Initiatives and social enterprises such as the Arc Initiative are programs that aim to create value and sustainability within communities. They educate business owners and entrepreneurs so that they can contribute to the development of the local economy and community.

Comparatively, the United Nations aids communities by perhaps providing funds for entrepreneurs or businesses. Businesses cannot be sustained without the proper knowledge on how to establish a business strategy, or how to evaluate the macroeconomic environment, for example. This is one of the main reasons that the UN alone cannot create self-sufficiency within communities; it doesn’t provide the same type of education that social enterprises provide.

Even if the United Nations was fully funded, there would still be a need for social enterprises because funding alone does not create educated business people. Social entrepreneurs are needed to contribute to the sustainability of developing businesses because they look to create shared value and bring about positive change. Communities, businesses and people can’t develop and contribute to the economy if they have no knowledge on how to create a strategic business model or how to manage a business. Social entrepreneurs attempt to create self-sufficiency within communities by looking for new innovative ways to approach social and communal problems.