neighbourly is a social network connecting community champions and small charities with big business, in order to tackle social issues at a local level. Started in October 2013, it has attracted 110 projects and counting, and will pair them with socially responsible companies that can help.
The neighbourly team knew that finding support for community projects manually could be time consuming, and saw technology as the way forward. They sought the support of Richard Gillies, a former executive director of Marks & Spencer's Plan A, whose enthusiasm helped them secure the funding to build a digital marketplace and bring the idea to life.
Individuals or groups striving to improve their communities can use the neighbourly platform for free as a space to tell their story, seek local support and ask businesses for cash and in-kind donations. Companies pay a subscription to find local projects tackling the social issues relevant to their business, and can also use the service to report on community support programmes.
neighbourly launched the community side of the platform a few months before the corporate side went live in February 2014, attracting more than 100 companies through social media and word of mouth. M&S, Carphone Warehouse and BDO becoming founding partners, and many more have expressed their willingness to be involved.
The team plans to create a "neighbourly foundation" in 2014, which will fund deserving projects using a percentage of the profits from company subscriptions and external donations. It is also working with a variety of organisations in Bath, including Bath University, to understand how the neighbourly platform could help local collaborations to achieve more, with a view to sharing this approach with cities across the UK.
Katharine Earley is a journalist and copywriter, specialising in sustainability.
The Guardian Sustainable Business Sustainability Case Studies contain articles on all the initiatives that met the criteria for the GSB Awards.
