Pillar 3 - Non-duplication

Nonduplication - /nänˈdo͞opləˈkāshən/ - Noun: Intentionally avoiding redundant effort

Nonduplication is the third pillar of the Seven Pillar Methodology for Social Entrepreneurship that we use and teach. In a nutshell, the pillars are: vision, special skills, nonduplication,partnership, credit sharing, feedback and staying power.

With non-duplication, the focus is on not adding redundant effort, but rather addressing a chasm where you are truly needed. However, non-duplication doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel. It's smart to look to the best practices of others. Let's say, if you were a wonderful baker of cookies, would you be smart to open your shop across the street from another very excellent baker of cookies? Perhaps you would be wise to look in another part of town. By non-duplication, we mean going to a neighborhood that needs you! The question we ask is, "What need isn't being met effectively, and where do I see myself jumping in?"

Teachable Examples

Here are three teachable examples. You may highlight one or all of these, or choose an alternative from our spreadsheet [PDF]:

  • Lois Lee founded Children of the Night to rescue kids who were otherwise abandoned to the mean streets of prostitution.
  • Peter Young (1930-2020) founded PYHIT to meet an unmet need, working to free people from the endless cycle of addiction and incarceration in New York.
  • Gary Oppenheimer founded ampleharvest.org after noticing that there was no easy way to connect home gardeners to food pantries.

About this page

NOTE: This is a sub-page with details of one portion of the "Seven Pillars" methodology we use and teach. It is not meant as a standalone.