[P2P-F] Couchsurfing changes to "socially responsible B Corporation"

[Dante-Gabryell Monson]

Couchsurfing accepting a $7.6 million investment

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicoleperlroth/2011/08/24/non-profit-couchsurfing-raises-millions-in-funding/

excerpts :

CouchSurfing.org, a non-profit website that connects global travelers with
locals, has opted to accept $7.6 million in funding from Benchmark Capital
and Omidyar Network. In conjunction with the funding, CouchSurfing will
convert from its non-profit status to that of a B Corporation. (The B stands
for “benefit.”) Benefit Corporations are for-profit businesses that define
themselves as socially responsible to investors and consumers.

It will also allow the start-up to begin profiting off its three million
large member base. Until now, CouchSurfing’s only revenue stream was its
paid identification verification service which charges members a tiny fee to
prove they are who they say they are. Hoffer insists CouchSurfing will
continue to make its service free to users and is currently exploring
alternative revenue streams. The first order of business, Hoffer says, will
be “aggressive hiring”  especially at the technical level. Until now,
CouchSurfing has bootstrapped its 30-employee organization with the help of
thousands of passionate volunteers who set up CouchSurfing “meet-ups” around
the globe.
//

Thanks Tilman for this info and link to Veit's post!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tilman Bauer <tilman at hospitalityclub.org>
Date: Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 4:47 PM
Subject: Re: [hc_ecology] Couchsurfing changes to "socially responsible B
Corporation"
To: dante.monson at gmail.com, econowmix at googlegroups.com,

Hi all!

In light of the shocking news of Couchsurfing accepting a $7.6 million
investment and becoming a for-profit company, HC founder Veit wrote a
statement that the Hospitality Club will never be a for-profit business, and
that we are currently developing an open-source website for HC. See the
statement here:
http://volunteerwiki.hospitalityclub.org/couchsurfing-for-profit-business-now

Greetings,

Tilman


On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 2:24 PM, Dante-Gabryell Monson <
dante.monson at gmail.com> wrote:

> **
>
>
> " 1999-2011 CouchSurfing International, Inc. — A socially responsible B
> Corporation <http://www.bcorporation.net/> "
>
> Watch some quick videos explaining this new change<http://www.couchsurfing.org/bcorp>
>
> Read the full article on our website<http://www.couchsurfing.org/news/article/144>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: CouchSurfing Communications <noreply at couchsurfing.org>
> Date: Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 2:57 AM
> Subject: [CS announcement] A new era for CouchSurfing!
> To: dante.monson at gmail.com
>
>
>   <http://www.couchsurfing.org/>      *            A new era for
> CouchSurfing!                          *    *FROM*  [image: CouchSurfing
> Communications] <http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=3H45H0P>
> *CouchSurfing Communications*
> San Francisco
> California
> *United States*
>
>    - Member since: January 12th, 2008
>    - Age: 61
>    - Gender: Several people
>    - Username: COUCHSURFING COMMUNICATIONS
>    - Couch Available: No
>
>
>      Hello CouchSurfers!
>
> We started CouchSurfing with a crazy idea in mind. We thought that maybe,
> just maybe, the world could be changed one couch at a time. 5,766,182
> inspiring experiences later, we couldn't be more sure of it.
>
> What you’ve done as a community has inspired us to take our mission and our
> vision to a whole new level. We want to understand what inspiring
> experiences are made of, so we can enable you to have more of them. We want
> to make CouchSurfing easier to use so that anyone who’s interested in
> changing the world one couch at a time will feel welcome here.
>
> To accomplish this, we’re making a big change in structure. As of today,
> CouchSurfing is proud to announce that we are joining the growing ranks of
> certified B Corporations.
>
> What does that mean? As a B (Benefit) Corporation, CouchSurfing will be
> part of a group of innovative businesses that deliver products and services
> with a commitment to social and environmental responsibility, transparency,
> fair work conditions, and doing good for the world.
>
> Want to learn more?
>
> Watch some quick videos explaining this new change<http://www.couchsurfing.org/bcorp>
>
> Read the full article on our website<http://www.couchsurfing.org/news/article/144>
>
>  Help / FAQ <http://www.couchsurfing.org/help.html> | Terms of Use<http://www.couchsurfing.org/terms.html>|
> Privacy <http://www.couchsurfing.org/privacy.html> | Contact Us<http://www.couchsurfing.org/contact>   ©
> 1999-2011 CouchSurfing International, Inc. — A socially responsible B
> Corporation <http://www.bcorporation.net>
>
>
>  __._,_.___
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