The Power of Purpose
On a recent webinar I heard how global companies are putting “purpose” at the heart of their business strategy. The activities were impressive, motivated their teams and delivered external benefits. Ultimately though, the core purpose of these businesses is to make money and deliver shareholder value. This is completely valid, but the need to deliver financial value will invariably override a purpose-driven agenda.
This is what makes the sector in which I work different. For the voluntary sector, the purpose of the organisation should be core. The question we face in the sector is: how do we best deliver on our purpose, often with limited resource?
Some choose to campaign, whilst other deliver grassroots activities within their communities. However, there is another route which I have placed at the heart of the organisations I have created. The purpose-driven nature of the voluntary sector can enable it to act as a catalyst; bringing together a wide, collaborative network of organisations. As catalysts, we can unite organisations with a wish to deliver a common ambition which is beyond the scope of any one of them to deliver.
These collaborations typically start with a simple question. How can we boost recycling rates on the high street?’ ‘How can we best redistribute perishable food that would be wasted?’ or ‘How can we speed up the transition from peat in horticulture?’
A voluntary sector organisation can ask these questions with authenticity: driven purely by a desire to achieve a positive impact, rather than a requirement to deliver a financial or marketing return. This allows us to bring together unusual collaborations, combining their varied expertise and resources to deliver significant results.
Acting as a catalyst: a case study
At Hubbub, I recognised that companies, local authorities and voluntary organisations wanted to tackle the growing amount of packaging ending-up on our high streets. Recycling facilities have not been able to keep pace with our changing lifestyles. More people are eating and drinking on the go, requiring changes in the way packaging is collected for recycling. This burden has largely landed on cash-strapped local authorities who don’t have the resource or expertise to effectively deal with the problem.
Hubbub acted as a catalyst for the LeedsByExample campaign which brought together over 25 companies who provided the financial resource and expertise. This collaboration enabled Leeds City Council to carry out a series of measured interventions, seeking to boost recycling rates and decrease contamination in the city centre.
The collaborative approach ensured that there was common and consistent messaging for the campaign. Independent research was openly shared highlighting successes and failures. The involvement of the local authority ensured there was continuity for the scheme and engagement with the voluntary sector helped to boost public involvement.
The LeedsByExample campaign did achieve some positive results. It undoubtedly boosted knowledge, encouraged replication in other cities and enhanced collaboration. Ultimately however, far greater systemic change is required to create a truly sustainable way to handle packaging materials consumed on the go. Based on this experience, I realised that collaborative projects either need to be entirely community-driven or seek to deliver systemic change in order to have significant long-term impact
The Community Fridge Network created by Hubbub is an example of a successful community driven collaboration. In Northern Spain and Berlin, communities had introduced large fridges and freezers in which perishable food that would have been wasted could be placed and then freely taken by anybody. I wanted to test the approach in the UK but was met with a wall of scepticism regarding health and safety concerns and potential abuse of the system. Working with Sainsburys, two Community Fridges were established which overcame these concerns.
Hubbub realised that scaling the approach required a broad coalition of companies willing to donate food. Community groups also needed the resources to introduce fridges in the locality. Additional funding was essential and common branding was needed to illustrate impact. As a purpose-driven organisation, Hubbub was able to pull together these pieces of the jigsaw and there is now a thriving network of Community Fridges providing people with access to free healthy food, bringing communities together and cutting food waste.
Changing Systems
Sizzle is my new organisation where I am seeking to take the collaborative approach further by combining practical change on the ground alongside attempts to change legislation and the market.
Enrich the Earth is a collaboration of over 30 organisations aiming to hasten the transition from peat in horticulture. Environmental campaigners have been seeking to achieve this aim for over 30 years. Our research revealed that cost-effective, alternative sustainable materials are not available at sufficient scale and that legislation is making the transition expensive.
In response, we are developing an alternative compost containing up to 30% of green waste and have identified five core pieces of legislation that need to change. This was achieved through wide consultation across the horticulture sector and compost supply chain. The impact of this different approach is being independently assessed and results will be shared with the sector and funders.
There is growing recognition that this type of radical collaboration is essential to deliver change at the speed and scale required. I believe that the voluntary sector is uniquely placed to be the catalyst for this type of approach truly demonstrating the power of purpose driven organisations.