Though Toms has established itself as a staple for shoes with its motto “Buy-One, Give-One,” the model is not truly a social enterprise – it does not solve the problem it had first set out to resolve when it was founded by Blake Mycoskie to resolve problems that barefoot children had to experience in Argentina. Though the ultimate goal is to relieve the villages of poverty in which these children resided, the carelessness of the founder resulted in less than optimal ends.
The lack of research as to what economic imbalances charities and donations could cause to these third-world countries prevented local farmers and crafters to be able to lift the community out of poverty themselves. The introduction of donations drove these locals out of business and eventually put all progress to a screeching halt, due to the lack of sustainability in the long run.
What Toms offers however, is the satisfaction that customers get when the customers know that they’re attempting to improve the lives of others with their purchase. However, behind the satisfaction hides a half-hearted attempt to improve the lives of those less fortunate.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679628/the-broken-buy-one-give-one-model-three-ways-to-save-toms-shoes
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