Go External

Every year, at Big Change, we go on a search to find, fund, and partner with the best and brightest new ideas and projects capable of driving positive system change for young people in the UK, to set them up to thrive in life, not just exams.

To aid us on our quest to find the innovative purpose projects that will deliver this change, over the past five years we have built relationships with incredible organizations, networks, and individuals who have their ear to the ground within the sector. They help connect us with those projects that have the potential to realize the change we want to see—they understand us and know what we are looking for. Essentially they are our Big Change Purpose scouts.

I strongly suggest you do the same—as a business GO EXTERNAL and find the missing links that (to paraphrase Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire) “complete you.” Leverage the people who already have knowledge and networks in the field and can help identify the opportunities or gaps in our society to help young people thrive.

We basically ask a lot of questions of a lot of people who are a lot smarter than we are.

Through them, and the incredible people who share their ideas with us, I have come to realize that as a business (or funding organization in this case) we have just as much responsibility not to mess it up as the individual who is pitching.

Do your Research

To get the most out of any purpose-pitch process and to determine what individual, charity, project, or organization will best serve the system change you wish to see, you need to do your research. At Big Change this has been one of our greatest learnings. As we shared earlier, when we launched, we worked with some great grassroots organizations, but it was more about incremental rather than system change. We realized if we wanted to create big change, we needed to know more about the root causes rather than the symptoms of the broken system—the things that would make a real difference, long term.

We knew we had the capability to use positive disruption, within the system surrounding young people in the UK, as a catalyst to bring about real change. But we simply hadn't done enough research.

I don't want to take away from what was achieved in the early days with our amazing project partners. We did good work. But we knew we could to do great work; we just had to put in the right amount of legwork first.

Put bluntly, the responsibility to create the greatest amount of impact lies with you and your team during the pitch process, not solely with the project or organization who are pitching you. You can't achieve that without knowledge.

At Big Change, to secure the most effective and impactful purpose partnerships, we learned that a lot of research and conversations are needed when choosing and inviting project pitches.

With an ultimate goal of backing big ideas that will support young people to thrive in life, not just exams, we realized that one of the areas where we needed to implement changes was in teacher well-being. Over a couple of years, we had received a number of proposals that looked to address the question of the well-being of teachers. At the time, we didn't feel that we understood the dynamics of the sector well enough to commit meaningfully to it. So we spent six months speaking with a wide range of people and organizations—teachers, teacher unions, and sector experts—to help us develop a clearer picture of what was happening, what needed to change, and how we as an organization could help effect that change. We captured the learnings and formed an emergent narrative on the whole sector. We then shared it with everyone we had spoken to—so that each expert was able to gain knowledge from all the others. A win-win for everyone involved.

Spending the time doing this research allowed us to reach out to the best possible projects, individuals, and organizations working in the field of teacher well-being (at Big Change we call it Teacher Thriving). This gave us a deeper understanding of the terminology they used (a small but important point!). Most important, we could judge, from a position of knowledge, whether the idea we were being pitched would bring about the system change we wanted to see. It was clear early on that there was a real crisis going on with brilliant teachers burning out and leaving the profession. While many schools had started to offer Well-Being programs and perks, it wasn't really scratching the surface. The issue went deeper into how teachers were valued and supported in the daily realities of the role. We ended up supporting projects that were innovating on teacher training, support, and leadership that could lead to long-term change.

So do your homework.

The Brief

A tip from experience: you get out what you put in. The fuller and more informative the brief, the more rewarding the pitches you receive will be. As a suggestion, your brief should include an introduction to your company or organization, the pitch process with full timeline, key selection criteria and a note explaining them, what you want to see from the proposal, and it is also good to add your focus and detailed next steps. As mentioned, we spend months researching the social issue we want to address. As this isn't research for the sake of research, we include the emergent narrative from the research in our brief to prospective projects. This narrative helps to inform the projects about where they fit and how their idea is driving the big change we want to see. It also helps them focus their pitch and clearly outline how they fit into the bigger picture.

Doing the research and pulling together a strong brief has really improved the quality and alignment of the projects we receive. We no longer have to go through thousands of ideas that are simply not relevant. Our call for ideas breaks down into two parts—a short two-pager that outlines the idea, the team, and the change they wish to facilitate. We then measure them against the brief and only progress with those projects that answer the specific change sought. This saves already overworked charities a lot of time and effort. We respect that they don't have the time to waste filling in the dozens of pages of a grant pitch, especially if it's clear that they would not meet the parameters we set out in the brief.

For those ideas that get through to the next stage, we then very clearly lay out what we would like to see from the proposals. Hopefully the questions we pose in the box on the previous page will help inform your next proposal on your journey to embedding purpose firmly in your business by finding the right partner (feel free to plagiarize!).

Diversity of Perspectives

A great turn of phrase coined by our wonderful M.D. of Big Change, Essie North—diversity of perspectives—sums up our approach when we pull together the panel we assemble to hear project pitches. We want to hear opinions from experts in different roles and industries, who might offer a perspective that we would never even think of. We like to call it our Impact Council, and you may want to set up your own version.

Here's why we changed our approach. In the early days of Big Change our “pitch panel” consisted solely of the team at Big Change. We quickly realized we were all too similar. Having worked for years on distilling the values on which Big Change is built and our core purpose, we were so aligned in our thinking and our experience (in some areas very limited) that we were not getting the most from the pitch process. We weren't always asking the right questions.

We needed to call in the cavalry. Using our usual premise—if you don't ask, you don't get—we targeted some brilliant people in our network and were amazed at how honored they were to be asked. From a former gang leader to business leader, at first glance they seemed to have little in common. But they all had different experiences and insights to bring to the table. All are positive, forward-thinking pioneers who believe in challenging the status quo, constantly learning, and looking to the future.

I've listed below some of the types of experts we call on—we have found that between 6 and 12 is a good number—you may need to get even more specific expertise involved. These are just our suggestions from our experience. Forming our Impact Council vastly improved the outcome of our project pitches due to the fact that it is made up not only of a range of internal stakeholders, but external experts, as well.

It's decision time.

So you've assembled the most informed, effective Impact Council the world has ever seen—what next?

The Scorecard

I love the whole pitch process, from the research and learning about the sector and talking to experts in the field to drawing up the brief, with the team to deciding who should make up the Impact Council to best inform the final decision. We've also worked hard to make the selection process as enjoyable as possible. The advantage of bringing together a diverse group of people to help us make the selection is that we can call on their networks to help place a purpose project with a good partner, if it was not quite right for Big Change. The vast majority of projects are so worthwhile, with every team passionate and driven to make change—but we can't support them all, and you won't be able to, either. Take the time to think of how you can best serve those projects that may not be quite right for you. Again, if you have built a group of people around you to help steer and advise you, it is likely that they will also be willing to help vet the projects to find the best fit for them. This will not only leave you with the warm and fuzzies, but means you can keep in touch with those projects, invite them to staff conferences to raise awareness for them, feature them on your blogs and internal communications challenges, and so forth. In a way, they can become additions to your Purpose Portfolio.

At Big Change, to help us make that final decision, we pulled together a Scorecard that not only speaks to the passion of the team pitching but also the bigger picture and the operational structure. Again I hope our Scorecard helps you to make those difficult decisions. As always it is just a guide—feel free to add/delete/tweak as appropriate.

I feel like a teacher writing these WEconomy “How to . . .” sections. I hope a teacher you actually like—rather than the one with the horrible nickname! All of the tips, tools, and pointers are based on our experiences and learnings when deciding on what projects we invest in at Big Change. You may already be doing lots of the things I detail here—hopefully by breaking this section up into boxouts and takeaways—you can easily ignore the ones that aren't relevant to your business. Ideas like the Impact Council may be new to you, and I hope you find it inspiring—it certainly made a massive difference to us.

As an Individual you, too, can Make your Purpose Dreams Come True

Now let me introduce you to the ultimate DRAGON SLAYER . . .

What if you are an individual with an idea that you believe will make a significant difference to people's lives, but need the support of your workplace to make that dream a reality? How do you even begin to get in front of the people who can make that happen? Just as it takes bravery as an organization to change the way their business operates by embedding a sense of purpose at the very core of what it does—it also takes incredible bravery to send that email, pick up the phone, or knock on the door of your boss and ask them to believe in your dream. I have had the privilege of meeting one such individual. Her name is Esther Marshall. I learned a lot from her, and I hope you do, too.

The Scorecard

In 2017, my cousin Noah invited this incredible young woman to join the Big Change team at WE DAY UK. Before Esther tells you her story in her own words, here's a little background: she graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Geography in 2011. One of the lucky (and bright) ones, she then successfully gained a place on the Unilever Graduate Scheme, initially working and training with the HR Department. No easy feat in the current job market in the UK.

But Esther's story did not start off as a happy one. As you'll see, her tale is ultimately one of bravery. Not only did she conquer paralyzing fear in her personal life but she went on to slay one of the most famous dragons around—Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever. (Only joking, Paul; we know you're more of a kitten than a dragon, but “dragon” better suited our theme!)

Throughout Esther's story, we'll pick out her key learnings, tips, suggestions, and advice on how to use the position you are in right now—whether that be as a 26-year-old member of a graduate scheme, an entry-level employee, a middle manager, or simply someone with a passion for purpose who desperately needs help making a dream into a reality.

I could never do justice to Esther's story, so I'm not even going to attempt to—instead, let me introduce you to one of the bravest young women I have ever met: Esther Marshall.

Esther: Eight years ago I thought I had found someone who loved me. Sometimes he did seem to love me. But at other times, after the drug taking and the drinking, he became a different person. He would hurt me to the point that I was scared of him. What happened shook me and shattered my self-confidence to rock bottom. I would sit in the bathroom crying and in pain. But I never told anyone any specific details—because I was afraid. I was afraid of people thinking I was weak.

In 2014, I went to the One Young World Conference as a UK Ambassador for Unilever. I heard the North Korean defector and human rights activist Yeonmi Park speak about the abuse she had encountered in her life. It had a deep effect on me. I couldn't stop thinking about how other people's journeys can be an inspiration to others. I felt that all I had done was hide from my issues. I had written down my feelings, but kept them to myself. Inspired by Yeonmi, I felt a strong desire to do something, to share my story in an attempt to help others.

I went back to my room each night and started to dream of possibilities of how I could share my story with the world. I knew I wanted to make a change, but had no idea how to start. I decided to reach out to the founders of One Young World, David Jones and Kate Robertson, two people who had empowered a generation of change-makers. Their support and encouragement motivated me to keep going. I wanted to help every other girl out there in the same position that I was. This was my calling, but I didn't know where to start.

I needed to get my story out. David and Kate advised me that in order to be bold, you have to go big. And it doesn't go any bigger than the CEO of Unilever and Counsellor for One Young World, Paul Polman. It was hard enough to tell my story to my closest friends and family, let alone to one of the most famous global business leaders. David Jones kindly offered to let Paul know to expect my email. Writing down my story for the first time in years, I struggled on every word. I scrutinized every sentence and imagined what his response would be. Eventually I gained the courage to just press send.

Unsurprisingly, Esther had never presented to anyone as senior as Paul—so she reached out to friends, family, and colleagues rather than falling into a blind panic in isolation. If you are facing a similar challenge, hopefully the following tips will help with that first crucial presentation.

sTandTall

sTandTall brings together girls and women from all over the world to build their self-esteem and help them achieve their full potential and sTandTall.

The ultimate ambition of sTandTall is to build centers around the world that provide holistic restorative care to victims of abuse, ensuring they are able to overcome their trauma and achieve their incredible potential.

The sTandTall platform—www.standtall.org—aims to:

1. 1. Provide relevant NGOs and charities with a single platform to publicize their services and tools, helping victims to find them and broadening their positive impact.
2. 2. Provide a cathartic opportunity with anonymous people who have been through abuse or have seen others go through abuse to share their story, helping both themselves and others.