Deloitte Social Innovation Pioneers

We have great stories from some of our Pioneers about the projects we’ve undertaken with them. Read more. You can also learn more by watching our film. Have we made an impact?

Programme highlights six months into the programme  |  Programme impact  

Programme highlights six months into the programme  

• 1,300 volunteer hours delivered by over 130 of our people, in addition to 1,500 hours of pro-bono support
• A range of pro-bono projects delivered covering areas such as strategy support, financial modelling, corporate property advice, website development and impact measurement
• Over half of the Pioneers have received a communication health checks delivered by programme partners Matter&Co, which have been invaluable in helping the Pioneers improve their marketing and communication
• A number of skills workshops, delivered on subjects such as social impact, business planning, customer and sales strategy, presentation skills, digital strategy, financial modelling and leadership
• Deloitte has been approved as a provider for the Government’s Investment Contract Readiness Fund and have already been successful on one bid with one of our Pioneers
• Working with social enterprises has helped us innovative as a firm in areas such as procurement, supply chain, recruitment, sustainability and volunteering. We are currently working on developing long-term business partnerships with a number of our Pioneers

“I have considerably built my networks and my awareness of expertise across the firm” Deloitte volunteer

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Programme impact  

To inform the ongoing development of the programme and to allow us to obtain a better understanding of our impact to date, in December 2012 we commissioned SEUK to conduct an independent evaluation on the programme. Some of their findings include:

• Pioneers highly value being treated like a Deloitte client; 80% of Pioneers described the support of their Deloitte relationship management team as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.
• Relationship managers and specific pieces of work (e.g. pro bono) are the most highly valued areas of the programme.
• ‘skills and expertise’ is the area of greatest impact on organisations, as well as ‘strategic thinking’, particularly for smaller organisations.
• Based on data collected to date, the most up to date figures indicate that:
• Pioneer average growth is 62%
• 76% of Pioneers have increased staff numbers since the same time last year, with 139 new full-time jobs created

“The Pioneer programme adds real value to social businesses, rather than just being a CSR marketing exercise for Deloitte. It’s also evident that there is real passion and commitment from the Pioneer team to make this happen.” Deloitte Social Innovation Pioneer

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We will be opening applications for 2 weeks from 22 March. All organisations applying need to be available on either the  15th, 16th, 17th April for a 45 minute interview at Deloitte offices in London.  Applicants will be informed if they have been successful by the end of April.

22 March – Applications open (one stage application process)

21 April – Applications close

For applications received before the 7th of April interviews will still take place between 14th-16th of April. All other interviews will be scheduled for w/c29th April.

Early May – Successful organisations informed

Late May - Scoping of Selected Pioneers requirements

June - New relationships commence

You will have access to a broad  range of services within Deloitte allowing us to  tailor the offering to the individual organisation’s needs. Some of the key elements of this support are highlighted below. We have great stories from some of our Pioneers about the projects we’ve undertaken with them. Read more.

Relationship team  |  Knowledge sharing  |  Pro-Bono  |  Clients and networking  |  Supply chain and procurement  |  PR and promotion  

Relationship team 

Each Pioneer will be assigned a Deloitte team to support their interaction with Deloitte during the programme.

"They walk us through whatever tricky situations we have to deal with. Everybody from Deloitte is so positive. I get the feeling that it’s really fun for them to have a client that isn’t demanding, where they have so much expertise to help us." - Kresse Wesling, Co-Founder, Elvis and Kresse

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Knowledge sharing 

We will run 4 compulsory events a year that will provide knowledge sharing in the form of bespoke 1 to 1 clinics with appropriate Deloitte subject matter experts and networking opportunities with each other, Deloitte staff and our clients.

"I also just wanted to say how incredibly useful I found the training session. Having come to it as someone with a big fear of public speaking, it increased my confidence and gave me the tools to start acting to do something about it." Emily Dunning, Student Hubs

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Pro-Bono 

Opportunity to pitch for pro- bono support.  Pioneer support teams will identify pro-bono projects which support delivery of overall programme and organisational objectives. Examples of some of the projects we have undertaken with this years cohort include.; operational review, building a financial model, customer analysis, support in acquisition of a new building, developing a website, strategy support etc.

"The pro bono piece was a fantastic body of work that has consolidated a great deal of thinking and has the potential to transform the business going forward." - Diane Burridge, CFO East Lancashire Moneyline

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Clients and networking 

"It is this brokerage of contacts, introductions and networks within Deloitte that has been by far the most valuable of the programme."

"It is this brokerage of contacts, introductions and networks within Deloitte that has been by far the most valuable of the programme." - Matthew Linnecar, Gnewt Cargo.

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Supply chain and procurement 

Where appropriate, we will help find and implement supply chain and procurement opportunities within Deloitte and our clients. E.g products and services being used in our office and people being employed by us or our associates.

"You are changing our business in its entirety ... not just a small part of it. We therefore hugely value the relationship and the advice the programme brings." - Mark Shearer, Project Dirt

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PR and promotion 

Pioneers will receive numerous PR opportunities through engagement in the programme. This will include promotion of their organisation and or service or product.

"The Pioneer programme adds real value to social businesses, rather than just being a CSR marketing exercise for Deloitte." - Mick May, BlueSky

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Please note that all nominations will be assessed on these criteria

Essential

• Clear measurable social impact
• Businesses with an  Innovative idea/product/service
• Minimum of two years of trading accounts with year on year growth
• Clear business model with over 50% of revenue generated through delivery of services or sales
• Clear and realistic articulation from the business about the type of support and assistance they require from Deloitte
• Strong leadership that are willing to commit to the programme and are able to articulate how the organisation will support the programme and implement the advice and guidance provided

Desirable but non-essential

• Supply chain or JV opportunities for Deloitte

Do not apply if:

• You have not been trading for more than 2 years
• Less than 50% of your revenue is generated through delivery of services or sales
• You are unable to articulate your social impact
• You don’t have the capacity to full commitment to the programme

What happens if my application is successful?

If you are successful you will receive an invite to a 60 minute panel interview

When will the panel interviews take place?

All interviews will be scheduled for w/c 29th April.

When will the final list of Pioneers be announced?

The final list of Pioneers will be announced at the beginning of May.