Dees and Battle Anderson also suggest that social enterprises can scale up through one of three methods:
Dissemination: actively providing information and assistance to communities
Affiliation: formal relationships that make partners part of an identifiable network but still allow flexibility within the network
Branching: creating local sites through one network, more of a command-and-control model
For StartOut, affiliation is the key — the group has been able to grow geographically because it activates the community of LGBT entrepreneurs in cities where it goes. It has no strict hierarchical governance, instead empowering volunteers to design their own events and chapter services.