10 Years Of Social Business: Anniversary Report And 2021 Annual Report
10 Years Of Social Business: Anniversary Report
Has it really been ten yeas? Looking back, it is staggering to see how far we and the social-impact sector have come since that first fateful encounter between our Chairman Nobel Peace Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus and our CEO Saskia Bruysten.
The concept of picking up the tools of business and applying them to tackle social and climate challenges was, at that time, almost unheard of. When we brought the idea to funders and corporations, we were almost always met with a roomful of blank stares and raised eyebrows.
Now, a decade later, we are happy to see that we have been able to prove this model. Our portfolio of social businesses overall has served 17.8M customers, supported incomes for 1.3M people, and avoided 5M tons of carbon emissions in India, East Africa and Latin America.
Discover the facts, figures and faces behind our journey in our 10-Year Anniversary Report.
It takes a village to build a world of three zeroes
Needless to say, the increased global focus on business as a force for good has not by a long shot been the work of our team alone, nor, for that matter, has even our own success. Rather, both have been the patchwork tapestry of thousands of hands: social-business entrepreneurs, forward-looking funders, intrepid social intrapreneurs, our teams in all our operating countries and supporters in manifold forms.
For this reason, we have made our theme for this year ‘It Takes a Village.’ That is, it takes a village to create a world of zero poverty, zero unemployment and net-zero carbon emissions. We wish to take this opportunity to highlight some of the incredible partners who have shared our vision, taken chances on us, partnered with us and worked together towards achieving our ambitious goals. For those of you reading this to whom this refers - and you know who you are - a big, big thank you goes out to you!
What Is ‘Social Procurement’? And 5 Ways To Do It Right.
Is it possible for a fledgling social business to source to a large corporation? Sounds tough, but we know it can work! Corporations have so much to learn from social businesses about putting people and the planet first - and corporations are a great opportunity for a social business looking to scale. It can be the perfect combination. But it needs work.
Celebrating female leadership of social entrepreneurs within YSB's portfolio: Sandra Nalli
Every week, through March, YSB’s new CEO Jana Lessenich will ask one of our female social business entrepreneurs questions about leadership and their lives. Stay tuned to this space to read their inspiring insights!
Do you know an #UnusualPioneer? Nominate a corporate social intrapreneur for a scholarship!
Nominate a corporate social intrapreneur for a scholarship for the Unusual Pioneers platform until Feb 28th. The Unusual Pioneers is a joint initiative by Yunus Social Business, Porticus, and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, sister organisation of the World Economic Forum.
