Posted 15th July 2021
Social Value UK are proud to announce John Lewis, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Enjoy Digital, has achieved Level One Associate Practitioner status.
Enjoy Digital aims to use technology to inspire and support organisations and businesses across all sectors. To achieve this they deliver services that will holistically strengthen the operations and cultures for their customers, whilst at the same time benefiting wider communities. At the heart of Enjoy Digital is the belief in ‘Effective Altruism’ and value of ethical business culture.
Their services address organisational weaknesses and create cultures that are innovative, socially aware, ethical and sustainable. The training and guidance that Enjoy Digital offers has been developed from an evidence based and critically analytical approach. All the profits gained are invested into Home-Start South and West Devon to further support communities to succeed and thrive.
Ahead of this announcement, we had a discussion about our Practitioner Pathway and John’s experience with the assessment process:
Why have you decided to undertake the Social Value International Practitioner Pathway? What has led to your application for Level 1 of Practitioner?
I have been working in the charity sector for over 16 years. In this time, I have learnt about the moral imperative for any organisation operating to a social good to do the best it can. Development and innovation should always be at the forefront of any social and charitable delivery. To do this effectively we must provide a platform for those who will benefit to have significant input to how organisations are developed and designed. These opinions and views led me to learn about SROI, I realised the significance it has in ensuring meaningful and authentic improvement.
What did you learn and find useful from this assessment process?
I learnt about how to explore the range of impact that an organisation can have, whilst at the same time applying a structure that is congruent and transparent. I also learnt of systems that can be applied to establish the value of the outcomes – to me, this is important as it provides the resources for organisations to understand and communicate their purpose and method.
Is there anything that you believe you will gain or find useful in the next steps you will take for working towards becoming an Associate Practitioner?
Having acquired my level 1 Associate Practitioner status, I plan to focus on the next levels and achieve level 3 status. I am currently working with an organisation to complete SROI’s evaluations of their projects. We have embedded the principles in other areas of our work, including organisational development assessments, and project management.
In the long term, we are planning to increase our capacity to carry out SROI nationally, with a focus on organisations working with families and organisations working in the Southwest.
Are there any other specific projects you are doing at the moment that are related to SROI/social value?
Enjoy Digital have been developing services for third sector organisations with a focus on organisational development and sustainable project/service design. We work to the principles of ‘Effective Altruism’ and the importance of striving to do more with less. To emphasise the commitment to this ethos all our profits are used to fund development of our services and further charitable projects and pilots.
You have now joined a community of practice around the globe. What does this mean to you and why do you want to participate and contribute to the development of the methodology and overall social value movement?
Being part of a community, such as this, provides the best opportunity to learn and grow. To absorb and share knowledge on an international scale is a privilege. This means we can keep pursuing improvement, benefiting from the experiences of others. Organisations working with us will also benefit as we will be able to act as a conduit to the knowledge acquired across the globe.
“Becoming a Level 1 Associate Practitioner with Social Value International has allowed me to enhance my capabilities to provide support to organisations. I feel proud that my work will contribute to greater social and environmental improvement.”
John Lewis, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Enjoy Digital
For more information, please contact:
John Lewis at [email protected]
Interested in becoming an Associate Practitioner? Find out more here.