The growing field of social enterprise offeres a unique opportunity for aspiring practitioners and young professionals to pursue a career path that positively impacts their lives and the lives of others. Gray Matters Capital (GMC) believe's its important for industry development to develop human capital for the sector. GMC launched IDEX fellowing in 2010 to address the growing human resource gap and increase the number of entry points into the sector.
The IDEX Fellowship is a 10-month program that offers professional, cultural and social immersion into the field of social enterprise for college graduates interested in launching a career in the sector. Fellows are strategically placed to work with enterprises to develop a blueprint for change. Fellows work in enterprises spanning across five focus areas:
- Market Knowledge & Insights
- Strategy & Operations
- Business Development
- Innovation & Sustainability
- Impact Assessment & Analysis
IXED is by design a self-directed fellowship program that encourages participants to be enterprising and innovative in their approach to identity opportunities and implement market-based, sustainable solutions social enterprises. Fellows will help grassroots education enterprises improve operations and service offerings across a range of projects and issues. In addition to working alongside entrepreneurs, fellows will have structured opportunities to exchange ideas with peers and staff as well as individualized opportunities to work with IDEX partners to leverage their field experience and cultivate professional skills. Fellows will also have the opportunity to travel on guided social business field trips to enrich their connections in the sector. IDEX Fellows are based in India as consultants to social enterprises in the low-income education sector, as well as with social businesses.
The Fellows Manager and IDEX management will support the Fellows and the enterprises investee in developing work plans by helping to identify priorities for the enterprise and key areas where the Fellow may add the most value. A few work plans in the past have included:
• Creating and financing libraries and language or computer labs
• Incorporating sports and arts to engage top students
• Introducing extracurricular programs
• Developing new revenue streams through supplemental educational services
• Implementing student attendance incentive programs
• Establishing vocational training programs
• Implementing and streamlining financial systems
• Planning and executing leadership conferences for school owners
In addition to their investee placements, Fellows are responsible for contributing to IDEXs efforts to collect and disseminate information from our work and presenting these insights in a shareable form with a broader audience via blogs, white papers, case studies, photo submissions, videos, etc.
Recent Alum Will Von Geldern is happy to answer any questions you may have. You can contact him at will.vongeldern [at] gmail.com
