Giving Compass' Take:

• The virtual Skoll World Forum highlighted how Chinese social entrepreneurs efficiently mobilized resources, integrated information, and connected communities in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• What can social entrepreneurs around the world learn from China? How can donors collaborate? 

• Learn more about social entrepreneurs responding to COVID-19. 

Last September, we held a TEDx Skoll Conversation in Chengdu, which brought together social entrepreneurs from different regions across China to demonstrate the positive role of social innovation in shaping a common future. This was not a one-off conversation.

When the group learned that the 2020 Skoll World Forum would be virtual, with open sourced efforts from the larger community, China Alliance of Social Value Investment (CASVI) felt that there was no better way to introduce Chinese social entrepreneurs to the global stage and engage with the broader community. CASVI is dedicated to driving capital towards sustainable development, and one such way is towards social entrepreneurs who addresses social and environmental problems.

The virtual Skoll World Forum was held during the heights of the global pandemic, with escalating situations and great uncertainty. In China, the first waves of COVID-19 were coming to an end, and we were beginning to see a similar wave of questions, problems, and anxieties surface across the global communities. CASVI has closely followed the actions taken on by social entrepreneurs in the community, and it immediately became clear that their experiences could be of immense value to those just beginning to orientate themselves around COVID-19. With the overarching theme of “Collective Strength” in mind, CAVSI curated the session, “China social innovators response: actions and response during COVID-19” as an ecosystem event.

The rapid actions of these Chinese social entrepreneurs in mobilizing resources, integrating information, and connecting communities are the sort of innovations that ought not be ignored in China’s response to the pandemic. If the vertical power of the widely known administrative system ensures efficiency, it is the horizontal force, that is, the dynamic resilience from the community level, that guarantees vitality. Efficiency combined with vitality builds resilience for uncertain risks.

Read the full article about Chinese social entrepreneurs responding to COVID-19 by Changkun Shen at Skoll.