Helping law firm shift from CSR to ESG

Graph showing growing use of ESG through relative popularity of Google searches for “CSR” vs “ESG” (UK)

It’s great to be working once again with our friends at leading North East law firm Muckle LLP. On this occasion they’ve asked for our help with the development of their new Responsible Business Strategy - a subset of their overall Corporate Strategy which is currently going through an update.

When it comes to developing strategy the overall framing of the narrative is really important. The core elements of the strategy - its objectives and goals - need to fit together in a cohesive whole that makes sense to all stakeholders. In the past Muckle, like many businesses, has tended to talk about CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility. However, within the new strategy, ESG offers a more helpful grid. For those unfamiliar with ESG, it stands for Environmental, Social and Governance, and is borrowed from the world of ethical investing. ESG can also be understood as three complementary pillars of value. The chart above, using Google searches as a proxy for interest, shows the way that ESG is rising in popularity vs CSR.

Muckle are always a great client to work for as they really do walk the talk. Their efforts in the arena of responsible business are long-standing and class-leading. Understandably, we’re excited to be able to help them to maintain and develop their position of leadership long into the future. This will involve re-stating a range of strategic ambitions from net zero targets, through to charitable giving from profits, expanding employee volunteering schemes and undertaking a greater volume of pro bono work. And a great deal more besides.

Commenting on our work Senior Partner Hugh Welch said:

We’ve twice used Matt to help us with the development of our CSR and, more latterly, ESG plans. On each occasion, the insights and knowledge that he has brought and the advice and direction that he has given us have simply been invaluable. There’s no doubt in my mind that our ESG programme is vastly better as a result of all the help he has given us.

If you aren’t familiar with Muckle and how they do business, take a look here.

Powering VODA's Impact with Salesforce

Through the Power Of Us program charities can access 10 free Salesforce user licences, worth around £3000.

Having worked with third sector infrastructure body VODA on several projects previously we’ve developed a good understanding of their needs. When they recently approached us for support in figuring out the best way to manage the application process for a substantial new grants fund we immediately knew of the perfect solution…

2021 was the year in which Goodlabs took its work on the Salesforce platform to a whole new level, completing several implementations for charities of different shapes and sizes. In each case we supported the client through the process of registering and successfully gaining approval for free Salesforce user licences via the ‘Power Of Us’ programme. Through this scheme Salesforce.org generously provides access to a full Enterprise Edition of the Salesforce CRM platform.

That’s full access to the world’s #1 CRM product, for free!

Of course, as a highly complex database product, Salesforce isn’t an out-of-the-box solution. That’s why Goodlabs has spent hundreds of hours developing a bespoke solution for the non-profit sector that simplifies the system with a focus on making available its most powerful functionality through the Salesforce ‘Lightning’ user interface.

On this project we were pleased to work for the first time with Advanz101, a registered Salesforce consulting partner with offices in the USA and India. They provided some next-level ninja skills to automate elements of the grant application process, increasing efficiency by removing the need for manual eligibility checks and notification emails. Thanks to the team for their great work!

PS - If you’re still faffing around trying to manage your charity using spreadsheets and would like to look into moving to the Salesforce platform drop us a line on salesforce@goodlabs.uk

Metanoia - a shift of mind

This article is a taken from the Introduction to The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter Senge, first published 1990, revised 2006.

METANOIA—A SHIFT OF MIND

When you ask people about what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than themselves, of being connected, of being generative. It becomes quite clear that, for many, their experiences as part of truly great teams stand out as singular periods of life lived to the fullest. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for ways to recapture that spirit.

The most accurate word in Western culture to describe what happens in a learning organization is one that hasn't had much currency for the past several hundred years. It is a word we have used in our work with organizations for some ten years, but we always caution them, and ourselves, to use it sparingly in public. The word is "metanoia" and it means a shift of mind. The word has a rich history. For the Greeks, it meant a fundamental shift or change, or more literally transcendence ("meta"—above or beyond, as in "metaphysics") of mind ("noia," from the root "nous," of mind). In the early (Gnostic) Christian tradition, it took on a special meaning of awakening shared intuition and direct knowing of the highest, of God.

"Metanoia" was probably the key term of such early Christians as John the Baptist. In the Catholic corpus the word metanoia was eventually translated as "repent." To grasp the meaning of "metanoia" is to grasp the deeper meaning of "learning," for learning also involves a fundamental shift or movement of mind. The problem with talking about "learning organizations" is that the "learning" has lost its central meaning in contemporary usage.

Most people's eyes glaze over if you talk to them about "learning" or "learning organizations." Little wonder—for, in everyday use, learning has come to be synonymous with "taking in information." "Yes, I learned all about that at the course yesterday." Yet, taking in information is only distantly related to real learning. It would be nonsensical to say, "I just read a great book about bicycle riding—I've now learned that."

Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we become able to do something we never were able to do. Through learning we reperceive the world and our relationship to it. Through learning we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life. There is within each of us a deep hunger for this type of learning. It is, as Bill O'Brien of Hanover Insurance says, "as fundamental to human beings as the sex drive."

This, then, is the basic meaning of a "learning organization"—an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future. For such an organization, it is not enough merely to survive. "Survival learning" or what is more often termed "adaptive learning" is important—indeed it is necessary. But for a learning organization, "adaptive learning" must be joined by "generative learning," learning that enhances our capacity to create.

A few brave organizational pioneers are pointing the way, but the territory of building learning organizations is still largely unexplored. It is my fondest hope that this book can accelerate that exploration.

Making an impact with IMO in Blackburn

“Inspire, Motivate, Overcome” - they are the driving principles of the Inter Madrassah Organisation in Blackburn.

The charity, originally founded by a small but very committed group of local volunteers has grown rapidly now and now reaches thousands of local people every year with a range of support and activities. IMO has particular expertise in working with young people and families mainly of BAME heritage, facing multiple disadvantages.

Goodlabs was introduced to the charity as part of our work supporting the Lloyds Bank Foundation ‘Enhance’ programme. Having scaled up their operation substantially in response to local need that emerged during the coronavirus pandemic IMO are keen to explore how to more systematically embed impact management into their organisation at both the strategic and operational level. A new outcomes framework is being developed, to be embedded into their CRM system and aligned with frontline evidence-gathering tools.

The photo above shows members of the core team at a recent ‘Impact Lab’ facilitated by Goodlabs at the Eanam Wharf Business Centre in Blackburn.

East London Churches' Community Impact

During the coronavirus pandemic everyone’s life was disrupted… shops, offices, schools, and also places of worship. In this fascinating project Goodlabs were asked to produce an external evaluation of the work of a grop of churches in East London as they mobilised members to support their local communities.

“Organising For Growth” is an initiative of the Centre for Theology and Community, an organisation well-known for its work in the arena of community organising and social enterprise development. The CTC has been part of highly effective campaigns to secure the Living Wage for local cleaners, and even launched its own ethical cleaning company, Clean For Good.

Whilst the launch of “Organising For Growth” in late 2019 meant that its first year was more than a little turbulent we found an extremely impressive range of community-oriented activities had taken place, even under lockdown. Of particular note was the way in which clergy had enabled lay members of their congregations to grow in their leadership by taking responsibility for important community campaigns and programmes.

Our interim evaluation was published earlier this month. We will continue to journey with the project through 2022 producing our final evaluation in early 2023.

Supporting Oasis Housing's Vision for Enterprise

Oasis Community Housing are widely respected for the compassionate and consistent support they offer to people experiencing homelessness. With deep roots in the North East, as well as projects around London, they are constantly striving to improve lives. Goodlabs were invited to tender to support the charity in an exciting social enterprise feasibility project, and were delighted to win the work.

Like all charities OCH exists in a challenging funding environment and in order to ensure its long-term sustainability must spread risk by operating a mixed-income model combining both fundraising and revenue-generation. Our feasibility study needed to account for dual objectives of generating unrestricted income as well as delivering social value and employability progression for those the charity serves. In order to deliver on the objectives of the work Goodlabs brought on board Jessie Joe Jacobs as an associate consultant. As a prior winner of the Sunday Times Social Entrepreneur of the Year award Jessie brought important insight and know-how to the project.

The project proceeded in three phases, firstly exploring a wide range of opportunities that OCH might want to consider, then narrowing down to a smaller range of options to evaluate in more detail, before finally working up costed business plans for two new social enterprises.

We look forward to continuing to advise the charity as they secure the necessary start up funding and begin to push ahead with the plans.

Making the light even brighter in Sunderland

We’re delighted to have commenced a new impact project with the Foundation of Light, the official charitable foundation of Sunderland Football Club.

The Foundation has its home in the world-class ‘Beacon of Light’ community sports facility that stands prominently alongside the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. A wide range of programmes are offered at the Beacon opening up access to football alongside a vast array of other activities designed to support healthy development in all aspects of life. However, impressive as it is, there’s far more to the Foundation that just the work that happens at the Beacon site. Teams of foundation staff are also out and about around the area seven days a week, delivering programmes in schools and in the community.

Goodlabs is supporting the Foundation with a strategic piece of work to make an even bigger impact in the years ahead. We’re working with staff from senior leaders through to frontline delivery in order to align and embed the impact ambitions of the Foundation’s new strategic plan. Backed by an array of funders and stakeholders including key partners such as the Premier League Charitable Fund there is huge opportunity. The challenge is to empower every single member of the team to evidence the difference they’re making clearly and consistently. It’s about making impact everyone’s business. It’s a vital task that we’re so pleased to be able to support with.

Researching The Impact of Hearing Loss

Goodlabs have been supporting the development of Tyneside-based charity Deaflink for the last year or so as part of a package of Lottery-funded support. The first phase of our work involved looking at how Deaflink could support local hospitals to better serve the needs of users of British Sign Language. In this next phase we shift focus to the issue of Hearing Loss.

The prevalence of Hearing Loss is reasonably well-known, affecting some 87,000 people in the Newcastle-Gateshead CCG region*. What is less well-known is how those experiencing Hearing Loss feel about it, especially here in the North East. This is where we hope to be able to shed some new light, bringing to the fore a range of authentic accounts of the challenges experienced, as well as the things that help.

*18-70 age group, hearing loss range of 25 - 64 dBHL

Let's make an impact together in 2021

Make 2021 your year of Impact

About Your organisation:

• You will be a charity, charitable foundation or social enterprise with an annual turnover of £1—5 million

• Your annual report presents impressive numbers showing how busy you are, but the story of your effectiveness hinges on a few carefully selected case studies

• You have a complex network of funders and find that it can be very challenging to manage your reporting obligations to them

• It is not uncommon for an upcoming reporting deadline to send a ripple of panic through your teams

• You have never developed an overarching impact framework that consolidates your various outcomes into a single cohesive model

• You collect lots of data but struggle to interpret it in ways that support the communication of your impact story

What I will bring:

• 20 years’ experience of strategic leadership in the social sector

• 4 years’ experience of in Impact Management consultancy, supporting 40 organisations to develop their reach, impact and resilience.

• Learning from past and present clients including Lloyds Bank Foundation, Greggs Foundation, Northumberland Council, Gateshead Council, YMCA, Age UK, Mind, Save the Children and many more.

What will change as a result:

• Your organisation will become optimised for greater impact at every level

• A common philosophy of impact will become embedded from the frontline to the boardroom

• You will learn what aspects of your work are reliably making an impact, and where improvement is required

• You will provide a more transformative service to your beneficiaries

• You will give existing funders with greater assurance that you are able to deliver what you promise

• You will present a more compelling case for support to potential funders

• Your systems for measuring, monitoring and managing outcomes will be enhanced, using labour-saving digital technologies

To book a zoom call to talk about your requirements in more detail email: impact@goodlabs.uk

The Win, Win, Win

This month Goodlabs facilitated a virtual event with forward-thinking businesses to discuss the way that Covid-19 has transformed Employee Volunteering. The event was the culmination of a piece of research work that Goodlabs has been undertaking for VODA. Special guests from EE, Newcastle Building Society, Greggs and many others joined the conversation which was kindly chaired by Karen Goldfinch of North Tyneside Business Forum.

Regional VCS infrastructure organisation VODA had responded rapidly to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic by working alongside the local council to launch a support hub for vulnerable residents. The support offered was human-centred and practical in nature, simply known as: Good Neighbours. With volunteering at its heart the hub introduced VODA to hundreds of new volunteers, many adjusting to working from home rather than in shared offices. As the first lockdown relaxed VODA asked Goodlabs to lead a learning project to highlight the key ways in which impact had been made.

Thousands of vulnerable and isolated people received absolutely essential support through the work of the hub. Food parcels and vital medicines were delivered to those who could not leave their homes. However, one of the most interesting findings related to the volunteers themselves, especially to those volunteers adjusting to remote rather than office working. We found that:

1. Remote workers universally appreciated the opportunity to break up their working day by undertaking a volunteer assignment.

2. They benefitted from the social contact, which goes some way to replacing the social contact previously enjoyed at the office.

3. They have experienced ‘emotional payback’. Helping other gives an uplift in wellbeing that adds buoyancy to their working week.

We also found that these effects combined to mitigate known factors associated with working from home that are limiters on productivity. This in turn makes the experience of remote working more sustainable over the longer term. Our conclusion was therefore that a regular volunteer opportunity is therefore:

• good for the employee, WIN ✓

• good for those they support, WIN ✓

• good for the employer too. WIN ✓

A challenge was laid down to businesses to embracing a new model of employee volunteering:

• Out with the proverbial ‘teams painting sheds’. Prior models of CSR centred around large teams of staff engaging in full-day mass volunteering is called into question.

• Breaking days into hours.More flexible approaches to ‘volunteering allowances’ within HR policies appear to be the new trend and need to be adopted more widely.

Gateshead System Transformation

Gateshead Multiple & Complex Needs Initiative

Goodlabs is working with Oasis Community Housing, Collective Impact Agency and Helme Park on this important piece of work that is supported by Fulfilling Lives Newcastle & Gateshead and reporting into the Gateshead Health & Care Systems Board.

The aims of this Gateshead MCN Transformation Initiative are:

•To yield new insights into the ways in which the Gateshead system is dealing with people experiencing MCN

•To reveal where over-complexity within the system is working against the achieving of outcomes

•To highlight where innovation has enabled better outcomes for those with MCN

•To make recommendations for the rationalising of the multiple professional contexts concerned with MCN issues

•To leverage improvement within the system that will benefit both service-users and professionals

We are pleased to release our interim report which summarises our work so far giving our initial findings. It is not intended as a set of recommendations for the Gateshead system rather to stimulate discussion to inform and direct the next phase of the work. We do intend to make recommendations in our final report, due in February of 2021.

>> The interim report can be downloaded here

FEB 2021 UPDATE:

The project is now complete and the final report has been published (link below). Entitled “People at the Heart” the report is rooted in interviews, focus groups and meetings with over 100 people from across the Gateshead health and care system. This included professionals working in the public sector and the voluntary sector, as well as groups of ‘experts by experience’. The report sets out 4 priorities and links these to a set of 12 principles, linked to 12 corresponding practices. The diagram below shows the 4 priorities at the centre, surrounded by the 12 principles.

>> The final report can be downloaded here

#ThousandTrees

UPDATE: In December 2021 we hit our target of 1000 trees planted. We’ve decided to continue as we began and look forward to our hitting our next milestone of 2000!

As a business specialising in impact management it’s only right that we lead by example. As an expression of our concern about the climate emergency, and as a commitment to do our best to tread lightly on this beautiful planet, we are delighted to become an official partner of the global reforestation charity One Tree Planted.

Find out the full story below…

#ThousandTrees is our pledge to plant a forest of 1000 trees over the next 2 years. Over the course of their lifetime our trees will sequester an estimated 500 metric tonnes of CO2. We have chosen to plant our forest in Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and a place that, due to its extreme poverty, has seen rapid deforestation in recent decades. Reforesting the hills of Haiti has a double bonus, as the trees not only sequester carbon from the atmosphere, but also protect against deadly flooding and landslips during hurricane season. Another benefit is to halt erosion, which combined with over-farming and poor agricultural methods, has destroyed the region’s soil, making it very difficult to grow food. The Goodlabs forest will help restore nutrients to the soil. Parallel programmes alongside the planting will teach local farmers how to use the land responsibly and profitably. Due to the tropical climate trees planted grow faster than here in Britain so the benefits of the scheme are realised more quickly too.

To find out more about One Tree Planted and how your business can partner to grow your own forest click here.