Student-Led Crowdfunding Initiative
ARU × Change Please
What started as an MBA case study has become a student-led crowdfunding campaign
to fund barista training placements for people experiencing homelessness.
The Story
Through Dr Tabish Zaman's Developing a Proposition module (MOD007665), our MBA cohort studied the full spectrum of social enterprise, from extractive for-profit models to fully SDG-aligned, B Corp-certified enterprises like Change Please. Using Triple Bottom Line analysis, we examined how they fund and deliver barista training for people experiencing homelessness. Recognising the funding gap these enterprises face, we're now building a student-led campaign targeting £10,000–£15,000 to fund more training placements directly through Change Please Foundation.
"I didn't realise how fulfilling a job being a barista is. Having a conversation in the morning with a
coffee, putting smiles on people's faces, is exactly the change I needed."
— Tae Chee, Change Please graduate (changeplease.org)
Progress
✓
Industry contacts secured at Glasshouse networking event (VCs, charities, fundraisers)
✓
Change Please toolkit and marketing manager access secured
✓
AREA, MBA Director, and Dean of FBL aware and supportive
✓
Full campaign proposal, pitch deck, and digital assets built
