Braw Talent’s Post

2024 has been a stand out year for the Start Something Good work I lead at Cwmpas. Maybe this photo sums up the spirit of our work best, bringing people together to create fresh ideas for change. Over a 1000 people have been part of our learning events and hackathon days. The Bridgend Social Enterprise Marketplace event in September broke new ground and was the culmination of months of work with great people. From Ynys Môn to Blaenavon, from Aberaeron to Wrecsam, from Rhyl to Bridgend it has been an absolute privilege to work with individuals, businesses, communities, public services, and a certain football club. I look back on the year with deep gratitude. This work has been building since a serendipitous conversation in September 2019. Early in 2025 we will be convening and hosting the first ever Wellbeing Economy Hackathon: a co-design day for businesses, the Third Sector, and the Public Sector forbetter local economies. I think we will be serving doughnuts at that event too. Merry Christmas to all. #socialenterprise #doughnuteconomics #wellbeingeconomy

Great to join the #CoopParty Cooperative Change conference on Saturday, where a new 'Cooperative Councils Development Toolkit' was launched... which included research co-authored by me, John Lever and Gareth Downing. Our research focused on the impact of #cooperative businesses, and we contributed a report, ‘Evidence of Cooperative Business Impacts – A Realist Perspective’ to the toolkit, which is published by the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network (CCIN). Our report addressed claims that there is no strong evidence about #coopbusiness impacts, and wider social benefits of #coops are likely to be small and difficult to measure. We take a #Realist perspective and explore *how* - not if - cooperative businesses make an impact. By building explanation and developing insight, we provide councils with a broader evidence base with which to assess the wider effects of cooperatives. Sincere thanks to Jonathan Nunn from Kirklees Council who commissioned us, and whose work on developing the toolkit got a big shout out at the conference. The pictures show: Jim Robbins, newly elected leader of the CCIN launching the toolkit with Jim McMahon MP and Emma Hoddinott from the coop party; and me John and Gareth in the sunshine outside #coop headquarters at One Angel Square, where the conference was. Our work is under the ‘what’s the evidence for cooperatives’ tab - at the Councils’ Cooperative Development Toolkit, available here: https://lnkd.in/esUpRdHm

⏰ Starting in just a few minutes! Are you a #CSforALLMember? Check your inbox for an exclusive link to join today's #CSforALLAccelerator Cohort 1 graduation event! #CSforALL

I wrote a blog about our trip to the techUK President’s Awards last week - who had to get changed into black tie in a train toilet, who wore the best sequins, and why is Play Doh a good metaphor for having a great career? Find out all the answers in the article below! ⬇️ ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ebaKx-3y

Exciting News: Speaking at Hackney Impact's Income Generation Event I'm thrilled to share some fantastic news with my fundraising and Income generation network! 🎉 On October 1st, I had the incredible opportunity to facilitate my first Income Genration Event in partnership with Hackney Impact's, Henrietta C. and Urban MBA's Kofi Oppong. First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude we made an amazing team that made this event possible. And... What an experience it was! Despite the wet and gloomy weather outside, the energy inside the room was electric, filled with engaged participants and thought-provoking discussions. To everyone who attended, braving the wet and dreary evening – you are the true heroes! Your presence, insightful questions, and enthusiastic participation turned what could have been just another rainy night into an unforgettable evening of learning and growth for everyone. The energy you brought to the room was palpable, and it made my experience as a facilitator all the more rewarding. I was impressed by the depth of the questions asked and the engaging comments shared. It's clear that we have a community of passionate enterpreneurs in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors eager to make a real impact in the world. Your curiosity and drive are truly inspiring! But wait, there's more good news! 🌟 For those who couldn't make it or those hungry for more knowledge, I'm excited to announce that we are already working on scheduling a follow-up session in November. This upcoming event will focus on Stakeholder Mapping (Knowing your audiences) – a crucial skill for anyone looking to boost their income generation strategies. Keep an eye out for more details on the November session. I encourage everyone to attend if you can; these events are goldmines of information and networking opportunities. Once again, a big thank you to everyone who made the October 1st event such a success. Your commitment to professional growth and community engagement is what makes our industry so dynamic and rewarding. Let's continue to learn, grow, and impact our communities positively. Together, we can achieve great things! #GetThatMoney #UrbanMBA #HackneyImpact #ProfessionalDevelopment #IncomeGeneration #CommunityEngagement Looking forward to seeing many familiar and new faces at the November session. Until then, keep innovating and making an impact!

Are you passionate about making a positive impact in your community? The team over at Wenta has a webinar covering how to transform your passion into a thriving community focused venture to create a CIC officially! Click here for details https://lnkd.in/erm58vat #SkillsTraining #BusinessAdvice #HertsInBusiness #Webinar #Community #CIC

We’re still reflecting on some of the impactful investments, collaborations and partnerships we’ve formed over the past 10 years.  We’re proud to have invested in TeamPact between 2019-2024 and being part of their journey as they continue to transform how organisations and sectors track attendance and assess their team- or group-based programmes. TeamPact is a reliable tool that increases transparency in programme attendance data in and outside ECD. Having reliable and accurate programme data easily available helps funders and stakeholders feel more confident about providing funding and resources to these programmes. Some highlights about TeamPact: 📌In 2022, TeamPact was successfully utilised by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa and The Learning Trust to track attendance data for reporting, safeguarding, and resource allocation. 📌 In 2023, the DG Murray Trust piloted TeamPact in their Zero Dropout Campaign (a national campaign focused on halving the rate of school dropout by 2030). 📌 The Job Fund’s partners, Year Beyond and Sports for Social Change Network, are using TeamPact to track 10 000 young people in jobs across South Africa. Learn more in our 2023 impact report: https://lnkd.in/dyJDA-NW. #CelebrateWithUs #10YearCelebration #InvestEarly #0to6Matters 

🌟A Monumental Milestone Achieved! 🌟 Over the weekend, we hit a phenomenal milestone—R1.2 MILLION in Founding Memberships! 💥 This is more than just a number; it’s a testament to the incredible support, belief, and vision shared by our community. To our current founding members—YOU are the mothers and fathers, the true custodians of this network’s future. You will be the ones who will witness the birth of The Lekker Network! Your contributions are shaping the very foundation of what The Lekker Network will become. You’ll have a unique opportunity to add value, contribute to the strategy, and truly be part of building this from the ground up. The capital from the Founding Membership drive is the fuel that will power this entire journey! Every rand is going directly towards building The Lekker network—from the website, the value proposition, the creative strategy, and even our exciting launch and events for the first year. This founding membership is, in essence, our runway for the first year of operations. It’s the creation capital that will bring our vision to life. This is why we’re doing this—to create a platform and a network for the community, built by the community. And the overwhelming support we’ve seen so far is proof that we’re building something truly special. We’re aiming for 100 members by the end of October. If we can hit 100, it will be a massive win for everyone involved. Let’s keep pushing and make this a reality! The future is bright, and together, we’re building something that will connect and uplift South Africans across the globe! 🌍 Let’s go! 🚀 ---- P.S. If you can't come on board as a founding member, any bit of support helps. A simple share, comment, or like can make a huge difference. We're trying to reach as many South Africans as possible, and the more people we reach, the better our chances of achieving these goals. Thank you so much, everyone! 💛 #TheLekkerNetwork #FoundingMembers #MilestoneMoment #CommunityFirst #SouthAfricansAbroad #GlobalConnections #BuildingTogether

✨ What an inspiring evening catching up with our ASCEND founders! Tonight’s ASCEND Fireside Chat brought together our incredible cohort and mentors to reflect on their key takeaways from the recent Web Summit in Lisbon and celebrate some fantastic wins! Key insights from our founders: ✅ Relationships drive business – invest in building your network and connections. ✅ Be open-minded and embrace every opportunity that comes your way. Wins worth celebrating: 👏 Closing deals and generating strong investor interest. 🤝 Forming exciting partnerships and collaborations. 🫂 Building life long friendships along the journey! A huge thank you to the amazing Christopher Maguire, for chairing tonight’s chat alongside Jonathan Symcox and Patrick Killeen. Special thanks to Dr Howard Simms for sharing how businesses can maximise their opportunities through events, and Heather Waters for offering invaluable advice on what investors look for and how to pitch successfully. 💡Stay tuned for more in-depth report from BusinessCloud! #ASCENDScaleUp2024 #Networking #FiresideChat Tony Preedy James Garner Dave Parker Dave Mansbridge Hassan 🦷 Mushaid Blal Choudhry Felix Robinson Dharmesh Bhayani James Hamilton Daniella Russo Dominic Appleby Paul Cook Lewis Keeling Gary Brandwood Tracy Johnson Kellie Noon Nick Shepherd Gaile Yeung

Could your business have an impact beyond personal profit? Social Traders, Collab4Good, and the South Australian Social Enterprise Council (SASEC) are joining forces to present ‘Business for Good – Aligning people, planet and profits’ as part of Small Business Week. This is your opportunity to be inspired by local businesses embedding social and environmental wins into their business models, and to explore what ‘ESG’ means for you 👇 #SBW2024