* Social entrepreneurship is any effort to help other people. This initiative can be economic and non-economic, profit and non-profit. (Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen bank, “For world without poverty”, 2009)
* Social entrepreneurship can be defined as a professional, innovative and sustainable approach to systemic change that addresses market failures and increases the opportunities”. (Saïd Business School, 2005)
* Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry. (Bill Drayton)
* Social entrepreneurs are people with new ideas for solving major problems that are relentless in following their own vision, people who simply do not accept “no” for an answer, those who do not give up until their ideas do not spread as much as possible”. (Bornstein, 2004)
* Whenever a society “stucks” or has a chance to take advantage of new opportunities, it needs entrepreneurs to realize the opportunity, to transform their vision into a realistic idea, then into reality and a new pattern in the society … We need such entrepreneurial leadership … this is a work of social entrepreneurs. (Bill Drayton)
* Social entrepreneurs are people from the private sector, which play a crucial role in reducing the impact of changes in the work of the public sector and understanding of certain social needs. (Waddock – Post, 1991).
* Social entrepreneurs connect with a wide range of organizations that have an entrepreneurial approach and whose primary mission is to deal with social problems. They are looking for a “sustainable solution for neglected problems of the society”. (Santos, 2009).
* What distinguishes social entrepreneurship from commercial entrepreneurship is dominant focus on value creation, not the appropriation of values. (Santos, 2009).
* Social entrepreneurship creates innovative solutions to address social problems and mobilize ideas, capacities, resources and social relations that are necessary for sustainable social transformation. (Alvord, Brown, & Letts, 2004)
* The social entrepreneur is an individual who directs the profits in order to achieve social objectives though financial and social return on investment. (The Institute for Social Entrepreneurship, 2002).
* Social entrepreneurs are people who are aware of the possibilities of how to meet the essential needs which the state budget will not and can not meet; they find the necessary resources (people, volunteers, money and space) and used them for achieving the change. (Thompson, Alvy, & Lees, 2000)
* The social entrepreneur is an individual, a group, a network, an organization or an alliance of organizations seeking sustainable change through a high level of ideas developed into frameworks in which governments, non-profit and business sector do not invest significant efforts in order to sddress significant social problems. (Dees, J. Gregory, 2004)
* Social entrepreneurs are leaders in introduction of social changes and they appear in the private, public and non-profit sector. (Canadian Centre for Social Enterpreneurship 2001).
* Social entrepreneurship is a form of social and economic structures, relationships, institutions, organizations and individuals, who are able to survive, and who are guided by the social objectives, (Fowler, 2000).
* Social entrepreneurs are dedicated innovators, who are convinced that they will respond to some of the deepest social challenges by introducing new business ideas. (LaBarre – Fishman, 2001).
* Social entrepreneurs are people who take the risk on behalf of other people in the organization to which they belong. (Brinckerhoff, 2000).
* Social entrepreneurship is an art, how to simultaneously achieve financial and social return on investment. (The Institute for Social Entrepreneurship, 2002).
* The social entrepreneur manages to break through with a new idea, which combines visionary and creative approach in solving a particular problem. He/she has strong ethical feelings, completely permeated by the vision of change. (Borstein, 1998).
* Social entrepreneurship favors entrepreneurial approach to social purposes in achieving market goals, ie. it directs the use of the profit to specific, vulnerable groups. (Hibbert, Hoog et. Al., 2002).