Mommy Friends brings lonely mothers together through its platform and events. In 2022, through our pro bono services, they found us as a legal partner. Annually, we make time with pro bono to support social organizations, such as Mommy Friends, with legal issues. Curious about the whole story and our partnership? Read the article.
The birth of the organization
Karin and Lisette, founders of Mommy Friends, met in caregiving and became mothers around the same time, which strengthened the bond. Like many other mothers, they recognized the loneliness in motherhood. Research confirmed that 73% of women sometimes miss a friend. This inspired the creation of Mommy Friends, which grew from a Facebook group into a platform. With support from the Oranje Fonds Growth Program, they built the organization further.
How did Mommy Friends come into contact with Nysingh?
Mommy Friends got to know Nysingh through the Entrepreneurship against Loneliness program of KPN Mooiste Contact and the Oranje Fonds, where Nysingh plays an active role as a legal knowledge partner of the Oranje Fonds by giving workshops. During one of the workshops offered during the program, they became familiar with the pro bono opportunities for social organizations. This combination made the step of asking for help from Martijn Zinnemers, a lawyer at Nysingh, much smaller and more accessible.
The challenge
Mommy Friends, set up as a social limited liability company, ran into a legal problem: this legal form is not yet officially recognized. Although a bill is in the works, its introduction has been delayed. For founders Lisette and Karin, it was difficult to apply for subsidies because a BV is often seen as a for-profit company, while this is not the case with Mommy Friends.
For Nysingh, the challenge lay not in the legal complexity, but in making the possibilities clear to clients without a legal background. “We worked out various constructions and provided advice in these. Important here was to make the complex subject matter understandable, and that worked out well,” according to Martijn Zinnemers.
A new structure for Mommy Friends
In collaboration with our firm’s notary public, a structure was eventually set up whereby both Mommy Friends’ existing limited liability company and a new foundation now co-exist. This offers Mommy Friends the best of both worlds: the advantages of a BV and the possibilities of a foundation, such as easier fundraising and grant making. If the legislation surrounding the social limited liability company passes, Mommy Friends is already anticipating this.
Activities have been divided so that the social limited company and the foundation reinforce each other. Work can now be done to scale up Mommy Friends including by expanding the team, which is urgently needed. Loneliness in this target group, partly due to the prevailing taboo, is greater than thought. What began as an idea from personal experience has proven to be a social success formula against loneliness. The growing demand they can no longer handle part-time, in pairs.
This approach provides more clarity and a stronger foundation for further growth. Both as an organization and personally, they have grown. Mommy Friends is now in a better position than ever to further develop and take new steps. Karin and Lisette are still grateful every day to everyone for everything they have meant to them and the organization.
