For the third year Fast Company Magazine and consulting firm the Monitor Group have named the winners of their Social Capitalist Awards. The 2006 winners, like those in 2005 and 2004 represent nonprofit organizations using entrepreneurial practices to create social change. Each year this award program provides a helpful list of organizations to watch, though it would be better if each year introduced more new organizations.

In this year's introductory article, Filling the Void, Cheryl Dahle opens:

The entrepreneurial mind abhors a vacuum. Market failures, unmet demand, even the maddening lure of a blank napkin--all beckon as explicit invitations to invent. What defines an entrepreneur (as well as an entrepreneurial organization) is that relentless problem-solving approach, not the specifics of the problem itself.

Dahle reminds the readers of the business magazine that the entrepreneurs profiled in these awards are not businesses, but the "cream of entrepreneurial organizations in the social sector." She outlines how these organizations behave much like other entrepreneurs, describing them as "masters at envisioning products and services that don't yet exist, marshaling resources, and crafting solutions that deeply affect their customers." Best of all (I believe), she notes, "The results these nonprofit organizations deliver hinge on business acumen and often reflect strategies that their for-profit brethren would do well to imitate."

Bravo to Fast Company (and company) for their continued support of this program. It's important to identify and celebrate social entrepreneurs and this program does a good job. At the same time I wonder about the pool of candidates and the many "usual suspects" that have appeared in the award winner list more than once. I'd favor a nonrepeat policy in order to provide a wide range of examples. It would be great if after four or five years of this contest there would be a list of 80-125 nonprofit organizations noted for their entrepreneurship. However, in the first three years when a total of 70 unique organizations might have been awarded, because of repeats only 43 were named. Among that group, 10 were named in all three years and 7 were named in 2 years (and 6 of which are presented below).

I'm pleased to share the list of the 2006 winners, with multiples noted.

The 2006 Social Capitalist Winners
ACCION International (3 time winner)
BELL
Calvert Social Investment Foundation
Citizen Schools (2 time winner)
City Year (3 time winner)
College Summit Inc. (3 time winner)
First Book (3 time winner)
Grameen Foundation USA (2 time winner)
Heifer International
Housing Partnership Network (2 time winner)
Jumpstart (3 time winner)
Kickstart
New Community Corp.
New Leaders for New Schools (3 time winner)
PATH (3 time winner)
Pioneer Human Services
Raising a Reader
Rare (2 time winner)
Room to Read (3 time winner)
Rubicon Programs Inc. (3 time winner)
Teach for America
Transfair USA (2 time winner)
Unitus
WITNESS (3 time winner)
Working Today -- Freelancers Union (2 time winner)

Late addition
Dan Prives posts about the geographic distribution of the winners and notes they are predominantly in the large coastal cities.