Archive for May 2022
BD Giving Notes #9 – Leadership
We’ve all been given a chance to work together, by donors, trustees, circumstances, and the reason we’re sticking with it is because we believe we can make a difference. BD Giving has no purpose or existence without the trusted relationships that it’s made of, without the local community, and I believe interactions between colleagues should…
Read MoreBD Giving Notes #8 – What is social infrastructure and how can it help to build a cohesive and economically vibrant community?
This week, I wanted to reflect on the concept of social infrastructure. It’s a less known aspect of our work but one I believe is crucially important. Social infrastructure is a concept that is both elusive and contested. It is notoriously difficult to define, yet most voices across academia, the charity sector and government agree that the…
Read MoreBuilding trust and sharing responsibility
After the first meeting of the Community Steering GroupCommunity Steering Group (CSG)A group of local people who give their time and ideas to make Barking & Dagenham Giving’s community-led investment fund a success, now and for future generations. with BD Giving’s trustees, we spoke to a CSG member and the Chair of the Board to…
Read MoreProject work update
You have hopefully seen the updates from our Community Steering Group over the last few months, detailing their exciting journey as they put together a community-designed investment policy for the charity. The last few weeks have seen us slowly returning to in-person meetings across a number of areas of our work. Here are some updates.…
Read MoreBD Giving Notes #7 – The 3 enabling characteristics for participatory impact investment
What is the point of hoarding money in the face of social and environmental breakdown? Shouldn’t we instead invest it to support solutions that can help people, create jobs and move society towards a more virtuous relationship with our planet? As we ebb closer to the adoption of an investment policy for our Community Endowment…
Read MoreBD Giving Notes #6 – The ups and downs of building a great team
A coach once told me that if you have a well-functioning team – by which he meant a group of individuals who not only excel at their job but also work really well together – you should make the most of it because they never last. While the stakes are definitely pretty high if you…
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