Member Opinion Piece: Business engagement with local communities to enhance their social impact.

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Member Opinion Anniversary

Sofia Alexandrache FICRS is the Responsible Business and Member Engagement Director at Team London Bridge

The ICRS has marked an important milestone this month, it’s now a decade old! A lot of things have changed in the sector, mostly in a positive way, and it’s certainly been exciting to be a part of this over the years. At the ICRS 10th Anniversary event, one question came up a few times: where should businesses start when they look to engage with local communities in order to enhance their social impact.

One key message that I’ve always been passionate about, is that businesses are part of communities! We can aim higher and shift the narrative from 'we are a business doing something good for communities' to 'we are a business truly embedded into the local community, and this is how we work together'.

The advice from the key note speaker, Helen Goulden OBE from The Young Foundation, was timely and very much in line with this: engage with key civic groups in order to have a seat at a table, because so many times businesses are not even part of those conversations such as health and wellbeing, upskilling, social mobility, inclusive places and so on.

London is fortunate to have a plethora of strong and active civic groups, but this can also be a downside, making it overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start, so here are some ideas:

  • Mayor of London has lots of forums, networks and action groups, some directly aimed at businesses, some aimed at a variety of stakeholders. To name a few, the Good Work Standard or the EDI Advisory Group.
  • Your local authority's business and enterprise programmes or action groups. For example in Southwark there is a very active Living Wage Action Group.  
  • Is there an educational institution based near your office, such as university or adult education – they are always looking to collaborate with businesses through research and careers opportunities.
  • Your local BID! Business Improvement Districts are there to help facilitate these important local connections, especially if place means a lot to you. Check on this interactive map if you’re part of a BID and make the most of your annual levy contributions!
  • Perhaps the most important one would be your local umbrella organisation for the CVS (Charity and Voluntary Sector), almost each borough in London has one. Here's a handy list with all of them, and happy connecting!
  • London’s Giving schemes – luckily almost each borough has one, check this map which lists them all. These place-based giving schemes are mobilising communities at a grassroots level to act to strengthen their boroughs, and in each borough they run different models in order to best respond to those respective needs.