July 2018 (Revised November 2018)
Case
HBS Case Collection

The Robin Hood Army

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:23

Abstract

In 2014, Neel Ghose and a handful of friends spent one evening distributing excess food they had collected from local restaurants to the less fortunate people living under the Hauz Khas flyover in South Delhi. Four years later, this initiative had developed into The Robin Hood Army, an organization entirely based on volunteer work that used food redistribution as a medium to bring out the best in humanity. By the end of 2019, the Robin Hood Army was present in twelve countries, was serving over 500,000 meals per month, and had helped more than 750 children enroll in public schools. All of it without raising a single rupee, in line with their “golden rule” of being a zero-funds organization. This case explores the challenges and opportunities associated with fast growth and international expansion of a start-up organization that operates with no monetary assets. The discussion of this case offers the opportunity to explore factors related to attraction, retention, and motivation of talent in organizations.