A Critical Analysis of the Social Business Model of Kala Raksha: An NGO with a Purpose of Women Empowerment

India is well known world over for its diverse craft cultures (Ranjan and Ranjan 2009). The arts and crafts of India outline the regional styles, history, social and symbolic significance of many of the artefacts from the remote areas of the country. The artisans are considered the greatest conservationist of the environment (Jaitly 2007). The handmade traditions of the country not only enrich the day-to-day lives of the people, but also provides sustainable livelihood to millions of artisans (Ranjan and Ranjan 2009). However, propelled by loss of markets, declining skills, and the difficulty catering to new markets a large number of artisans have moved to urban areas in search of alternative employment (The Edmond De Rothschild Foundations 2013). Keeping in mind this involuntary shift, the current study is focused on Kala Raksha (KR), an NGO located in the Kutch region of Gujarat established in 1993 which faces a similar situation. KR today works with nearly 1,000 embroidery artisans of 7 ethnic communities. Artisans in KR focus on Suf, Kharek, Rabari, Jat, Mutava patchwork and applique work. Drawing from in-depth interviews with key informants, this study examined the existence of the social business model at KR and critically assessed the gaps existing therein. Findings suggests lack of customer segmentation, marketing effort, customer engagement, pricing strategies, training to improving capacity and heavy reliance on labour as major areas of concern in the social business model at KR. This study proposes solutions through the lens of Business Model Canvas laid down by Osterwalder and Pigneur.