At the age of 11, Karlijn L’Ortye ate too many of her own sweets, and her first business went bankrupt. Today, she runs a platform that uses AI to connect employees with meaningful volunteer work.
The journey between the two? That’s where the magic happens.
In this episode, Karlijn shares her bold vision for corporate volunteering through her platform MO the Movement.
Key Takeaways from Episode 107
In this episode, Karlijn L’Ortye shows that corporate volunteering is more than a feel-good initiative. It’s a strategic tool for business growth.
When done right, corporate volunteering can:
✅ Boost employee satisfaction and improve retention
✅ Strengthen your employer brand and attract purpose-driven talent
✅ Lead to unexpected business opportunities and new client leads
With the right structure and leadership, companies, employees, and communities all benefit.
🎧 Ready to dive in? Hit play below, or find the episode on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube. Or scroll down for Magical Moments and Practical Takeaways.
How Corporate Volunteering Unlocks Leadership and Inclusion with Karlijn L'Ortye | Episode 107 – Women Disrupting Tech
- Key Takeaways from Episode 107
- Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
- Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack
- The Magic in This Episode🪄
- 🤔 Your Turn: A Question for You
- Important Moments of the Episode
- Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
- 3 Practical Takeaways for Female Founders
- About Karlijn L’Ortye
- About MO the Movement
- Share what’s on your mind!
- Coming up on Women Disrupting Tech
Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
Below are some events worth visiting in the coming month. You’ll find a full overview of all events, including links to buy tickets, on the events page.
Founders Beach Series | Edition 2: Feel the Brand, Lead the Future
Date: 3 July 2025
Location: Mango’s Beach Bar, Zandvoort
Time: 15:00 – 22:00 hours
Tickets: On Luma
Founders Beach Series | Edition 3: Tech & Soul
Date: 11 September 2025
Location: Mango’s Beach Bar, Zandvoort
Time: 15:00 – 22:00 hours
Tickets: On Luma
Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack
Changing the funding landscape starts with access. Not just to capital, but to the right people, ideas, and spaces. That’s why I’m building The Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack.
Join us if you want to help more women be heard, funded, and celebrated in tech. You’ll receive:
✨ Early access to new podcast episodes, plus a weekly email with the moments that moved me and what they taught me.
✨ Exclusive research on what it really takes to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem.
✨ Invites to special events we sponsor or co-host, where conversations turn into collaborations.
This community is for people who believe in action. And know that together, our voices go further.
The Magic in This Episode🪄
Karlijn’s journey starts with a magical fail, building her own candy business and overdoing on ‘eating your own dogfood’.. But it does not stop there. Here are three more moments that make this episode stand out:
📉 What a debt collection agency taught her about risk
Before launching her first company, Karlijn worked at a debt collection agency where she saw firsthand how businesses fail. That experience shaped her views on risk, optimism, and the hard truth that knowing when to stop can be more valuable than knowing how to start.
🪄 MO time, not me time
Her company rebrands volunteering as MO time, “time for another.” It’s a cultural shift. Instead of squeezing giving into weekends, employees get support and structure to give back during work hours.
🤝 Why volunteering creates better leaders
When managers step into volunteer roles, they start at the bottom. They need to earn trust in unfamiliar environments without relying on their title. This experience builds empathy, sharpens soft skills, and shifts how they lead back at work.
Want to hear more magic from the episode? Tune into Episode 107 on Spotify.
Oh, and don’t forget to tell me about your favorite moment from the episode in the comments.
🤔 Your Turn: A Question for You
Do you think corporate volunteering should be part of every company’s growth strategy? And how would you implement it in your own company?
Let me know in the comments or message me directly. I’d love to hear what you take from this episode.
Important Moments of the Episode
02:45 Introduction to Karlijn L’Ortye’s Journey
06:42 Understanding Bankruptcy and Risk Management
09:44 Reflective Practices in Entrepreneurship
12:49 The Birth of MO the Movement
14:39 The Impact of Corporate Volunteering
17:49 Engaging Gen Z in Corporate Social Responsibility
20:49 Facilitating Effective Volunteering in Companies
23:55 Maturity Model for Corporate Volunteering
26:43 AI in Matching Corporate Volunteers with NGOs
29:38 Leveraging SDGs in Corporate Volunteering
33:41 The Importance of Privacy and Inclusivity in Volunteering
37:52 Matching Skills with Volunteer Opportunities
41:34 The Impact of Volunteering on Empathy and Workplace Culture
47:35 Navigating Corporate Philanthropy in Challenging Times
52:44 The Role of Supervisory Boards in Promoting Inclusion
58:41 Advocating for Women in Leadership
1:02:39 The Future of AI in Inclusive Practices
Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
Want to make inclusion in tech the new normal by 2032? Here’s how you can help:
Amplify the voices of Women Disrupting Tech by following the podcast on your favorite platform. Every follow brings these stories to more people.
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Send this episode to a friend, a colleague, or someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps the Women Disrupting Tech build a more inclusive tech future and supports women in getting the stage they deserve.
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3 Practical Takeaways for Female Founders
Volunteering isn’t just nice for your brand. It is essential for your business, if you do it right. During our conversation, Karlijn shares these three important takeaways for female founders.
✅ Volunteering is part of a sound strategy
MO the Movement is built on the premise that you should treat volunteering like any other strategic initiative. To help you do this, it uses a five-part maturity model: Leadership, Culture, Programs, Resources, and Communication.
✅ Prioritise inclusion
Thanks to the input of Karlijn’s largely GenZ team, the platform hides names and profile photos during the application phase. This breaks bias and opens doors for a broader group of volunteers. And richer collaboration.
✅ Now is the best time to start doing good
Even when budgets tighten, now is the time to invest in community and purpose. As Karlijn says, “If you want to leave a legacy, it starts today.”
Volunteering is not a distraction from business; it’s a way to build a better one. Listen to Karlijn’s story on Women Disrupting Tech and discover how giving can transform your culture, your team, and your future.
Or click the image below to listen on YouTube. And don’t forget to share what your biggest learning from the episode was in the comments.
“Philanthropy is not soft at all. It can be a really good business case.”
Karlijn L’Ortye, Founder MO the Movement
About Karlijn L’Ortye
Karlijn L’Ortye is a seasoned entrepreneur with two decades of experience, having started her first venture at age 11.
Her professional journey began with a personal assistant bureau, which evolved into a training agency specializing in professional organizing.
She was an early adopter of e-learning, with a best-selling course on Udemy.com, and later delved into organizational psychology.
For over 15 years, she has coached teams, including management and executive teams. Currently, Karlijn runs two ventures, one of which is Mo The Movement.
You can connect with Karlijn on her website and on LinkedIn.
About MO the Movement
MO the Movement is a dynamic platform that connects employees with meaningful volunteer opportunities during company time. Founded by Karlijn L’Ortye in 2023, the initiative aims to make corporate volunteering more personal, accessible, and impactful.
By aligning volunteer activities with individual skills and interests, MO the Movement fosters a sense of purpose and well-being among employees, while helping organizations contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The platform is AI-powered, CSRD-ready, and free for non-profits to use. MO the Movement is on a mission to prove that everyone can make a positive impact.
You can learn more about MO the Movement on its website and by following the company on LinkedIn.
Share what’s on your mind!
What’s the biggest barrier to starting a corporate volunteering program in your company? Let me know your views on corporate volunteering in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
Coming up on Women Disrupting Tech
Coming up, we’ll dive into the world of women’s health and wellbeing. Jo Sarah Smolders shares how she is building Umaversity, the place where women (and men) can go to learn more about women’s health and wellbeing.
He’s a clip to warm you up.
So stay tuned for more.
And until the next episode, stay curious and Keep Being Awesome!
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 