Yunus Social Business

On January 1, 2024, Professor Muhammad Yunus and three colleagues were convicted of labour law violations and sentenced to six months in prison, having been granted one month's bail to allow for appeals. This is just another part of the unjust journey that Professor Yunus is going through in his home country. A journey that other great humanist and pacifist leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King have also been on. 189 world leaders, including 108 Nobel laureates and Amnesty International, have come together to support Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Yunus in his fight against the historic judicial harassment he suffered in Bangladesh. Various voices, including Barack Obama, Al Gore, Ban Ki-moon, Richard Branson, Paul Polman and Jane Goodall, are part of a letter denouncing this and other threats to democracy and human rights in the country. The conviction of Professor Yunus is the culmination of years of persecution by the Bangladeshi government. This case - one of 199 brought against him in one of the most blatant examples of judicial harassment in the country's history - should, at worst, have led to a fine of 227 dollars against Grameen Telecom, where Professor Yunus is non-executive chairman, an unpaid position. Instead of being dealt with in the labour sphere, the case was taken to criminal court. Prof. Yunus’s visionary leadership and tireless efforts have inspired millions around the world to believe in themselves and tackle the world's most pressing challenges. He has empowered millions of underprivileged individuals with access to dignified financial services, and demonstrated that businesses can be a force for good, not just driven by profit. Witnessing this unfairness is heartbreaking, but it will not dim the light of his achievements. He remains an inspiration to us all, and we are steadfastly committed to continuing the work he has so courageously pioneered. We stand with him unconditionally, offering our unwavering support. We fervently hope that justice will prevail, and that the higher courts will overturn this egregious decision. A group of friends of Yunus are launching a campaign to appeal to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to reverse the unjust verdict and are seeking all the friends and dignitaries across the globe to join the campaign. If you are willing to be part of this campaign or need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact any one of us via email: suresh@yunussb.com francisco.vicente@yunussb.com jan-christoph.walter@yunussb.com susan.ngalawa@yunussb.com saskia.bruysten@yunussb.com To support Prof. Yunus please follow this link:  https://lnkd.in/e9B7ZKmc

Are you a procurement manager or procurement professional interested in turning the buying power of your company into a force for good? Curious to learn more about Social Procurement in Europe? 🌱 Learn more about Social Procurement through our Buy Social Europe B2B support programme, which includes: 💡 Introduction Guide on Social Procurement: get a first understanding of social procurement, discover success stories from leading organisations and inspiring entrepreneurs across Europe. Access here the guide for free:  https://shorturl.at/McZp2 🔎 Exclusive Online Course: learn through our modules the basics of social procurement, from what a social enterprise is to how you can source them and integrate them within your value chain. Access to this course for free is available until 31 October 2024 and takes 3 hours max to complete all 10 modules. Register here to get access: https://shorturl.at/vJEIa To learn more about this support, check our Buy Social Europe B2B website: https://shorturl.at/CQO9M For any questions, please contact us: team@buysocialeuropeb2b.eu #BuySocialEuropeB2B #socialprocurement #peopleandplanet

📢 Calling all Social and Community Enterprises in Thailand 🇹🇭 We are very happy to join forces with Yunus Thailand and the Office of Social Enterprise Promotion in Thailand to support social enterprises who are interested in selling to corporate clients. What's in for you? 1️⃣ Join the network and public open database of potential suppliers to interested corporate clients in Thailand 2️⃣ Be considered for future matchmaking opportunities and other support by the global network of Yunus-affiliated partners.  3️⃣ Get exclusive access to the “Selling with Impact Series”: gain invaluable insights from experts and peers on how to position yourself as a preferred supplier and engage with corporate clients. Dive into topics such as mastering tenders, navigating procurement processes, and many more!  4️⃣ People & Planet First - receive free pre-screening to be considered for this globally recognised social enterprise verification. Interested? Register here: shorturl.at/9HErZ

🚀 Last call for Social Entrepreneurs in South Africa! 🌍 Have you started or are you looking to sell your product or service to corporate clients? If so, join our B2B Network of social enterprises! What's in it for you? 1️⃣ Get access to our 'Selling with Impact Series' — gain invaluable insights and exclusive tips from experts and peers on how to engage with corporate clients and build long-term partnerships. 2️⃣ Increase your visibility by being featured in our upcoming Social Procurement Practical Guide, shared with corporate buyers across South Africa, who are eager to collaborate with social enterprises. 3️⃣ Join the global network of Yunus Social Business for future matchmaking opportunities with corporate buyers. 🔗 Ready to amplify your impact? Register here: https://shorturl.at/37ERq

✨ We continue our Selling with Impact series - in partnership with MovingWorlds - with our second chapter: Identifying and knowing your clients. In it, we will dive into: #1 Defining and mapping your customers 👀 This chapter will guide you through a set of mapping exercises to identify your clients. You might think that your solution is useful to everyone, but this is a typical mistake! It is more effective to have a small detailed market, that you know how to analyse and create empathy with. Read further to learn about Empathy Mapping, and what you need to know about your potential clients to create an effective proposal! #2 Do You Speak Corporate? Understanding Corporate Sustainability Practices 🌱 A deep dive into the way corporate clients prioritise their decisions, and how you can ensure that your proposal fits their needs: we will talk about solving their specific business problem, whether this is a sustainability requirement, a certification, or a support to achieve a target. To make sure that you understand their sustainability problems, we will guide you through some key concepts, from carbon impact calculations to diversity and inclusion.  📢 We’re also excited to invite you to our next event on July 31st at pm GMT, where will have a discussion with Jeff Halvorson, Sustainability Director at Pepsico. We will cover opportunities for social enterprises in corporate supply chains and what social enterprises should know when approaching corporations for sales opportunities. Want to get access to this chapter? Register here: https://bit.ly/4bWmeLA Interested in the event? Register here: https://shorturl.at/rmJoj

“What stood out for me was a passion for making a positive impact by these entrepreneurs for their communities” said Cassandra U., Reckitt's Corporate Communications, External Affairs, Partnerships and Sustainability lead in Sub-Saharan Africa, and our partner for running the WASH accelerator in #Nigeria Watch this video to take a look at our inspiring journey together, where we accelerated 6 social businesses who are improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in a country where close to 200 million people still struggle to access the full range of basic water and sanitation services. As we complete this chapter of the WASH accelerator, our sights are already set to the future. In partnership with Reckitt and our inspiring social entrepreneurs, we are committed to continue on this journey to creating a cleaner, healthier world. Nonso Opurum Nneka Osili Kenneth Ogbodo chukwuma nnanna Sarah Kuponiyi MPH Michael Ojo #WASHAccelerator #Nigeria #Reckitt #Socialimpact #acceleratorprogram

🌟 Event Recap: Financing for the Future Webinar! 🌟 Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting our webinar, "Financing for the Future: Exploring New Frontiers in Pay-for-Success Models." A huge thank you to our incredible speakers for making this event a success: 💡 Manasi Parvatikar spoke about the concept of Social Success Notes, detailing its implementation together with The Rockefeller Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation and Impact Water. She shared valuable insights from the 5-year pilot, including the challenges, achievements, and key learnings from the project. 💡 Shabana Abbas: presented key insights from her analysis on different Pay-for-Success Financing approaches. She provided us with nine practical takeaways for effective design and further adoption of Pay-for-Success approaches. 💡 Carli Roth, Sietse Wouters and Tim Neville These key stakeholders have been instrumental in shaping the Social Success Note. They shared their incentives to participate in the project, how the impact measurement dilemma of outputs vs. outcomes should be approached, and discussed how the SSN has influenced future Pay-for-Success models within their organizations. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the discussion.

🌍 💡 Looking ahead, the evolution of pay-for-success models presents a promising frontier for impact finance. Drawing from the foundational experiences of projects like the Safe School Water Social Success Note, what are the essential components for the next wave of impact finance tools? Join us as we explore cutting-edge strategies that promise not only to meet but exceed our collective aspirations for global development impacts with Carli Roth Sietse Wouters Tim Neville Manasi Parvatikar Be part of this crucial conversation by registering for our upcoming webinar where we’ll delve into effective models for the future. 📅 Date: June 26, 2024 🕒 Time: 9 am EST | 3 pm CET 🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/4cjoPzm #FutureOfImpactFinance #GlobalDevelopment

Join us tomorrow in our event with MovingWorlds, where will hear Amadou Sanankoua on Creating a Winning B2B Sales Strategy!

🌍 Join Us for the Launch of the Social Success Note Learnings Report! 🌍 We are excited to announce the online launch of our groundbreaking report, offering a comprehensive analysis of the pioneering Safe School Water Project, aimed at enhancing access to safe drinking water and improving health and education in Ugandan schools. 📅 Event Details: 📅 Date: June 26, 2024 🕒 Time: 9 am EST | 3 pm CET About the Event: Discover key findings and lessons learned from the Safe School Water Project, the first Social Success Note, initiated by Yunus Social Business, The Rockefeller Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, and Impact Water. We will delve into the future of pay-for-success models in impact investing and introduce our new pay-for-success guidance tool, created with insights from impact investors, industry leaders, and social entrepreneurs. In the panel discussion, key stakeholders instrumental in the development and implementation of our projects will share their experiences and discuss how these initiatives have influenced future strategies within their organizations. Don’t miss this insightful conversation! 🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/4cjoPzm Stay tuned for more information!