Changing the Way the World Addresses Poverty

Patient Capital Powering Social Enterprise

To execute against their mission—changing how the world addresses poverty by investing in social enterprises and innovation, Acumen Fund needed to bring together a unique global audience of investors, entrepreneurs and change agents alike. Success would hinge not only on designing a website capable of driving growth in Acumen’s portfolio of businesses in heathcare, energy, housing and water, but also in building a worldwide movement united by the potential of social enterprise and innovation to deiver sustainable solutions to the problems of global poverty.

Stories Get Attention, Metrics Gain Buy-in

If Acumen’s new website was to be a success, it needed to deliver an experience that connected the head and the heart: part field journal and part business case. We partnered with Acumen to develop an interactive strategy uniting stories from around the world—shared as videos, photo essays, and field journals—with knowledge documents and success metrics. Together they demonstrate the undeniable impact Acumen Fund's "patient capital" has when put to work in social enterprises, motivating audiences to get involved, donate, and spread the word.

A Better Experience, a Greater Impact

Along with designing the features and experience of Acumen Fund’s new website, MSDS helped integrate a variety of social marketing and community-building tools. Together they’ve helped build a home for anyone interested in how social enterprise and innovation are solving the problems of global poverty. And the results are there. In its first year, Acumen Fund's online fundraising increased significantly, with total donations up over 100%, and average amount donated increasing by 300%. And since the site's launch, not only Acumen Fund's portfolio has grown significantly, thousands of people around the world have joined their cause, self-organizing grass-roots chapters around the world.