Fellowship

Social entrepreneurs lead and innovate wide-scale social action to effectively and efficiently benefit needy populations. The Deshpande Foundation believes that social entrepreneurs are essential to the social development sector and supports social entrepreneurship as a core activity. As such, the Deshpande Foundation has initiated the Deshpande Fellowship Program (DFP), a unique opportunity for budding social entrepreneurs.
The Deshpande Fellowship Program is a six-month-long opportunity for young social leaders to be trained in the knowledge, skills and practices necessary for success in the development sector. The training will be both classroom and field-based, with emphasis on active and applied learning experiences. Using both prior and Fellowship experiences, Fellows will then be expected to design and implement a social innovation with a partner institution in the Sandbox.
Overall Objectives for Deshpande Fellowship Program
The six-month training of the DFP aims to:
Build the Fellow's knowledge of the history and current context of development and social entrepreneurship, both in India and Internationally;
Establish the soft-skills necessary to be effective managers and leaders;
Train the next generation of social entrepreneurs and change agents in specific technical skills, providing them with the tools needed to leverage their efforts for significant change;
Prepare a human resource network to innovate and implement efficient, scalable approaches for resolving the world's most intractable challenges facing developing economies.
Technical and soft skills included in the DFP training include, but are not limited to, the following:
Computers and software: Using MS Office Suite, managing databases
Finances: Fundraising, drafting budgets and business plans, understanding financial ratios
MIS: Designing M/E systems, collecting and analyzing data
Observation skills: Identifying problems and solutions
Communication: Gaining interviewing skills, learning to communicate effectively with government officials, academics and donors
Writing: Writing grants, case studies, press releases, etc.DFP in Action
With our inaugural session already complete, we can be confident that the Fellows we train are highly skilled, ambitious workers with an agenda to drive change. In the past, the Fellows launched their own newsletter, organized their own community service excursions, managed successful fundraisers and connected with the foremost social entrepreneurs in the Sandbox area. I encourage youth to become part of the action.
Your Opportunity to Get Involved
Interested (20-28 years) candidate may apply for Cohort-III before 1st May 2009. The application is also available on Web site in both Word and Excel format: http://www.deshpandefoundation.org/. or send an email to ajaykumar.s@dfmail.org or call at 0836-2378430/Mob.9008459503.

Source:
Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship
Deshpande Foundation
BVB College of Engineering & Technology
Vidyanagar, Hubli 580031Karnataka0836-237-8430