New at help alliance: Social Innovation

Solving social challenges with cross-company collaboration and entrepreneurial approaches

help alliance is expanding its portfolio and integrating social innovation as a new strategic field of activity. The aim is to develop innovative solutions for social challenges and to connect social start-ups with the resources and expertise of the Lufthansa Group in order to bring about long-term social change.
help alliance has more than 26 years of experience in global development cooperation. Through projects in the fields of education and vocational training as well as the development of local communities at Lufthansa Group locations, the aid organization creates tangible and sustainable opportunities for people to shape their own future. With the introduction of Social Innovation, help alliance is building on this success and aims to promote entrepreneurial approaches in order to solve social challenges locally and in an impact-oriented manner.

First prototype – the Impact Lab

In March, a first prototype for social innovation was successfully implemented with the Impact Lab in Bangalore. The Impact Lab is a six-month training program that connects Lufthansa Group employees with social start-ups on a transformative journey of learning, collaboration and impact. An experience-learning program where participants from all areas of the Lufthansa Group work on solutions to social and societal challenges, acquiring new skills and bring them back to the workplace. A program that builds a bridge between entrepreneurial thinking and social engagement and combines learning at eye level with multi-directional impact.

Win-win-win effects at eye level

Impact Lab participants learn from social entrepreneurs and global change makers by working side-by-side with them to tackle real-world challenges. Collaboration is key – by connecting society, business expertise and local knowledge, help alliance creates valuable partnerships with the program that promote inclusive and effective solutions to social challenges. Solutions are developed together with local people, not for them. This enables co-creation, strengthens ownership and promotes sustainable change.

Looking to the future: scaling and new formats
help alliance is already working on the further development and scaling of the concept: further Impact Labs are planned, for example in Bangalore and Portugal, as well as new formats such as the Social Innovation Challenges. The aim is to integrate social start-ups more closely into the Lufthansa Group – for example through long-term partnerships, joint projects or new financing models.
This should not only promote sustainable business models, but also create innovative financing channels for help alliance projects and secure social impact in the long term.