To advance the practice of social enterprise in the Chicago metropolitan area, through education, peer support, outreach, and advocacy.

The charter members of the SEA-Chicago Chapter envision that:

• SEA-Chicago aims to be the influential leader in promoting social enterprise in the Chicago region;

• SEA-Chicago’s educational programs, support, and advocacy are always grounded in the highest ethical standards;

• SEA-Chicago believes mission-driven business ventures can provide a solid foundation for the delivery of socially beneficially products and services;

• SEA-Chicago seeks to expand employment opportunities for less-advantaged citizens of the region by advancing social venturing;

• SEA-Chicago realizes that its full potential can only be realized through collaboration with other organizations focused on the betterment of society.

• Focus on building strong relationships with each of the seven key stakeholder market segments cited above, as evidenced by increased membership diversity;

• Seek opportunities to focus regional media attention on:
  • The field of social enterprise in general;
  • The unique benefits of the L3C company structure
  • Social enterprise success stories in the Chicago region;
  • Donor/investor success stories RE: social venture investing

• Host regularly scheduled low-cost networking events to build Chapter awareness;

• Maintain and frequently update a Chicago page on SEA-National's website;

• Develop and deliver a series of educational workshops on various aspects of social enterprise, in conjunction with other organizational partners such as the Donors' Forum, Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Chicago Jobs Council;

• Produce and maintain adequate inventory of high-quality SEA-Chicago educational and collateral marketing materials;

• Drive regional attendance at the 2011 Summit in Chicago through a strong ongoing membership development program.

SEA-Chicago will impact and is impacted by many different publics. Some publics are of greater importance to the success of SEA-Chicago than others. The Chapter’s success is also of much more importance to certain publics than to others. This plan recognizes the following stakeholders as key market segments that can offer genuine positive change within the three-year period ending December 2011:

• Top management of existing social enterprises

• Would-be social entrepreneurs

• University MBA and social enterprise programs

• Private foundation and corporate donors

• Federal, state and local government policy makers

• Market-rate investors and potential angel investors

• Organizations serving the unemployed and underemployed