Campaigners end social enterprise tour with a message to... Measure your social impact! Measure your social

BY CAOIMHE LALOR

Social Impact Ireland (SII) - an organisation that supports social enterprises - held events in Galway, Dublin, Longford and Limerick recently as part of a campaigning tour to promote social enterprise. Along the way, SII staff met many social enterprises and their message was to “measure your impact”.

The ‘Impact Trail’ campaign’s final event took place in Limerick, on October 5th, and reporter Caoimhe Lalor was there. She spoke to staff members and to people from two social enterprises who had taken part in SII’s incubator programme:

Ciara Regan is a social inclusion officer for Social Impact Ireland (SII) with responsibility for research on outreach methodologies.

Her role involves finding out “how to reach more people effectively” and she developed an action plan for how to reach those most marginalised in society. It includes nine recommendations on how better to connect with people.

Through her work, Ciara has met many groups including “people with hidden disabilities, people with sight and hearing impairments, exprisoners, digitally excluded people and unemployed people”.

As part of her research, for instance, Ciara examined Limerick-based service ‘Gateway to Education’, which operates an afterschool programme and a charity shop. She found that part of the reason this enterprise did so well was because the community was underserviced, forgotten about. However, Ciara noted the challenges: “People don’t want to volunteer forever. And without impact you don’t have a business.”

Evelyn Pepperrell is Social Impact Ireland’s office manager and programmes communication officer. She is also the mother of three children on the autism spectrum. She impact! first became involved with SII in her role as chairperson of parent support group Attention Deficit Disorder Midwest. The group took part in an eight-month business incubator programme to learn about marketing and other areas of enterprise.

In 2020, Evelyn joined the SII team and now helps to create the organisation’s online programmes. She said, “It’s about meeting other enterprises that are doing good for their community. We have designed a platform to connect people called Closer which is about sharing stories, sharing ideas and collaboration.”

Working And Walking Enterprises

SII runs an incubator programme designed to develop sustainable businesses that make a positive social impact. It includes workshops, mentorship and other supports.

The organisation also runs a business advice clinic, which offers consultancy sessions to help social enterprises address challenges.

Daragh Forde is a job coach with Cork-based advocacy group The Ability Board which strives to see more young people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism enter the labour market. He was a guest speaker at the Impact Trail event in Limerick where he spoke about the value of going on SII’s incubator programme in 2021.

“It was fantastic being part of a group. I was new to social enterprise. I was going in as a person that knew nothing. They helped you through every part of the process,” he said.

“What was actually phenomenal was that after you graduate from the programme the support continues. It was really tailored to your own social enterprise. You can email, call or text them with anything you need help with. It’s an incredible amount of support,” he said.

He also learned how to apply for funding – “what terms to use, what people are looking for and how to measure impact.”

Incidentally, the Ability Board recently won an Aontas Star award for giving learners a voice.

T: https://twitter.com/abilitycork

Siúl Eile is a social enterprise that develops walking programmes for rural communities. Founder Liam Fleming attended SII’s first incubator programme in 2016.

He said: “We knew nothing about enterprise. That first incubator programme taught us all about enterprise. It helped us get up off the ground.”

Now, his group’s walking trails help thousands of people reach higher ground. Over the last six years, over 6,000 people have participated in Siúl Eile’s walking programme. It has organised around 1,500 walks, from 2km walks to mountain trails, in over 25 communities.

W: https://siuleile.com/

WHAT IS SOCIAL IMPACT IRELAND?

Established in 2016, Social Impact Ireland helps social enterprises. Its co-founders are Pauline Gannon and Eamon Ryan and it employs six people operating from offices in Limerick, Dublin and Cork.

SII is partners with Nexus Innovation Centre and the Kemmy Business School in UL, the Ludgate Hub in West Cork and three local development companies - Clare Local Development, South East Cork Area Development and North East West Kerry Development.

The organisation strives to make a difference in people’s lives through social enterprise.

As per its mission statement, SII helps social enterprises through five main actions:

• Leadership;

• Elevating;

• Collaboration;

• Passion;

• Expertise.

To find out more, visit: www.socialimpactireland.ie