[Elaine Hutchison]

Hi Andy & Charlotte, I have recently joined SVUK as an individual member on behalf of the organisation I work for, TVS Supply Chain Solutions. As a business, we are very much at the start of our Social Value journey, and much of my role as SV Coordinator up to now has been spent forging new relationships internally and externally, and winning the hearts and minds of people who may be slightly more sceptical about the whole concept and that it’s just going to cost the business more money. (I know, I’ve been through the whole investor / employee retention / effeciency thing).

We have also adopted Thrive software as our measurement tool for reporting SV, which is working well so far. In addition, I am being bombarded by other businesses who offer to ‘support your SV journey’, either by being volunteering partnership Apps, community link apps, social enterprise links, etc. I’m sure you get the picture.

My question I suppose is, how do you spot real, genuine organisations within the SV industry itself? And similarly, distance yourself from the ones that are ‘Impact Washing’?

For example I had a call with one guy trying to sell a product about community links, (who shall remain nameless), but I immediately took a dislike to this person, simply because it was such an agressive sales pitch! Which was disappointing as to me, if the product is genuine, there is no need to go overboard on the sales rhetoric.

Any advice would be very welcome!

BW, Elaine

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