04 March 2016
PledgeMe and Ākina partner to grow social enterprise
Crowdfunding platform PledgeMe and Ākina Foundation, a charity growing social enterprise, are partnering to help Kiwi social enterprises tap into their networks and
expertise for funding.
PledgeMe CEO Anna Guenther said the partnership would be powerful for New Zealand’s social enterprises.
“PledgeMe working with Ākina means social enterprises looking for support and funding will have our combined powers at
their disposal,” Ms Guenther said.
“Social enterprises in New Zealand are often on the lookout for funding to grow and expand the impact they’re having,
and struggling to find it” Ms Guenther said.
“This partnership means they can access business development support from Ākina and our support with crowdfunding to
maximise their impact with their crowds help,” she said.
“We’ve already seen a number of social enterprises crowdfund, from Eat My Lunch, a buy one gift one lunch programme
helping feed kids in poverty, to Ethique, a solid hair care company that wants to reduce waste. They activated their
crowds to support their social missions, and got so much more than funding.
Ākina Foundation Chief Executive Alex Hannant said he was happy to be able to cement the relationship between the two
organisations.
“Ākina and PledgeMe have worked together for more than three years informally, so this partnership has a solid
foundation,” Mr Hannant said.
“Reaching a point of financial sustainability is hard for any business, whether a social enterprise or not. Having
access to crowdfunding in all its forms may be an important source of funding to grow ventures” he said.
Mr Hannant noted that while PledgeMe already offered crowdfunding, the new partnership would increase the profile around
what it meant.
“There is a challenge in the social enterprise sector in that only companies or charities operating company models can
access equity, like Ooooby, which has expanded globally thanks in part to the support of PledgeMe,” he said.
“Social enterprises coming through PledgeMe are showing that you can do well and do good, and strengthen your
relationship with existing stakeholders by asking them to support you. These pledgers are often motivated by more than
just a financial return. They want their funds to also have a social impact,” Ms Guenther said.
Read more about the partnership from PledgeMe’s perspective atblog.pledgeme.co.nz/pledgekina
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