The class discussed scaling social innovations with guest speaker Eyal Rosenblum from Operation Groundswell, focusing on properties and challenges of scaling organizations. Various case studies were examined, highlighting successful models like Goodwill Industries and Sesame Workshop that integrate marginalized populations and leverage education for social impact. A debate ensued on whether scaling has a more negative or positive impact, emphasizing the importance of focused, scalable business models.

1. APS 1015
Scaling Social Innovations

2. Today’s class
• Guest Speaker: Eyal Rosenblum, Operation Groundswell
• Properties of scaling organizations
• Debate! Be it resolved that…

3. Is Scale Good or Bad?

4. 1

5. 2 – Properties of Scaling Organizations

6. Growing Pains

7. A Game: What Would You Do?

8. What Would You Do?
Help marginalized people integrate
into the workforce

9. GoodWill Industries
• Create the businesses they use for training
• Operate in 15 countries, 6M people
• US$3.5B in revenue in 2012

10. What Would You Do?
Literacy, numeracy education
for young children

11. Sesame Workshop
• 43 seasons
• By age 3,
95% of US children
have seen it
• US$85M in
private revenue
(65% of budget)

12. What Would You Do?
Educate children about global poverty

13. Free• The Children | Me to We
Run a conference, trips, fashion brands
• Secured 15 real estate properties
• Launched Me to We, a social enterprise donating 50% of
profits to the charity ($1.6M in 2012)

14. Pattern Spotting
What do these have in common?

15. Pattern Spotting
What do these have in common?
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Saw their core competencies as assets!
Scalable, tested business model
Template & automate
Professional, fulltime management – NOT a project!
Best in market competition
Strong relationships to investors/funders
Have long term financial & business strategies

16. Definitions – What We Mean By Scale
Social enterprises are systems
Surplus Value
Re/Invest Value
in
Development
Develop
Product/Service

17. Definitions – What We Mean By Scale
Level of inputs, outputs and reach of systems

18. Definitions – What We Mean By Scale
Scalable: Design capable of growing a system from
smaller to larger scales

19. Definitions – Scalable Design
MORE v. MARGIN
Takes less and less input over time to produce the same amount

20. Definitions – NPO vs SE
MORE leads to novelty, clutter, lack of focus (common
NPO problem, but not exclusive to NPO)
MARGIN requires laser focus, specialization

23. 3 – Debate!

24. Be it resolved that scale creates more
negative impact than positive impact

25. Be it resolved that scale creates more
negative impact than positive impact
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3 minute opening remarks
1 minute rebuttal
3 minutes Q&A
1:30 minute closing remarks