Introduction to Social Enterprise for Faith Leaders

Faith communities are facing a financial crisis due to dwindling membership and reduced giving. By taking a Social Enterprise perspective, faith leaders can discover new ways to stabilize finances and enhance their mission. This 90-minute online seminar, led by Dr. J. Howard “Jim” Kucher, DPA, will introduce you to some of the concepts needed to begin the journey.

An associate professor of Social Innovation at the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Jim is an award-winning teacher and internationally recognized thought leader in social entrepreneurship. He is the lead author of Social Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach to Social Innovation, published in 2022 by Edward Elgar Publishers. Jim also works as a consultant to leading and emerging social benefit initiatives to help them improve outcomes and increase sustainable revenues. He has successfully secured more than $70 million in working capital on behalf of mission-oriented enterprises and helped more than 100 area nonprofits and social enterprises develop new models for meeting their constituents’ needs while increasing their organization’s sustainability. 

Jim holds a doctorate in Public Administration with a concentration in Social Entrepreneurship and an MBA with an Entrepreneurship specialization from The University of Baltimore. He has also earned certification as a project management professional and a new product development professional. He has been recognized as a Baltimore Renaissance Seed Scholar, an Unsung Hero of Small Business, and a Fulbright Specialist Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship. His current research explores the field of economic theology and its practical application in faith-based social enterprise.

We hope you can join us on Zoom for this unique educational offering.