16 Free Social Innovations

While not everything about these free social innovations may be completely free of charge, many of these enterprises, businesses and non-profit organizations offer something free, whether it's a product or a service (but usually it's a service).

From local food deliveries to donor-fueled web communities, this list of free social innovations include everything from free newsletter email subscriptions to a free cup of coffee in a public bus service. The real question, however, for many people in the social entrepreneurship space who are concerned with definitions (and strict ones at that), becomes, if these organizations are giving away something for free, does it mean that they are disrupting the social business model as a profit-oriented one that relies on payment and not donors in order to make its social mission palpable? Or are they subverting it?