Whitespace Experience Mapping Exercise For A Social Enterprise

Social enterprises exist, and strive, to become a new form of organization to effectively solve some of the most pressing challenges within our society. There is a wide, and probably growing, gap between the scale of the problems we face and the scale of the solutions on offer. Creative ways for advancing social innovation are relevant in every sector but they are likely to offer the most value in developing countries. One great example is Kiva, a non-profit organization that leverages a worldwide network of micro-finance institutes to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.

Kiva’s micro-financing model, which allows people to acquire loans of as little as $25, has transformed the way many entrepreneurs in the third world conduct business. For social investors however, the relationship with these entrepreneurs and the products and services they offer can be detached and distant, lacking a real connection with the product being made. Presented with a very brief business biography and engaged with entrepreneurs in little more than a quick transaction, few lenders truly understand the financial context of the seamstress in Tajikstan, the lumber delivery woman in Peru or the rice farmer in Laos. Read More…