Make An Impact Podcast

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"Our values are to help the world run better and improve people's lives," says Frank Omare, a senior director within the global value advisory team at SAP. 

He works with customers to help them understand how technology can solve critical business problems, transform their businesses – and enable their organisations to achieve sustainability-related goals.

Sustainability and social enterprise are central, not only to Frank's role, but to how SAP does business, he tells Heidi.

Frank talks about technology as a force for good (with a positive impact on the environment) and covers

• How the Ariba Network can connect social enterprises and minority-owned businesses with corporate organisations, opening a "world of opportunities" for all
• Why accessibility to corporate organisations supported by promotion in the network allows social enterprises to scale massively.
• SAP's technology and automated workflows to highlight social enterprises to corporate buyers.
• Partnerships and sponsorships with organisations such as Social Enterprise UK and the Social Enterprise World Forum.
• SAP's working culture and commitment to social enterprise.
• How SAP measures its own impact – and how it helps customers and suppliers to measure and increase their impact too.
• Exciting plans and emerging technologies and how these might support social enterprises.
• Other sustainability and social enterprise solutions within and across SAP.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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"The trouble with being successful is you're in demand." When Jonny Kinross took the helm as CEO of Grassmarket Community Project, the Edinburgh-based social enterprise worked with around 70 people each year. Now that figure is around 500.

With a background in social work, Jonny set up a social enterprise 12 years ago before joining – and "totally falling in love with" – the Grassmarket Community Project, which gives people the opportunity to contribute more to society.

Grassmarket Community Project runs catering, woodwork, textiles and tartan businesses and engagement activities to support vulnerable people. Its turnover has increased from £300,000 to £1.2m in the last few years.

How has the Covid-19 crisis affected how it delivers its services? And how will it sustain its work now and for the future?

Heidi finds out in this episode, in which Jonny also covers:

• how the organisation is sustaining itself financially by figuring out what it can safely do and what it can afford to do;
• flexibility and adapting to unexpected events;
• how Grassmarket has grown by focusing on supporting people and generating profit to support its social objectives;
• future plans – including building a three-quarter-million-pound extension;
• and super tips for other social entrepreneurs about funding, decision making, and accessing advice.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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Angela Clements is Chief Executive of Fair for You Enterprise Community Interest Company, an ethical alternative to high cost weekly payment and "rent to own" stores.

Fair for You is a lending company, wholly owned by a charity, providing small loans for people to buy essential items for they homes. It does not give cash loans, it gives access to affordable credit.

On an average Fair for You loan, a borrower will save £500 in interest compared with rent-to-own stores, according to research by the The Centre for Responsible Credit. With an average loan size of £300 this is a staggering amount.

Running this multiple-award-winning social enterprise is Angela's dream job despite the initial "battle for survival and fight for funds" and other challenges competing with huge, well-resourced competitors.

She believes all and any credit should benefit a household, not create legacy debt.

In this episode, Angela describes:

• After working in a bank she ran one of the UK's largest Credit Unions for 10 years.
• When high cost credit expanded it made a huge impact on poverty.
• The path to launching Fair for You, including the most effective research, why the business plan had to be thrown away, and securing regulatory compliance.
• Competing with high cost, high interest lenders with enormous marketing budgets.
• How social investors support Fair for You.
• The five most important things she learned from market research about people who are vulnerable and need credit for essential purchases. 
• How Fair for You measures its impact and the difference it makes.
• Making ethical credit mainstream and commercially sustainable.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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InPower Academy uses mixed martial arts as a vehicle for transformative personal and community improvements.

Daryl Chambers is the founder and CEO of this Wolverhampton-based social enterprise which specialises in working with young people 'regardless of circumstance, environment or current standing.'

In this episode, Daryl tells Heidi about:

• how and why martial arts can help young people realise and achieve their potential – based on both philosophy and practice,
• writing a life-plan at the age of 11 when he dreamt of running a business,
• a crossroad moment when, aged 17, he was arrested,
• InPower's specific intervention programmes, 'The Unbreakables' and 'The Warriors of Wellbeing.'
• introducing young people to the benefits of journaling,
• developing and measuring resilience.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

It's a crisis the like of which we've never faced before, exerting a dreadful toll on humanity, health and the economy. And social enterprises are especially vulnerable.

What support is available to social enterprises and to the people running and working for them?

In this episode Heidi runs through a few measures which have been announced. Some have had lots of media coverage, but others have not – including one which could make the difference in business survival for some social enterprises.

Heidi covers:

• The Business Interruption Loan Scheme. This is not only being delivered by banks, but also through some community development finance institutions, themselves social enterprises. Details here.
• If you have salaried employees who would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis you can apply to HMRC for 80% of their wages to be reimbursed (up to £2,500) through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
• A (yet to be announced when this podcast was recorded) scheme to support self-employed people).
• If your social enterprise supplies the public, a procurement note published on 20th March has told commissioners to support its suppliers through payment up front and other measures. Do check whether this is relevant to you. Details in the podcast and here.
• An initiative to support social enterprises, especially focusing on the 'forgotten vulnerable' which Heidi is about to launch on Crowdfunder. Details soon here.
• Emergency resilience funding from the Arts Council.
• And other funding is available, often focusing on charities and community groups rather than social enterprises, including National Emergencies Trust, London Community Response Fund, Heart of England Community Foundation Resilience Fund, and Martin Lewis' charity fund.
• Heidi also gives in insight into not one, but two new books she's tasked herself with completing while holed up and social distancing.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

"Partnerships are vital to our existence...We all should be working a lot more in collaboration...and I think we can do a lot more," says Richard Collins, creative director of Sortified.

Sortified aims to improve lives and reduce social inequality. It produces toolkits, runs projects, and works around people and place through co-production.

In this episode, Richard covers why launching Sortified was an "escape plan" allowing him to put something back into the Lincolnshire community.

He describes how co-production can work in practical terms (without being tokenistic). People can be involved in the delivery of local services through a place-based social economy, he says, and there's a move away from a traditional perspective when it comes to commissioning and top-down service delivery.

The episode also covers:

• the results and impact of Sortified's work. He's candid: "sometimes it's really difficult" to measure, but there are other outcomes and impacts they can measure.
• the key area Sortified wants to improve on in terms of impact measurement, and the metrics they measure well.
• Sortified's plans for 2020: "we're going to change the world!"
• Recent work in Gainsborough, supporting a successful bid for social investment to the Local Access Programme.
• The impact of budget cuts on collaboration and working in partnership.
• Why "blended finance" is the way forward, in Richard's view, for social businesses.
• Where the Sortified name came from.

Enjoy this interview with Richard - and please leave a rating or review and share the episode so other people can find it.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

Music isn't just a "nice thing to have" - it has become an integral part of many care plans for people living with dementia.

Rosie Mead is the founder and MD of Musica Community Interest Company, a social enterprise which supports the dementia journey through music. It runs music workshops and meaningful music activities, mainly in care homes, and has been running for over a decade.

Rosie has combined her academic research with her interest in music and dementia into what seems to be a life-calling.

She tells us about why and how she launched Musica and the many immediate and longer-lasting benefits of listening to and interacting with live music for people with dementia, their carers and their families.

She describes how Musica measures its impact, too, including through a triangulated observational approach. Plus we learn what a dementia-friendly environment is, and how Musica helps to create it.

Musica's work is underpinned by extensive research and Rosie describes how she believes more and more care homes will embed music into care plans.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

A scientist with a corporate background, Dr. Wayne Wright is the Chairman of Maidstone Warriors Basketball Club - and an interviewee with a passion to help people live with meaning and purpose.

In this episode Wayne discusses:

- avoiding the 'boom and bust' two-year cycles which trap many social enterprises.
- how by focusing on one human being means you can support many.
- why businesses should play a part in shaping society.
- the importance of making a profit and how Maidstone Warriors uses surpluses from some business activities to support impacts.
- what basketball for all means in terms of participation, and why the entry point to basketball with Maidstone Warriors is not-competitive.
- a heart-warming story of the team's impact.
- succession planning, building resilience and organisational capacity.
- how to align your passion, skills and purpose.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

Vicky Smith is the founder of Earth Changers, an award-winning travel website and “purpose-first” business highlighting sustainable, ethical and responsible tourism.

The size and worldwide scope of tourism means its power to deliver impact and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals is unrivalled, says Vicky.

In this fascinating interview Vicky – who is a travel industry veteran – explains how demand and supply of sustainable tourism is increasing.

Tourism is the only way to create opportunity and even to protect endangered species in some locations in the developing world, she says, so you shouldn’t necessarily feel guilty about flying, but if you do, you should really make your trip count so it makes a positive contribution to people and places.

She also introduces a concept I’d never come across until now: “Greenhushing” – when businesses are actually already doing great things in terms of environmental sustainability but don’t want to publicly discuss them.

And Vicky describes the injury which led to her launching Earth Changers; biggest challenges and achievements to date; how destinations measure their impacts; how Earth Changers itself creates impact for destinations; and her plans for the future.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode the tables are turned and Heidi is quizzed about her recent visit to the Social Enterprise World Forum in Ethiopia.

SEWF was an amazing and impactful experience: like being surrounded by the most vibrant, high energy family, she says.

And the experience has changed Heidi, making her re-evaluate her own vision and goals. 

The social entrepreneurs Heidi met at SEWF have set a course to maximise their impact, are laser-focused on both mission and business, and have astonishing ambitions for scale.

Heidi tells us more about how these innovators are planning to achieve the scale and impacts they are committed to.

And she covers how social entrepreneurs can measure and demonstrate performance against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the impact of attending SEWF on her own plans.

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.