Social Innovation Center

Universidad de San Andrés

Social Innovation Center

Universidad de San Andrés’ Social Innovation Center’s mission is to contribute to strengthening the commitment and capabilities of civil society organizations, entrepreneurs, business companies, donor foundations, and private social investors to have an impact and drive social transformations by means of academic education, training, relevant knowledge creation and dissemination, as well as educational content production. Since its inception in 2007, the Social Innovation Center (CIS, for its acronym in Spanish) has streamlined and bolstered the activities Universidad de San Andrés developed for social investors, civil society organizations and companies with its Graduate Program for Nonprofit Organizations and its Social Responsibility Program (in 2004-2006). CIS intends to consolidate and deliver: • Educational and training programs recognized as

successful, replicable models; • Studies and research projects that create applicable

knowledge; • Publications to be consulted by practitioners, leaders, and

professional teams, and • Extension activities available to the community. Universidad de San Andrés’ CIS seeks to become a national

and international benchmark for social initiatives launched by nonprofits, businesses and donors, with regular offerings and superior, relevant community projects.

www.udesa.edu.ar/cis cis@udesa.edu.ar

1997

Graduate Program on

Nonprofit Organizations

(UdeSA-DiTella-CEDES)

2000 Philanthropy Seminar

in Argentina

2001 SEKN Network

CSR Training Series

2003 Social Responsibility

Program

Social Responsibility Seminar

CSR Seminars in Business Graduate

Programs

Supporting Young Commitment

2005 Fundraising Training Program (PROREFO)

Social Management Virtual Library

2007 Social Innovation

Center

Seminar on Personal Investment Strategies

and Social Responsibility

2008 CSR Executive

Training Program (PROCARSE)

2009 Youth Social

Initiatives

Executive Training

Corporate Social Responsibility Executive Training Program (PROCARSE) PROCARSE has been delivered since 2008 and intends to contribute to the development of an overall approach to CSR, providing practical knowledge on several strategic corporate management areas. This Program caters to Institutional and Community Relations heads, executives in the Institutional Communications and Human Resources areas, Corporate Foundations’ officials, and practitioners in managerial and technical positions associated with private CSR management. PROCARSE features four focal areas: 1) CSR in companies’ overall business strategy; 2) Corporate social investment and cooperation tools; 3) Strategic areas’ responsible management, and 4) CSR management in business. The Program is supported by AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce in Argentina).

Corporate Volunteer Work Training – Fundación Telefónica This Program was delivered from 2002 to 2007 to provide training to volunteer leaders engaged in social initiatives at Fundación Telefónica. Its eleven modules focused on abilities and skills needed to work with social and grassroots organizations, offering tools to formulate and assess social projects.

Corporate Social Investment Strategies –Business Initiatives Addressing Major Social Challenges This Program was delivered jointly with AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce in Argentina)from 2004 through 2007. It was designed for companies to analyze and evaluate their community outreach strategies based on the social realities that surround their local operations. The goal of this program was to take a close look at CSR strategies to successfully address current social issues.

Open Seminars CIS organizes free events for CSR practitioners. In 2009, CIS offered a seminar on CSR and Employees as Stakeholders and another one on Challenges for Regional Social Strategies –BBVA Group’s Experience in Latin America. In 2010, CIS delivered a seminar on ISO 26000 –A Guide for Social Responsibility.

Social Innovation Center Activities

Training for Social Organizations

Development Program for Healthcare Social Organizations – Incidence and Coordinated Work Process Management in Healthcare (PRODOS – Health) Created in 2008, this Program intends to strengthen healthcare social organizations’ capabilities to make a lasting impact in their settings, improving patients’ health and living conditions. It also provides a platform, grounded on training and collective learning, for social organizations to enhance their managerial capabilities. This Program is supported by Roche.

Social Business Scaling Program This Program was developed in 2011 to help business initiatives creating social value to grow and multiply. It was part of the Social Enterprise Knowledge Network’s Boosting Social Ventures’ Scale and Impact in Latin America and Spain project supported by BBVA Group. This Program was delivered with Ashoka’s support and hinged on three components: a two-day seminar; two customized guidance and advice sessions for each venture, and a final, group event to exchange insights and plan future initiatives.

Fundraising Training Program (PROREFO) This Program was delivered in 2005-2009, with fourteen seminars addressing issues such as annual campaigns, fundraising events and ventures, companies as funding sources, consumer fundraising campaigns, and strategic planning for financial sustainability.

Social Organizations Development Program – Buenos Aires City Government This Program delivered two seminars in 2005 and one in 2010. Topics tackled included: social project design, execution and evaluation; volunteer base management and development, and management challenges for social organizations.

Training Seminars • Managing Collaboration among CSOs and Business Companies in Spain and Latin

America (in 2007, supported by Spain’s Fundación La Caixa); • Socially Inclusive Businesses in Civil Society Organizations (in 2008, supported by

Spain’s Fundación La Caixa); • Social Organization Management and Overall Childhood Protection (in 2008,

supported by Argentina’s Fundación ARCOR), and • Managing Collaboration in Social Organizations’ Networks (in 2009, supported by

C&A Foundation).

Open Seminars CIS organizes free events for CSR practitioners. In the past two years, CIS carried out special activities on Planning, Replicability and Innovation (with the World Bank’s support), and Leading Growth and Enhancing Impact in Social Businesses, among others.

Social Innovation Center Activities

Supporting Youths’ Social Initiatives

CIS encourages and supports social ventures launched by Universidad de San Andrés’ students, promoting their engagement in social issues.

Moving Forward Program This Program is carried out jointly with RedSA (San Andrés Network) and Ashoka’s collaboration. It is open to Universidad de San Andrés’ undergraduate students and youths from RedSA (Olivos’ Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Saint Andrew’s Scots School) who have started or wish to launch a project to tackle social, environmental, educational, citizenship, or cultural issues. The Program provides guidance, technical assistance, funding and support, and participants join Ashoka’s global community of social change agents.

Youth Social Initiatives Forum Set up by CIS in 2010, this platform intends to facilitate exchanges and collaboration among social initiatives developed by UdeSA students, strengthening their potential and impact. This forum helps these agents to share information and build synergies among their projects in order to advance their respective goals and expand their scopes.

Youth Social Initiatives Fair This Fair has been held since 2009 to disseminate and present youths’ social endeavors, encouraging other UdeSA students to venture into the world of social development. Social organizations offering volunteer work opportunities for youngsters or serving youths also participate in this fair.

Winter and Summer Internships at Social Organizations CIS helps to set up internships for UdeSA students at social organizations during their winter and summer vacations. Participating organizations determine whether their internship offerings will be for volunteer work, paid jobs, or assignments with special incentives.

Support to UdeSA Students’ Social Initiatives CIS provides ongoing support to social and environmental initiatives launched by UdeSA students, like Young Commitment and GAIA.

Social Innovation Center Activities

Graduate Program on Nonprofit Organizations (POSFL)

The Graduate Program on Nonprofit Organizations seeks to strengthen the so-called third-sector organizations’ performance, focusing on training human resources for nonprofit management, promoting research studies that provide a better understanding of social challenges and organizations, and developing theoretical and methodological approaches that contribute to nonprofits’ operations. Universidad de San Andrés’ Specialization Program on Nonprofit Organizations is delivered with the collaboration of CEDES (Center for Studies on State and Society). This Program addresses the needs of practitioners who wish to enhance third-sector organizations’ institutional capabilities, starting with a critical look at and strategic view of Argentine civil society’s specificities and challenges. This includes the leaders, principals, officials, managers, technical staffers, and advisors of nonprofits such as civil organizations, foundations, cooperatives, business chambers, professional associations, and grassroots organizations. On account of its design, this Program provides a specialized training opportunity for individuals working on projects built by public agencies, international cooperation organizations and corporate foundations to promote social organizations’ development. This Graduate Program has forged close ties with other international academic centers devoted to nonprofits’ training and research, corporate social responsibility, and civil society. In Argentina, the Program works with all major social organizations, donor foundations, and companies engaged in community initiatives. With its network of over 500 alumni, it also keeps abreast of current sector concerns and challenges. POSFL also organizes lectures and extension activities, training seminars, and professional update events in order to promote practitioners’ exchanges and ongoing advancement.

The Graduate Program on Nonprofit Organizations is part of UdeSA Management Department’s graduate program offerings. CIS collaborates with this Program, supporting its activities and contributing to its Scholarship Fund.

Social Innovation Center Activities

Social Investors’ Training Program

CIS has pioneered the delivery of training seminars and exchange meetings for resourceful, socially-aware individuals who wish to develop or support social initiatives effectively.

Its Social Investors’ Training Program underscores an approach to private contributions based on exploring personal motivations and values, strategically analyzing issues and opportunities, identifying effective solutions, working with effective social entrepreneurs and organizations, and collaborating with other social agents. From 2001 to 2008, this Program was delivered in the following formats:

Philanthropy Seminar in Argentina Delivered in 2001 and 2002 with the Rockefeller Foundation’s support.

Social Responsibility Seminar Delivered in 2003 with the Ford Foundation’s support.

Seminar on Personal Investment Strategies and Social Responsibility Three seminars delivered in 2007-2008. Alumni Network In 2006-2009, CIS organized several updating, reflection, and exchange meetings among Social Investors’ Training Program alumni and special guests.

Social Innovation Center Activities

Research SEKN (Social Enterprise Knowledge Network) Universidad de San Andrés was a founder of SEKN. Gathering ten leading business schools in Spain and Latin America, SEKN carries out joint research efforts and delivers training courses based on its findings and products. SEKN has published three books and over seventy teaching case studies.

Other Research Endeavors As a result of the support provided by several foundations and business companies, CIS has completed a number of research studies on topics that include attitudes and opinions on philanthropy, corporate social responsibility in major local companies, social organizations’ best governance and volunteer management practices, and community development interventions by donor foundations. Organizations supporting CIS research include Fundación IRSA, Buenos Aires City Government, Spain’s La Caixa Foundation, Dow Argentina, and BBVA Group.

Teaching Cases CIS elaborates teaching case studies focusing on social organizations, private social investment, and CSR for undergraduate and graduate programs as well as for executive education courses.

Social Management Virtual Library - www.gestionsocial.org Social Management is a virtual library offering free access to case studies, tools and documents in Spanish that deal with topics associated with social organization management. It features over 600 documents, divided into ten subject categories: management and strategy, governance and accountability, resource development, human resources, marketing, cross-organizational collaboration, incidence, formulation, execution, assessment, and other topics.

Social Innovation Center Activities

Social Innovation Center