Only 10% More?
Last year I revisited an old social value analysis that I had originally completed in 2010 – a review of a small environmental social enterprise in Liverpool.
Alongside the positive social outcomes for the main beneficiaries of the service (elderly & disabled people who weren’t able to manage their own gardens and young men & women getting into jobs and training) – which were just as positive as they had been a decade earlier – was revealed another unintended positive outcome.
The environmental workers, in the main, all lived in close proximity to one another in a particular neighbourhood, meaning that over a number of years £1.3M worth of salary was directed into that area just from this small business. This was not planned for – it wasn’t an original output or outcome to employ people from a specific area – but nevertheless it happened. Organically. And probably in the main due to the reputation of that business had for being open & accessible to local young people.
Something happened earlier this week to remind me of this.
I was chatting to Patrick Hurley from SEN Together about the Social Value Charter for Liverpool and about the benefits and practicalities of the process. The Charter has six principles:
1. Local Liverpool Employment
2. Buy Local, Buy Social
3. Supporting Liverpool Communities
4. Welfare and Wellbeing in Employment
5. Green Sustainable Liverpool
6. Ethical Liverpool Procurement
Social Know How has signed on the dotted line, will be actively addressing the principles as part of our day to day activity and is proud to be part of a group of like-minded organisations doing the same.
Everyone can be a socially-minded company – you don’t have to be legally constituted social enterprise. So what if…………by adopting the principles of the Charter ……. we could all contribute to that cumulative positive social impact for the City, and make an impact on local jobs like the small environmental company mentioned above.
The Charter is also a great conversation starter with people who aren’t too sure what social impact is – since launching Social Know How CIC that’s something I have had to quickly hone to explain what social impact is, and what we do and why we do it.
Find out more about the Charter here.
Getting back to local jobs………I am also looking forward to taking the discussion further with a broader audience by attending an event next month with the intriguing title of ‘Think Not of What Your Customers Can Do for You – Putting Social Value in Action’ run by The Edge – the International Festival of Business 2016 Fringe Festival – and which aims to
[ explore what the City Region can do about putting Social Impact into Action it with a view to our taking control of our own destiny; actively stimulating millions of pounds to be reinvested in the local economy thus enabling local SMEs to grow and encourage new start-ups in sectors where their products and services are in short supply]I will report back on that in due course. In the meantime if you would like to talk about how you can weave the principles of the Charter into your organisation’s activity as part of your wider Social Impact Strategy then get in touch.
