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Surrounded by Success A Smith Alumna's Experience in Social Enterprise
“I'm constantly inundated by success stories,” she said of her work at Spotlight Books, a social enterprise in southeast Virginia. Her staff is made up of graduates of the organization's job-training program, so she is very much a witness to the impacts of her work each and every day. Agbuya, who earned a Bachelor's degree in communication from Old Dominion University, worked in online advertising before entering Smith's part-time MBA program in D.C. She loved new media and felt the degree would help bridge the gap in her skills and allow her to transition into project management, she said. While completing one of her last electives in entrepreneurship, Agbuya started working with a local NASA scientist to complete a business plan for a manufacturing start-up-an experience she enjoyed immensely, she said, because of the relative stability it offered in comparison to the volatile world of new media. At the conclusion of the engagement, it was a stroke of luck
that led her to a job posting on Idealist.org-an organization
looking for someone to manage a five year-old social enterprise
called Spotlight Books. Agbuya's background in e-commerce and her dedication and interest in social enterprise (she took social entrepreneurship electives while at Smith and served as the Community Outreach chair of the Part-Time MBA Association) made her a natural fit, and she began working at Spotlight in early 2010. The role has been at times challenging, but ultimately incredibly rewarding, she said. “There is a huge need in the Hampton Roads area,” she said. “The barriers these individuals face are even higher now, and there's a real need for services that Spotlight Books job-training program provides.” The role has challenged her to apply not only the hard skills she acquired during her MBA-marketing, finance, operations-but also soft skills like leadership and human capital management. And, she's challenged to imbue in her trainees these skills as well. “It's not just about teaching data entry,” she said. “We're really building these individuals' soft skills. How do you manage your time better? How do you communicate effectively?” In December, Agbuya was promoted to Director of Marketing and Business Development for The Up Center, a role that sees her overseeing all communications for the center's portfolio. Her biggest challenge now, she said, is in finding ways to effectively communicate the tremendous social impact the center provides in the area to its various constituents. “Measuring isn't the difficult part for us,” she said. “It's not so much that we can't capture the information on our social outcomes, but more of how to package that information so that it's relevant and provides a clear call to action. Volunteer, donate, buy books - how do you go from here to there?” She's excited by the opportunities presented by her new role, she said. “I get to put my entrepreneur hat on,” she said, “and look for other opportunities to support the job training programs beyond selling books.” Working in social enterprise has given her unique perspectives on what it takes to succeed in the field. For one, she said, you really need to understand numbers. “In nonprofit social ventures, it's incredibly helpful to bring a data-oriented, results-based perspective,” she said. “They are very lean operations with pressure to keep overhead low, so a good understanding of financials and an ability to prioritize is crucial.” But perhaps even more, you need passion. “Ultimately-and I say this both for myself and for my trainees-it's not about learning data entry or cost analysis. Really, it's about being dedicated to the job,” Agbuya said. “You have to really believe in the mission to be successful.” To learn more about The Up Center's job-training program, Spotlight Books, please visit www.theupcenter.org. If you'd like to support the program, you can buy used books, CDs, or DVDs at the social venture's eBay store http://stores.ebay.com/spotlightbooks-nonprofit.
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For Christine Agbuya, a 2009 graduate of the Smith part-time
MBA program, the best part of working in a social enterprise?
That's easy-being surrounded by living proof of your social
impact. 
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WINTER 2011 |