NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Sasha Gallick

Over the past few weeks, our priorities have shifted in ways we could barely have imagined before. With more and more people under orders to stay at home, the focus is on the essentials: food, toiletries, medication, vital transport – and demand for these has leapt. Some social enterprises are well-placed to deliver on (and benefit from) this. Amsterdam-based food delivery company FOODLOGICA – which uses electric vehicles to transport goods – says custom has ‘exploded’ and is calling for more drivers. Who Gives a Crap, which donates half its profits to building toilets, says that demand for its toilet paper in the UK is about 20 times higher than usual.

But others –  especially those working directly with vulnerable people – are having to rethink the way they work, at least for the foreseeable future. This, in some cases, involves a total restructure of their organisation, while others are able to use technology to shift their services temporarily. For all, though, getting it right is complex – and urgent, both for those they’re serving and for the sustainability of their own business.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash.