Jeevitnadi (Living River): Women’s Leadership and the Challenge of Scaling a Grassroots Non-Profit

Gauri Joshi, Neha Mittal

Product #:W45659

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:Entrepreneurship, Sustainability

Setting:India, 2024

Details:Case (PDF) • 9 pages • 2026-02-27 (Rev: 2026-05-01)

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AWARD WINNER: Second Place in the 2025 Ivey Women Investing in Leadership Case Writing Competition

In early 2024, the founder of Jeevitnadi, based in Pune, India, faced a key decision: Should she expand the organization’s women-led river restoration model beyond Pune amid rising national interest, or deepen its local impact? While she believed in the power of people, especially women, to drive change, she feared expansion could dilute Jeevitnadi's core values and strain limited resources. Scaling up presented major challenges, including building a strong team, securing funding, and staying true to its mission. The founder would have to consider all of this in deciding between keeping the work focused and deep in Pune or expanding it to reach more places.

Learning Objectives

This case is intended for students at the undergraduate or graduate level in social entrepreneurship, non-profit management, environmental sustainability, and leadership and organizational behaviour programs.

In working through the case and answering the assignment questions, students have the opportunity to do the following:

Understand how personal purpose and community mobilization drive environmental and social change.
Analyze the organizational, resource, and contextual challenges involved in scaling a volunteer-driven grassroots non-profit.
Discuss the role of gender in leadership and social change.
Discuss approaches to stakeholder engagement, government relations, and CSR alignment.