Profit With Purpose: How Social Enterprises Achieve Sustainable Success
The Dandelion Philosophy is a global social enterprise driven by a desire to create lasting and positive change across the globe. We operate through a sustainable financial growth model that promotes philanthropy through profit generation, with an ethical legacy-focused approach to our work.
As the popularity of social enterprises starts to grow, it is important to explore why this shift in the charitable sector is so monumental and how it is revolutionising the way we think about social change, whilst considering how The Dandelion Philosophy’s structure aids sustainable success.
What is a social enterprise?
A social enterprise is a business model with a social or environmental mission at its core and uses financial profit to make its positive impact long-lasting. Some examples include fair trade businesses, cooperatives, and non-profit organisations.
The Dandelion Philosophy is a social enterprise focused on sustainably building up communities in need and maintaining continuous positive growth in these communities.
We have many programmes that aim to circulate profit and wealth within the communities we serve, but also to help self-fund our work as a thriving social enterprise.
How are social enterprises changing the way charities work?
A typical charity relies on the kindness and generosity of people and businesses all around the world to help them achieve their goals by donating towards helping vulnerable communities and environments.
The profits made from charitable donations indirectly go to the communities charities help, as donations typically support charity members in their efforts to provide aid. This does not mean that donations do not provide relief for the communities charities serve, but that this relief is often temporary, and the change it makes is not always made clear to donors.
This temporary relief makes it difficult for strong roots of change to fully form in communities and proves a challenge for community members to stop using charitable institutions as their sole crutch for survival. This method of aid that many charities follow merely offers finite resources and temporary fixes, both of which are unsustainable.
These long-term sustainable plans of action are made possible not only by the aid of donations and volunteers but through profitable plans of action and initiatives that lead to self-funding social enterprises.
At The Dandelion Philosophy, our work as a social enterprise promotes sustainability and long-term positive outcomes for generations to come. We help communities like Cambridge Village in South Africa gain profitable skills in agriculture, nutritious baking, and entrepreneurship, while also addressing malnutrition and poverty.
The Dandelion Philosophy assists communities in forming sustainable patterns of living to make a positive change in their lives allowing them to flourish in the long run.
How do social enterprises ensure sustainability?
For a social enterprise to make an impact in the world, it needs a solid foundation based on sustainability. Each social enterprise has its own unique way of ensuring sustainability, however, there are three crucial aspects to consider, which reflect how The Dandelion Philosophy ensures sustainability in its operations.
1. Address the root cause of the problem
There is usually an array of causes underlying major social issues, which can make it challenging to know where to begin when tackling the larger issue at hand. However, it is important to address the underlying causes of larger social issues in order to create long-term change. We must address the symptoms before we can address the problem.
Our reach includes feeding, empowerment, interfaith dialogue, awareness, women and youth development, education, mental healthcare, and social entrepreneurship.
Many of the issues affecting Cambridge community members in South Africa for example, stem from intergenerational trauma as a result of years of oppression and discrimination from Apartheid. This oppression, marginalisation, and ostracization resulted in widespread poverty, hunger, and a lack of education, which has led to deeply ingrained trauma and a state of paralysis today.
It is only by identifying and addressing these root causes through innovative development programmes that we can ensure positive change with lasting effects.
2. Provide long-term solutions
After addressing the root causes of social issues, social enterprises begin to strategize to develop self-sufficient entrepreneurial structures.
Analysing a social issue with renewable profit in mind eliminates the risk of a saviour complex developing between social enterprises and the communities they serve.
The Dandelion Philosophy's approach ensures we are able to contribute to long-lasting change by using innovation to design solutions resulting in long-term independence and autonomy.
One example of this is our Healing Hub initiative, where our mission is to create a space for intentional transformation where community members can focus on nurturing a sense of purpose and connection to nature, restore their cultural identity, and access Afrocentric holistic healing initiatives. The Healing Hub will give access to practical training and tools needed to heal trauma and develop employable skills.
3. Keep strategizing and maintaining profit flow
Much like with every successful business, social enterprises regularly monitor their philanthropic models and make the necessary adjustments to ensure long-lasting progress in their efforts and within their operational structure.
All of our products, services, and businesses give 20% of their profits back to The Dandelion Philosophy so that we can continue to make a difference and become self-sustaining.
Further, our current programme, TDP.0, leverages technology to reduce hunger, poverty, and unemployment, and generates income to fund our philanthropic work.
We are also governed by an experienced and diverse Board of Directors, Strategic Advisory Board, and Leadership Team that regularly monitor, assess, and revise our philanthropic strategies so that we can ensure sustainability and long-term success.
At The Dandelion Philosophy, our focus is on creating systemic change that empowers individuals and communities to overcome poverty and build better lives for themselves and future generations. By fostering entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency, The Dandelion Philosophy helps both individuals and our organisation shift away from a dependence on donations towards a brighter, more sustainable future for all. As a global social enterprise, we are dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and creating better futures for individuals and communities alike.
To learn more about The Dandelion Philosophy and our initiatives visit our website here.
