise. We discuss this trend with ISS alumna Lisa Jordan, who has over 30 years’ experience working for governments, NGOs and foundations in (nearly) all parts of the world. She knows for a fact that small initiatives can generate a huge impact.
After graduating from the International Institute of Social Studies in 1992, Lisa chose to dedicate her career to social change. She got the opportunity to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on social change initiatives around the world. Currently, one of the initiatives she is supporting is using technology and knowledge from Delft and Rotterdam to create sustainable energy from waste plants in Africa.
'If you’re on this planet right now, you have not only a responsibility, but you have a possibility, an opportunity to actually create the change that you want to see. To live in the society that you want to live in.'
The social enterprises that Lisa supports differ from NGOs in that they have a revenue-generating model. Despite this, the social impact generated by these organizations is dominant. As Lisa highlights, if they want to be eligible for financial or other support, their cause should always come first.
In this interview, Lisa talks about climate change, social inequity and the differences between ' The Big Apple' and 'Manhattan on the Maas.' Watch the video for the full interview!
About Lisa Jordan
Lisa Jordan is Managing Director at the Draper Richards Kaplan (DRK) Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm supporting early stage, high impact social enterprises. She is well known in the field of philanthropy for leading foundations toward greater impact. As a committed social activist, Lisa Jordan's career spans government, NGO and foundations. She has lived and worked in New York, Washington D.C., Amsterdam, Tokyo, Brussels and is currently based in The Hague.
She graduated from ISS in 1992.
