Impact Sourcing continues to be a key driver for many businesses looking at outsourcing whilst working alongside their CSR.
We are seeing it more and more as a significant part of an RFP, with senior executives really trying to make a difference. The benefits of the model are clear, both in the working environment and on the balance sheet where we can see increased employee engagement and lower attrition rates.
There are now strategic decisions on vendor selection being made with inclusive hiring and meaningful employment an important criteria and support from the enterprise community is stronger than ever.
In my role as the Founder of Intelligent Sourcing and more recently The Impact Sourcing Alliance I have been lucky enough to travel to different countries and see how this works first hand.
Impact Sourcing isn’t charity and certainly isn’t a concept just relevant to what we might consider lesser developed geographies. I have seen great examples not only across Africa but also in the US, Europe as Asia of how it can change lives and corporate cultures for the better. It is also not exclusive to disadvantaged youth with several other groups including forces levers, the disabled, single parent families and ex-offenders joining the workforce and being given opportunities to succeed through impact Sourcing.
The Impact Sourcing Alliance is there to shine a light on the topic and champion those vendors that are making a difference. It is also there to shout about the great work our partners including Everest Group, IAOP and Thrive are doing to change lives.
I have met some phenomenal people on my journey from those that have been at their lowest and are now supporting themselves and their families after being given a chance to those that are helping to drive this agenda and are influencing decision and policy makers globally.
Unfortunately, we lost two trailblazers this year who had the vision to see what Impact Sourcing could do.
Graeme Matheson was the Planning & Performance Lead at John Lewis & Partners and was someone that would regularly come to my events. He was always interested in wanting to provide opportunities for those that needed it, and we often spoke about the youth in South Africa and the value attached. When he was ready, I put him in contact with a great friend of mine, Traci Freeman, who arranged for him to go over and see what was on offer. Not long after his trip he made his decision to invest. Later that year he attended a graduation at Shadow Careers to see his first group of individuals become work ready for John Lewis and was immensely proud.
You cannot talk about Impact Sourcing without talking about Dan Lang. I met Dan through his work with the IAOP Social Impact Chapter and it was clear from day one he was a force in our industry and was determined to make Impact Sourcing his mission. He was always someone you wanted to be around and could often be fond surrounded by his peers’ telling stories of his time in the industry. I spoke with Dan a few days before his passing where he simply called to tell me how much he believed in what I was trying to do and wanted to be part of it.
Both will be sorely missed.
