Between a rock and a hard place: the trend towards for-profit social enterprises
On the tension between revenue models and urgent social need, when neither the investment nor the path to monetisation is there yet.
Reducing the focus of my work as a social entrepreneur to become a social intrapreneur wasn't an easy decision.
I started working with Wamda two years ago, while I simultaneously tried to grow my own social enterprise, volunteer matching platform Nakhweh.
My goal to turn Nakhweh into a revenue generating business was because I didn't want to chase 'free' money. I was often witness to how funding for development and aid work followed trends, rather than real need. On the other hand, I had no clear business model or path to monetization.
This financial barrier to scale is faced by many social entrepreneurs in our region. For me, Nakhweh resulted in significant impact with minimal resources.