A UK tech start-up has launched a digital platform that matches companies with charities and social enterprises in a strategic way through artificial intelligence (AI).
whatimpact matches companies according to their goals for social impact, offers due-diligence templates and streamlines impact reporting.
Tiia Sammallahti, CEOand founder of whatimpact.com said: “We are here to help save time and money for both supporters (companies and grant-makers) and recipients (social enterprises and charities), ensuring that the most impactful causes and projects are delivered with maximum efficiency.
"This benefits society as a whole. whatimpact is a fully transparent marketplace where everyone has access to the site profiles and interactions. We not only help organisations match with each other but help them report and communicate their impact to the public and other stakeholders.”
The platform uses AI to match organisations based on shared values, UN sustainability development goals (SDGs) and geographic needs across the country, so that companies can direct donations and skills to the organisations that need them most.
Companies involved in the initiative thus far include EY, McLaren, Brewin Dolphin and Engie, alongside a number of SMEs.
They are all offering different forms of support through whatimpact either in order to "fulfil UN SDGs, meet the Social Value Act (SVA) requirements, or simply engage in good practice."
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Professional services firm EY is the latest company to sign up to whatimpact’s platform, and will offer a series of business clinics to charities and social enterprises grappling with business challenges.
Based on research conducted with whatimpact on the most significant pain points facing organisations, EY has developed clinics on managing finances, achieving scale and growth, and building resilience in times of uncertainty.
The company will also look to offer one-to-one coaching to help those involved continue to solve their business challenges.
“EY has set an ambitious global target to positively impact one billion lives by 2030 through our Global Corporate Responsibility Programme, EY Ripples," said the organisation's UK Financial Services Chief Operating Officer, Gavin Jordan.
"By working with whatimpact, we hope our people across the UK will be able to use their professional skills to help more charities and social enterprises overcome some of the business challenges they face, enabling them to have an even greater impact on the people and communities they work with.”
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Some of the charities and social enterprises involved with whatimpact include: Race Equality Matters (which is focused on improving equal opportunities and tackling racial inequality), the Hummingbird Project (focused on wellbeing in the workplace), and RIFT (which aims to transition ex-offenders into the construction industry) – all of which meet one of the SVA’s priority areas.
WorldVision and the Single Homeless Project are a few of the charity names on whatimpact aligned with the UN SDGs.
The recently enhanced Social Value Act (which came into effect in January 2021) requires companies that work on government contracts to have a social value delivery plan and to report back on their impact in local areas.
The legislation has changed the way companies linked to the SVA must report on their past, present and future impact.
whatimpact says it is an advocate for transparency and open data, with public profiles on its platform for all users and with information on donations, partnerships and the impact being made together.
Supporters (companies and grant-makers) can post resource offers (money, skills, product and service donations) on their public profile. Recipients (charities and social enterprises) can then apply for the resources they need.
Both supporter and recipient profiles offer transparent data pulled from the Charity Commission, the OCSR, 360Giving and Companies House.
Find out more about whatimpact here.
Source: Written from press release
