Shoppers and employees can now find it easier to see what sits behind supermarkets’ claims about supporting local communities, while also shining a light on the charities, food banks and good causes receiving that support. They can do this by clicking or scanning the new Neighbourly Mark, as a host of retailers become eligible to roll it out in stores and online.
Launched by Neighbourly, a giving platform that supports big businesses’ community impact programmes through a network of more than 45,000 vetted local charities and good causes, the Neighbourly Mark is a clickable and scannable participation badge that gives people a direct route to community activity recorded through Neighbourly.
Active partners can place the Mark on websites, apps, shop windows and workplace signage as they adopt it. By scanning or clicking on the badge, audiences can access a public Neighbourly profile showing the funding, volunteering and surplus products donated by the organisation through the platform. This gives greater visibility to the local charities and good causes receiving that support, while giving customers, employees and other audiences clearer evidence of a company’s community impact.
The Mark also makes community programmes easier for employees to find and recognise, while giving procurement teams a public record of social value delivered.
Steve Butterworth, chief executive officer of Neighbourly, said: “Businesses can say they give back to local communities, but the details are often difficult to find for the people who care about them the most and it is a delicate balance for businesses wanting to publicly evidence their support for good causes. The Neighbourly Mark provides real time proof in the places people already meet the brand; if you want to know what sits behind the claim, you can simply click or scan it.
“It is increasingly important to customers deciding who to trust, to employees who want to see what their company contributes, and to buyers looking for evidence of past social value delivery. It also makes the starting point for understanding the company’s commitment much more useful than a claim on its own.”
A corporate partner to a host of major businesses and brands, Neighbourly has delivered over £2.2 billion in social value through its platform since 2014. This included more than £47 million in local grants and funding, 347,000 hours of time-based giving, 358 million meals worth of surplus food redistributed to local charities and good causes, and 6,400 tonnes of product donations.
The founding Neighbourly Mark partners include, amongst others:
- Retail, consumer goods, food, drink, and hospitality brands:Marks & Spencer, B&Q, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi, William Hill, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), Müller, Heineken UK and Pret A Manger.
- Insurance and financial services providers:TSB, M&G, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Arrow Global, Hampshire Trust Bank, Acorn Group, Canada Life UK and Compare the Market.
- Energy, infrastructure, property, and transport organisations:Cadent, Certas Energy, the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), Amentum and Johnson Service Group.
- Technology, professional services, and place-based partners:Hays, Fleet Street Quarter BID and Mills & Reeve.
The founding organisations already use Neighbourly to deliver or record community support through funding, volunteering and surplus product redistribution. They can choose to roll out the Neighbourly Mark online and at locations.
Further organisations interested in partnering with Neighbourly and becoming eligible to display the Mark can find out more at: https://hub.neighbourly.com/for-businesses
