DESIGN PRINCIPLE 9
Cultivate Change Offline Social Entrepreneurs work on complex large-scale societal challenges, the solutions to which require multi-layered approaches. Core to this approach is a mindset change that needs to occur in the actual behavior of all stakeholders in the system (aligning, ultimately, for better outcomes). For this behavioral change to take place, social entrepreneurs often need to work with people, communities and partners offline, cultivating this change and learning how best to make it work in specific and localized contexts. This multi-layered approach requires orchestrating certain interactions at-scale on the platform, while also engaging stakeholders offline or on the ground. Platforms for the ‘good of all’ often focus on resolving the challenges faced by the most marginalized and worst affected populations. However, an online platform comes with its own limitations for these populations, such as poor access and limited digital connectivity, low literacy, and other contextual difficulties. This necessitates offline interventions in order to leverage the power of the platform for everyone. Importantly, this holds true not just for the previously excluded or underrepresented groups, but also for partners and stakeholders who often need to be engaged offline too in order to create a system change. The platform thus becomes a unified—but not uniform space—where all people, partners and networks can contribute to a shared goal to change mindsets and behavior. As a result, many platform-powered impact models developed by Ashoka Fellows also have a significant offline component that is integral to the success and impact of the platform.
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Leveraging Platforms for the Good of All: Insights from Leading Social Entrepreneurs
