Our Goal

Our goal is to promote the professional development of FSU undergraduate and graduate students through experiential learning by professional evaluations of the practical benefits and limitations of social enterprises--enterprises established to achieve social goals--in the U.S. and abroad.

Where Is The Money Going?

These funds would finance four evaluation trips as one-year follow up efforts on finalists from the Diehl  Family Social Enterprise Competition completed in December, 2015. The evaluation programs would be staffed by three FSU students from the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy under the supervision of full-time professional staff of the DeVoe L. Moore Center. A master's level graduate student would serve as leader for a team comprising of a graduate student and two undergraduate students chosen through a competitive application process.

What Are The Projects?

Four social entrepreneurship projects were funded by the Diehl Family Social      Enterprise Competition between 2013 and 2015.  These projects were evaluated during the project implementation  phase and demonstrated the ability of undergraduates to successfully conduct on-site evaluations. Funding a second round of evaluations would further the understanding  of the challenges, prospects, and successes of social enterprises and build on the successful evaluation model implemented during  the competition.

The projects are:  

*   Kouzon Dlo: A public health social enterprise established to provide broad based market access to clean water in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

*   Bright Kids Uganda: An ecosystem of four earned-income projects focused on funding the BKU orphanage and school, including a small hotel, a minimarket, a poultry operation, and a crop-based food production

*   Reclaim Appalachia: A youth workforce training initiative in West Virginia targeted toward at-risk young adults that provides vocational and artisan education to students to help their transition into the full-time labor force

*   Clinic Nepal: A community market to provide a central location for local businesses and entrepreneurs for selling products while also serving as a community center and emergency shelter for Chitrawan, Nepal

 

Experiential Learning Helps Change The World

These evaluation site visits provide direct benefits to students by using the DeVoe L. Moore Center's program focus on social entrepreneurship to mentor talented, bright, and ambitious students with a commitment toward serving the broader community and empowering low income individuals, households, and communities.  This program builds on a robust social entrepreneurship core in the college that includes academic coursework, experiential learning through internships, mentoring through seminars and personal support, and a dedicated social entrepreneur-in-residence.

Testimonials

Matt Kelly, Evaluation Team Member for Bright Kids Uganda

"Evaluating the Diehl Family Social Enterprise Competition's grant recipients was an experience that I will never forget. Our site visits, focus groups, and structured interviews with employees at Bright Kids Uganda, a nonprofit children's home in Entebbe, Uganda, allowed me to gain valuable professional experience while helping those in need. Through this amazing opportunity, The DeVoe Moore Center enriched my academic experience at FSU like nothing else could have."

Selene Capparelli, Evaluation Team Member for Clinic Nepal and Bright Kids Uganda

"Being able to participate in the evaluation of Bright Kids Uganda and Clinic Nepal completely changed everything I thought I knew about program evaluation. It afforded me a much deeper understanding of managing and funding social enterprise in a third world country and confirmed my passion for public service. The professional and personal development that comes with immersing yourself in the area you are studying is truly invaluable."—Selene Capparelli