The Unreasonable Institute is a testament to the ongoing success of the social enterprise and impact economy movement, which has shown remarkable growth in recent years and only shows signs of maturing and growing further.

As the social entrepreneurship movement develops and matures, learn about 5 trends for this cause-integrated business movement's progression in 2011.

The (BoP) Project travels throughout East Africa documenting the untold stories of those at the Base of the Economic Pyramid, working directly with social enterprises, entrepreneurs, and innovative nonprofits to produce independent media and visual portfolios of their stories. Social Innovation, Impact Investing, Social Entrepreneurs, SoCap, Cause Integration, Causecast, cause integrated solutions, East Africa, The BoP Project, Base of the Economic Pyramid, social enterprises, entrepreneurs, innovative nonprofits, independent media, visual portfolios, KOMAZA, nonprofit social enterprise, Kenya, First Nonprofit Forestry Company, rural farmers, micro-forestry projects, innovator, writer, photographer, student, executive director, CEO, Cause Integration

Harvard Business Review, Bill Drayton, Ashoka, Valeria Budinich, Ashoka's Full Economic Citizenship Initiative, collaboration, formal economy, bottom 4 billion, education, transportation, finance, citizen sector, mission-minded business, social needs, social entrepreneurs, leadership, citizen-sector organizations, CSOs, cause integration, for-profit citizen-sector organizations, social enterprises, collaborative business, Benevolent Capitalism, comparative advantage

From FastCompany.com Contributer Alice Korngold:

There's a new trend emerging among a small number of NGOs (non-governmental organizations, used in reference to global nonprofits).

So what is it?  Entrepreneurship.  Taking an idea conceived in a stroke of insight, and then planning and accomplishing in order to make the idea real.

Plenty of companies are developing and manufacturing products addressing the needs of the 4 billion people in the world living in relative poverty, and many more are realizing the potential of making  products geared towards those at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

A new breed of VC funds is looking to invest in social enterprises that deliver developmental benefits, AND, generate decent financial returns.
AHONA GHOSH/ Outlook Business: India

The sun sets and a shroud of darkness descends rapidly over Bihar’s West Champaran district. Without electricity, much of the population turns to kerosene lanterns. But Tamkuha and 45 other villages in the district are glimmering islands of light, even late into the night.