Money vs mission

  • October 24, 2012
Money vs mission

A social enterprise company set up by Gates Cambridge Alumni has just published its first e-book giving advice to others seeking to build social enterprises that make money.

A social enterprise company aimed at making it easier for people with good ideas who are not well connected to get the ear of decision-makers has just published its first e-book giving advice to others seeking to build social enterprises that make money.

OneLeap [oneleap.com] was founded by Gates Cambridge alumni Hamish Forsyth and Robyn Scott and involves users, whatever their background, to send a 400-word message to anyone else on OneLeap – if they pay a fee. The fee, which shows the sender is serious and filters timewasters, goes to the recipient’s chosen charity. The message is guaranteed a response in 10 days or the fee is refunded.

It has just published its first e-book, How to Build a Social Enterprise that Makes Money, which brings together personal tips and stories from 14 of OneLeap’s successful social entrepreneur members.

The free e-book has garnered media interest and Hamish recently wrote an article for The Guardian giving tips on dealing with the dualism required of a social entrepreneur — to do good and make money.

Hamish [2007] says: “OneLeap published How to Build A Social Enterprise that Makes Money because financial sustainability in social enterprise needs attention. It’s a lot less sexy than the social outcomes, but no less important. A financially sustainable social enterprise not only serves more needs, more reliably, but it frees up scarce grant funding for unpopular but vital causes that will struggle to get traction in the market. The social entrepreneurs in the book deserve celebrating, and their advice is both inspiring and practical.”

Picture credit: suphakit73 and www.freedigitalphotos.net

Latest News

Taking a broader lens to women and development

Tara Cookson’s research has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to women and development. Her PhD supervisor, Professor Sarah Radcliffe, called it “highly original”. Since leaving Cambridge Tara has continued to break new ground, founding the feminist research consultancy Ladysmith and taking up a Canada Research Chair in the School of Public […]

What makes humans unique?

Sara Sherbaji’s research explores fundamental questions of what makes humans unique and the role culture plays in our evolution. Her questions build on her Master’s dissertation, on her work as a psychology lab coordinator and on her experience of fleeing the Syrian war. She says:  “Since leaving Syria during the war, my goal has been […]

At the heart of global economic development policy

Charles Amo Yartey [2002] always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as an accountant. Growing up in Ghana, he applied to do Business Administration at university, but, because he had not studied business at school, he was offered Economics. It proved to be the start of a fascinating career at the centre of global […]

Are AI models as divided as we are?

Elections often reveal how deeply divided humanity can be. This year, as increasing polarisation continued to shape our world, we asked: Does this division transfer to our AI? Our journey to answer this question began in 2022, when we started our PhDs as Gates Cambridge Scholars. Two concurrent events captured this moment in history: the […]