Sunday morning, and I woke up with an analogy.
Social Entrepreneurialism is (currently) like building a gym. It's great - people can combat everything from osteoporesis to stress, can keep physically fit, and can even meet people and meet up with people to reinforce social community.
Charity is when someone in the gym yells out "spot." The charity-giver provides the little bit extra necessary for the person to finish their set and move on.
Some charity is analogous to the physical rehabilitation work that goes on in the gym: it's not just about a spot. It's about having prolonged interaction that (re)builds range of motion and function.
It's not enough to build a gym and say "go use it!" It's not going to work to say "I'm here to provide a spot if you need it" when there is no gym, or it's the stairwell in the office building.
This analogy rose because of a thread on Cooperation Commons "Is Free Cell Phone Service & Internet a Panacea to the Digital Divide?" While I've said several times that I don't think it's a bad idea, I've also been struck by the disconnect. In this case, the cell phones would be the socially entrepreneurial level. The early adopters will be those who maintain the status quo, just like the early gym members are likely to be people already fit or close to it, and not elderly who need to conserve bone mass, nor children who won't leave the couch.
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