By Samantha McNelly
This blog post is being written based on a recent turn of unfortunate events, but this less-than-optimal occurrence has actually brought to light several things which I consider highly related to social entrepreneurship. 
I have been given some new clarity on these topics in last few days, and I thought I would share.
First, here’s the gist of the unfortunate event. While I was traveling alone on an overnight train from Agra to Varanasi, my wallet- with my passport, credit cards, cash, drivers license, debit card, etc- was stolen from my purse while I was sleeping. So there I was, most of the way to Varanasi, a city where I know no one, with only 61 rupees (or just over $1) that I found in the bottom of my purse and no official form of identification. Below is a list of things that I learned through this experience, and how they are, in actuality, highly relevant to social entrepreneurship.
1. Resources- and appropriate resources- matter. When I realized my wallet was gone, I was completely without the resources that I would need to cope with such a situation. The resources I had that were packed in my backpack, kurthas, shampoo, and a book weren’t going to get me very far given the situation. The one thing that I had that was valuable was my phone. In this situation, my phone was able to make up for my lack of other resources because I was able to stay in touch with individuals who had the leverage to help me in other ways.
Social entrepreneurs face similar (although much larger scale) issues with resources. A shortage of resources- particularly money- is a common challenge for social entrepreneurs, and one that must be overcome in some way to make any sort of social impact. Social entrepreneurs must leverage what resources they do have to capture other resources that are necessary to achieve their mission. This takes creativity and persistence, but when faced with little other choice, this obstacle is entirely able to be overcome.
2. Eggs are not meant to all be put in one basket. My crucial mistake was that everything important was in my wallet. If I had put some cash in a different pocket in my purse or kept my drivers license away from my passport, I would have been able to more easily cope with the situation, because I could have fallen back on whatever I had outside of my wallet.
Social entrepreneurs are at the same risk if they put all of their resources into one project, investment, or something of the sort. If a project fails, then that social enterprise has lost its resources and credibility as an organization. Diversification is a more stable and safe option; that way, if one smaller project fails, the organization can use it as a learning experience, and then avoid the same mistakes with future endeavors.
3. Flexibility, even for someone as OCD as me, is crucially important. As time continued passing after the loss of my wallet, I realized that none of my plans for the next 10 days of traveling in India were going to pan out. I’m not going to get to see the Ganges from the ghats in Varanasi, and I’m not going to get to learn about microfinance from an Ashoka fellow in West Bengal. But this isn’t necessarily bad. Instead, I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible people that I would not have otherwise met. I’ve decided that this change in plans simply means I have to come back to India to do all of the things that I had originally planned, and more!
Environmental changes and things outside of internal control often affect social enterprises, and to cope with these things, social enterprises must be flexible. Things that initially seem to be obstacles can, with a good attitude and a little flexibility, often turn into opportunities. If a social enterprise creates a plan and then sticks to it without considering external changes, the plan may not be as effective as it could have been had the organization simply embraced the change in circumstances and adapted accordingly.
4. Networks and relationships can move mountains. This is the part where I get to talk about and thank all of the amazing people who have helped me over the last few days. When I called Laura from the train, she told me to find a safe spot to sit and stay there so she could find someone to come meet me at the train station, and not an hour later, Laura had arranged for a friend of a friend, Rajesh, to come and meet me at the train station and help me figure out what to do. This isn’t someone she had ever met, and definitely not someone I had ever met. Then I got a call from Professor Moledina. He was with Jairaj, a Wooster alum that we met a couple of times in Bangalore, and they were both talking to various Wooster alums throughout India, people high up in the Varanasi police, contacts at the US consulate in Kolkata, and I am sure dozens of other people that I didn’t hear about, all trying to see how they could help me out of my current predicament. With the help of all of these incredible people, I all of a sudden had 3000 rupees, was rebooked on a train that night to Kolkata, was able to get a shower and a meal, and, after the overnight train ride, was picked up at the station by my classmate, Varun, who lives in Kolkata. As if picking me up wasn’t enough, Varun’s family has been kind enough to welcome me into their home while I spend the next week dealing with the US Consulate and Foreigners Regional Registration Office. When I was finally able to check my email after being disconnected for several days, I saw more than 30 emails from people, both friends and strangers, offering to help me in any way that they could. In short, networks are incredible. By making one phone call, within less than two hours I had a plan of what to do and how to begin the process of recovering some of my necessary documents. The Wooster network, in particular, is exceptionally helpful, welcoming, and big-hearted, and for that and all of the help from the Wooster network, I am eternally grateful.
Social entrepreneurs tackle problems much bigger and more complex than a silly American losing her passport, but the standard is the same; they would not be nearly as effective in what they do if it weren’t for networks. Networks uncover incredible connections and incredible people who are willing to go to amazing lengths to help rectify a problem or make progress on an issue. Because social entrepreneurs aim to combat such complex issues, they need equally large support networks to be their army. This is something that I now whole-heartedly believe: networks have the power to move mountains.
5. Appreciate the unknown, and do so with humility. During the mess that the last few days have been, a lot was up in the air, but because there were so many people working to help me, I had no doubt that everything was going to be completely fine. Seeing so many people reaching out to help was extraordinarily humbling, I can’t express how much it meant to know that so many people were thinking of me and acting on my behalf to correct an unfortunate situation. Now, I am safely in Kolkata, staying with Varun and his family, and I have begun the process of applying for a temporary passport. Although it looks like everything is going to be fairly straightforward, nothing is for-sure until I have all the documents in my hand. But for the moment, I am focusing on the now, appreciating how far everyone’s help has gotten me, and realizing that, if I made it through all of those unknowns, I can surely cope with whatever is coming during this next week.
This one might not be quite as pertinent to social enterprises, but nevertheless, I think there is still something to be said for realizing that not everything is within your control, and that ultimately adds to the excitement of life and work. Humility has a place in every aspect of life, including business, and especially social business, because social change is never going to come about without the unflinching support of various people and organizations, and accepting this requires grace and humility.
So there’s my comparison of having my wallet stolen and social entrepreneurship. At the risk of sounding really corny, I do have to say that this experience has taught me a lot, most importantly about the importance of networks and humility. I normally try to be a very independent person, but when given no choice but to rely on other people, I had the privilege of seeing the power that those around me have and how much they are willing to do for me. It was amazing, overwhelming, and humbling, and I would like to thank everyone (Professor Moledina, Laura, Blaise, Rajesh, my parents, Varun and his family, Jairaj, all of the Wooster alum in Calcutta, and more people that I am sure helped me and I don’t even know it) for everything over the last couple of days. This little ordeal has made my already great experience in India even better, and I have all of these wonderful people to thank.
