We created The Social Value Files because we believe that most people in most companies want to do better business, and that sometimes, inspiration and practical examples can be all it takes to move from a vision to a reality.

Every month we gather together the most exciting, interesting and thought-provoking news from the wider world of social value and present them to you alongside one or two original think pieces based on our ongoing work supporting clients in this field.

You can sign up here, or keep reading to find out some of what we covered in 2020

We hope that The Social Value Files has inspired you to take action using practical ideas and tools that we believe will make a huge difference. There has been plenty to talk about this year, so in case you’ve missed anything, here are the highlights from our first seven issues.​

Highlights from 2020

1.  Diversity and discrimination
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In the first half of this year, Black Lives Matter set the world alight, highlighting a crisis that is just as urgent as Covid. In the first edition of the Social Value Files we talked about anti-racism and suggested things that all organisations should be doing now to actively tackle racism and discrimination. You can read the full list here.
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We also spoke to the founders of Radiant and Brighter who work with organisations to help them diversity their workforce and asked them to tell us more about their experience of working with companies committed to change. ​

How to build back better post Covid
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This year we’ve been exploring some of the changes that organisations in both the public and private sector should be making to support those hit hardest by Covid. These are things that will not only make a short-term difference but will help us all to build back better.

In July, we shared some simple tips for public sector procurers and suppliers to put social value into practice. These are simple changes that will immediately benefit communities, the environment and society as a whole. See all the tips here.

In the summer we explained why we think organisations should relinquish extended payment terms. Late or frozen payments have blighted small businesses throughout the pandemic and speeding up payments, pre-payments and buying in bulk can all help ease
the pressure on your supply chain. While extended payment terms were the norm pre-lockdown, we see no need to return to this outdated practice. In our view, it’s not just an obsolete finance policy, it’s bad for the economy and bad for business too. Here’s why.

If Covid has taught us one thing, it’s that we’re all connected. In November we talked about why organisations that have performed well this year should be helping out those less fortune – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it will benefit their business too. Here are our top tips for businesses that have thrived in 2020.

Practising what you preach
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​Earlier in the year we sat down with Claire Bodanis, author of “Trust Me I’m Listed” to discuss why it’s so important that organisations start to consider all of their stakeholders and non-financial value. She told us: “People are starting to recognise that value isn’t just about financial value and that there are long-term benefits to businesses that actively address these issues. Ultimately companies that continue to just prioritise profits won’t survive in the future.” You can read the full interview here.

When it comes to reputation, the leading ESG area that the public wants organisations to actively address is climate change. As many organisations continue to work remotely and keep their heads down to weather the pandemic, it’s essential that climate change doesn’t fall down the list of strategic priorities. In November, we shared these examples of sustainable social value solutions in practice.

Policy changes

​For Social Value geeks like us there has been lots of exciting milestones to talk about in 2020.

In September, the Government announced a new Social Value Model that will come into force in January and we think all organisations across the public and private sector would benefit from using the Model to guide their strategic approach to social value. Read our
thoughts here.

2020 marked ten years since the Social Value Act was first proposed as a member’s bill in parliament. We were privileged to speak to the founders, Chris White, the MP who proposed the bill; Andrew O’Brien, his then Parliamentary Aide (and now Director of External Affairs at Social Enterprise UK); and Mark Cook, the lawyer who drafted the legislation and helped negotiate its path through the Cabinet Office. You can read the full interview here and our separate Q&A with Chris White here.

Sector specific

The Social Value Files is a place where we also like to delve deeper into some of the UK’s biggest sectors and examine in more detail what organisations working within these sectors can be doing to create social value.

In the autumn, we looked at the housebuilding industry and discussed what construction companies and developers should be doing to be more responsible and ensure that infrastructure projects deliver long-term social value as well as short-term economic value.
Read our list of tips here.

If you’d like to us to cover any specific sectors or more general topics next year, then please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

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