Neighbourly, the tech-for-good platform that helps businesses to deliver social value through local giving, employee volunteering and surplus food redistribution, has launched a new social value planning tool, with Lidl GB as the first retailer to use it.
Pulse is designed to help organisations understand hyper-local community need, plan meaningful interventions and, where appropriate, evidence delivery as part of public sector procurement. As the first retailer to sign up, Lidl GB is using Pulse to help better understand local community need and inform how it directs support through its localised giving partnership with Neighbourly.
Developed with the UK’s Procurement Act 2023 in mind, Pulse addresses a growing challenge for organisations that need to demonstrate social value delivery – whether to local authorities, central government or via planning applications. Pulse allows users to analyse deprivation and community need data, identify where support is most needed and connect directly with trusted local charities and good causes to deliver activity in the exact communities where it will have the greatest impact.
Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, said: “Pulse marks a real step forward for Neighbourly. As procurement and planning expectations evolve, organisations need to demonstrate not just that they want to do good, but that they’re doing it in an informed, considered and authentic way that meets community needs and stands up to scrutiny. Pulse gives them the insight and practical routes to deliver meaningful impact that’s both credible and efficient.”
Georgina Hall, director of corporate affairs at Lidl GB, said: “At Lidl GB, we’ve always been committed to ensuring that our support reaches the heart of the communities we serve. Being the first retailer to integrate Neighbourly’s Pulse tool is a significant step forward in making our social impact as targeted and effective as possible. By leveraging hyper-local data, we can move beyond broad commitments to deliver precision-led support directly to the areas that need it most.”
Since 2016, Lidl GB has donated 50 million meals by redistributing high-quality surplus food through its Feed it Back scheme, delivered in partnership with Neighbourly. Every Lidl store nationwide is linked to local good causes, with processes in place to ensure as much suitable surplus food as possible is donated. This new tool will allow Lidl GB to build on this, targeting the regions that need it most.
The platform has been designed for procurement and planning teams, social value managers and bid directors who are under increasing pressure to ensure their social impact is genuinely rooted in local need.
A key differentiator for Pulse is its ability to move from insight to delivery. By overlaying Neighbourly’s
For more information, visit: www.neighbourly.com
