who am I ??
There are many ways one can be socially innovative. Full-time, part-time, collaborating, supporting from the outside, volunteering, researching….there are plenty ways to effect societal betterment whilst being innovative.
The various roles, explained.
Before you start, be aware that even with various roles, there can be overlaps. For example, a social enterprise can be run by volunteers; or intrapreneurs could also be activists....This is inherent to the nature of being socially innovative- non-linear and overlapping every bit of the way!
At its simplest this is a knowledge sharing platform about the social innovation process. Organizations and individuals have shared their thoughts and experience on the issue, makaing for some very authentic information, straight from the horse's mouth so to say!!
These take the form of case study projects and are from around the world, spanning different areas. (See the Projects Page)
Step 1) Go through all the FAQs
Step 2) Create a free account ; name and email (it's not much, you know that!)
Step 3) Go to the Projects Page. Go through all the different types of categorization, see what resonates with you and take it from there.
Step 4) Use the contact us page to get in touch with us directly.
We do not simply go after numbers, trying to populate the portal with more and more projects; instead we seek those who are truly making a difference, from every region of the world and those who are self-sustaining and / or have a tangible plan to be so.
But we are also trying to popularize and mainstream the field; so what is an innovation in some regions might not be relevant in other places; We urge you to look at each case study project in its context (something we have mentioned at the top of every case study) and see if there are elements you can imbibe into your own approach, however dissimilar the actual innovation is (to your idea).
Our broad criteria set is as follows:
Must have a fairly visible innovation- whether it is in the final product or service itself (like a new offering that has never been there before) or in its operational process continuum, in its funding or other resource procurement practices.
Must be in existence for at least 3-5 years in some form or another [ or have a tangible plan to be around]
The innovator must be someone with a history of (socially) innovating and / or have strong knowledge of the area in which they are working.
Must have a plan for self-sustenance, either through earned income or solid planning of grants and other forms of funding.
No two social innovations are identical, so you're not the only one thinking your idea doesn't fit into any category! Even two relatively identical products / services will invariably be organized and rolled out differently!!
One of the reasons we have organized the categories in different ways and presented the cases the way we have is to enable you to seek some commonality- it might be something specific like the procurement of a certain resource or the manner in which the business structure is organized.
Simultaneously, contact us and leave a query. We will get back within 3-5 business days and we can take it from there. (There is no charge for getting in touch with us! And we will not push any paid services on you, guaranteed!!).
Also, Quiet Value is dynamic and projects will keep getting added.
Knowledge dissemination. Social innovation has been around forever and social enterprises as a sector has been around since at least the 1980s if not longer. Yet no one knows much about this beyond the 'exotic' value and the hero stories.
Innovators and their teams from around the world have been very supportive of the idea of Quiet Value, to get the word out and enunciate it in such a way that it inspires others to take this path, avoid typical mistakes, compel stakeholders and funders to share resources in ways that makes a critical difference.
This is a direct result of founder Aparna Saligrama's research experience of over 8 years and she retains all rights for Quiet Value.
For now, it is a knowledge platform for those serious about getting involved in the field of social innovation and enterprise. The aim is to share and learn. We are planning an interactive portal for the coming months and with that, we hope to make Quiet Value the go-to discussion-to-action platform for all things that has social good at its core!
Who do you think does the research and analysis?? And write it all up in a manner that is clearly understandable for different strata of people and for people around the world? And present it in digestible bits??
But seriously, Quiet Value takes the information/data from the innovators/entrepreneurs/organizations, finds other pertinent information from other sources, triangulates everything, analyzes and presents it in a way that is short, to the point and ekes out the main points of the venture.
We use what is called Content Analysis, a technique that allows us to collect data and sift through the content such that it gives us a clear idea of what is going on.
Click here to see our methodology
Not through this venture. Please check out Quiet Value Consulting for a full suite of services. Or email here.
Quiet Value has a unique methodology combining rigorous research with practical hands-on information about social innovations and enterprises globally. We are prepared for everything from workshops to informal group discussions to one-on-one discussions.
We are more than happy to talk to you about your needs and see how we can help. Please use the contact us form below with your query. We will get back in 3-5 business days.
Quiet Value is intended for those serious about the field- whether to learn about social innovation or to get in-depth information from innovations around the world. A lot of effort goes into approaching, researching and analyzing these innovations, innovators and enterprises and we want to make sure that readers at least make the effort to sign up to get access.
Further, we will soon introduce members-only privileges and discussion boards, which will make the whole experience more real-time and interactive.
For now, other than your email and username, we don't ask for anything else. Make sure to read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Page.