NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

While the idea of social entrepreneurship isn’t new, it has taken a more concrete definition only recently. Twenty years ago, The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur by Charles Leadbeater was published, commenting on how a ragtag group of misfits and dreamers were mobilizing business resources and tactics for helping deprived communities or even lost causes.

The book set fire to the imagination of many entrepreneurs who wanted to pursue a higher calling. More motivated by tangible social change than inflating profit margins and satisfying shareholders, the social entrepreneurship movement has finally come of age and is an established business practice today.

As information technology has become more ubiquitous with business, its effect on social entrepreneurs was all but inevitable. The democratization of technology is empowering more people with information and creating value like never before. The mobile revolution has only taken this idea even further.

So, while being part of massive social change until recently could only be considered by people with deep pockets and big ideas, today everyone can contribute to something they care about. As long as you have a smartphone — and who doesn’t — you can now contribute to whatever issue you care about and have fun while you’re at it. Here are nine mobile applications that can help do just that.

Photo courtesy of Highways England.