Drayton founded Ashoka to find, fund and support the world’s leading social innovators. From child-abuse hotlines in India to treatment for AIDS patients in South Africa, Ashoka has helped fund important social causes across the world.

With Tony Wang from Solutions Magazine, we interviewed Drayton about Ashoka, social entrepreneurship, and how students can get involved.

The Daily: What does Ashoka do? How did you come up with the idea for Ashoka?

Bill Drayton: It’s embarrassingly logical. What is the most powerful lever you can imagine? A big idea, but only if it’s in the hands of a truly outstanding entrepreneur. It starts with the person and the idea, and then grows to the institution. All three are intertwined.

Ashoka helps launch the best ideas, entrepreneurs and institutions we can find anywhere in the world. We have to believe that the combination of the idea and person is going to change the pattern in that field — health, environment, human rights, whatever — at least on the continental scale. That’s an unusual idea and person, but they certainly exist.

TD: You came up with the idea as an undergraduate? That’s reassuring. What do you see for the future of the citizen sector and social innovation?

BD: It was an accident that the two halves of society’s operations split. Business became entrepreneurial and competitive three centuries ago and the citizen sector didn’t. But now we have the same architecture, and we are closing the productivity gap. So now the potential for reintegration is there.

Is the citizen sector going to integrate? Or is it going to continue inertially on the path of division? Again, the stakes are high and the results far from certain.

TD: What kind of integration are you envisioning? Do you think civil organizations should focus mainly on international integration?

BD: No, integration at all levels. I’ll give you a concrete example to make this manageable.

In Mexico, we just signed a contract between us, five major citizen groups serving small farmers and a large piping company. Previously, drip irrigation has only been available through the commercial system to farmers with 50 hectares or more. We can now deliver drip irrigation to five-hectare farms.

Suddenly, we have a triple win. There is a huge new market for the piping company and they will make a ton of money on this. Farmers will now have more income, and therefore, citizen groups involved end up with happy clients. Finally, the citizen groups also will probably get a 20-percent profit, which means they will never have to go and ask money from government or foundations again.

That’s just a very concrete example of what the world could look like. Everyone wins, if we can overcome the habit of division and start working together. At Ashoka, we think that that is smarter, and we would like to help the field move in that direction.

TD: A lot students want to become involved in the “citizen sector,” in one way or another. But it’s not clear how to get involved, since there’s no set career path for “social entrepreneurs.” Any advice?

BD: The fact that it’s not clear is both a problem and a huge opportunity. If you go into law, there is an oversupply relative to demand. In this area, it’s the other way around. This is by far the fastest growing sector. This is where you’ll have a big impact. And this is where the energy in society is and will be for a long time. This is where the real opportunities are to make a mark because there is so much catching up to do. If you go to a dinner party now, people are much more likely to be interested if you say you are a social entrepreneur than an investment banker.

TD: Okay, there’re a lot of opportunities. But it’s not easy to find them. It’s obvious where to look for a job in investment banking, but where do you look for a job being a social entrepreneur?

BD: If there are 1.1 million charitable organizations in the United States, surely you can find one with a job opening. If not, why not start your own?

The biggest barrier that anyone at any age has is the “stuffed shirt syndrome.” What do you think a law partner, who has spent 30 years in the same firm, is going to say when you tell him that you’re going to do something exciting? There is going to be a little twinge in his heart and he will puff up and say, “No you can’t do it. That’s unwise, young man.”

The biggest problem is getting beyond the “you can’t” syndrome. The moment you figure that out, you’re on your way to flying. Anyone who cannot see problems around him or herself is utterly blind. All the problems sitting there are an invitation for you to be creative, make use of your skills and resources and find a solution.

Of course you can do it. It doesn’t require brilliance. It’s just giving yourself permission and then being persistent. Persistent in seeing the problem or opportunity and persistent in thinking about it until you have come up with some interesting ideas that might change the pattern. It’s really a mindset, not anything in the objective world — that is the problem.

For more on social entrepreneurship, there’s a conference being held this Friday and Saturday on international NGOs . Check out www.stanford.edu/dept/IPS/news.html for more information.

Adam Stone (astone@stanford.edu) and Lija McHugh (lmchugh@stanford.edu) await the day someone e-mails them about the article and not just about their picture.