ODwire.org member Jordan Kassalow,OD,MPH is founder and CEO of VisionSpring.
Here is some additional information...
"VisionSpring Newsletter
OCTOBER 2008
The past few months have been some of the most exciting yet for VisionSpring. As you know, we changed our name in June from Scojo Foundation to VisionSpring and launched a $5 million prospectus to help us scale our operations over the next five years as we progress toward sustainability. This pioneering approach to social enterprise financing has received much attention lately, most prominently in The Wall Street Journal.
Click here to read the VisionSpring prospectus online. To request a hard copy or learn about how you can help, please contact Miriam Stone, Director of Business Development.
VisionSpring Featured in the Wall Street Journal
In “Starting Up: Funding Your Social Venture,” Diana Ransom points to VisionSpring’s prospectus as an innovative funding model. “Similar to a Wall Street prospectus, the document outlines risk factors, from currency fluctuations to natural disasters. Investors will receive quarterly reports. But unlike a traditional offering, VisionSpring's investors are only promised a "social" return on investment rather than lucrative financial returns.”
Read more at WSJ.com
From the Field
Rama Devi is one of VisionSpring’s top-performing Vision Entrepreneurs. With glasses sales frequently surpassing 100 per month, Rama Devi has been able to send her kids to better schools, purchase household items like a refrigerator, and invest in a motorcycle so she and her husband can travel more easily to conduct vision campaigns in other villages. Her secret to success? “Don’t be afraid to talk with your customers,” she says. “Be outgoing and speak directly to people about how clear vision can change their lives.”
VisionSpring News
This fall, VisionSpring welcomed Peter Eliassen to its New York staff as VP of Sales and Operations. Peter comes to the team with a diverse background of public and private sector experience, including at Unilever, Capital One, and in the Peace Corps."
One of the biggest challenges that HealthKeepers (our Ghanaian Vision Entrepreneurs) face when selling eyeglasses is credibility, writes Carrie Magnuson, VisionSpring's Franchise Partner Manager. It is often hard for communities to accept that one of their neighbors is qualified to conduct vision screenings and sell eyeglasses. VisionSpring and its partner, Freedom from Hunger, have worked together overcome this barrier by providing HealthKeepers with professional marketing materials, branded uniforms, and ongoing trainings to build confidence, as many of the women have never worked outside the home.
R
VisionSpring Senior Director Graham Macmillan is live blogging for NextBillion.net from the Social Capital Markets conference in San Fransisco this week.
Thank you
If you enjoyed what you read, consider forwarding this to a friend."
In the interest of full disclosure, Dr Jordan Kassalow is a partner in my former practice. See www.eyewise.com.
Here is some additional information...
"VisionSpring Newsletter
OCTOBER 2008
The past few months have been some of the most exciting yet for VisionSpring. As you know, we changed our name in June from Scojo Foundation to VisionSpring and launched a $5 million prospectus to help us scale our operations over the next five years as we progress toward sustainability. This pioneering approach to social enterprise financing has received much attention lately, most prominently in The Wall Street Journal.
Click here to read the VisionSpring prospectus online. To request a hard copy or learn about how you can help, please contact Miriam Stone, Director of Business Development.
VisionSpring Featured in the Wall Street Journal
In “Starting Up: Funding Your Social Venture,” Diana Ransom points to VisionSpring’s prospectus as an innovative funding model. “Similar to a Wall Street prospectus, the document outlines risk factors, from currency fluctuations to natural disasters. Investors will receive quarterly reports. But unlike a traditional offering, VisionSpring's investors are only promised a "social" return on investment rather than lucrative financial returns.”
Read more at WSJ.com
From the Field
Rama Devi is one of VisionSpring’s top-performing Vision Entrepreneurs. With glasses sales frequently surpassing 100 per month, Rama Devi has been able to send her kids to better schools, purchase household items like a refrigerator, and invest in a motorcycle so she and her husband can travel more easily to conduct vision campaigns in other villages. Her secret to success? “Don’t be afraid to talk with your customers,” she says. “Be outgoing and speak directly to people about how clear vision can change their lives.”
VisionSpring News
This fall, VisionSpring welcomed Peter Eliassen to its New York staff as VP of Sales and Operations. Peter comes to the team with a diverse background of public and private sector experience, including at Unilever, Capital One, and in the Peace Corps."
One of the biggest challenges that HealthKeepers (our Ghanaian Vision Entrepreneurs) face when selling eyeglasses is credibility, writes Carrie Magnuson, VisionSpring's Franchise Partner Manager. It is often hard for communities to accept that one of their neighbors is qualified to conduct vision screenings and sell eyeglasses. VisionSpring and its partner, Freedom from Hunger, have worked together overcome this barrier by providing HealthKeepers with professional marketing materials, branded uniforms, and ongoing trainings to build confidence, as many of the women have never worked outside the home.
R
VisionSpring Senior Director Graham Macmillan is live blogging for NextBillion.net from the Social Capital Markets conference in San Fransisco this week.
Thank you
If you enjoyed what you read, consider forwarding this to a friend."
In the interest of full disclosure, Dr Jordan Kassalow is a partner in my former practice. See www.eyewise.com.
