neighbourly.com is an SME based at the Engine Shed that has recently been making the headlines due to some impressive accomplishments: securing over £1m from angel investors and being chosen by retail giant Marks and Spencer to support their Spark Something Good Campaign. We spoke to Nick Davies, founder and CEO of neighbourly, to find out a bit more about the business.
So, what is neighbourly then?
neighbourly.com is a social platform that connects local projects with people and organisations who want to help. We do this by breaking down traditional barriers to finding and giving help: neighbourly is a friendly network of companies, individuals, charities, councils, institutions and community groups.
Describe the business in 3 words.
Inspiring. Collaborative. Action.
How long has the business been going?
We officially launched in July 2014, so just over a year.
Why did you decide to set the business up?
Trying to do community engagement at scale manually is cost-prohibitive, and more can be achieved if companies work together than if they go alone.
What’s an interesting project that you’ve been working on recently?
We recently partnered with M&S on the #sparksomethinggood initiative. It was launched by Joanna Lumley and M&S CEO Marc Bolland in July with 24 community projects supported by M&S volunteers in 24 hours. London was just the start – the programme will visit 24 UK cities in the next 24 months and aims to inspire the whole community to get involved. Neighbourly provides M&S with a single platform through which to promote Spark Something Good on a national scale. Going forward, all M&S stores will use neighbourly.com to select, manage and promote their fundraising activities with local community causes of choice in the year ahead.
How many people are there in your business?
We now have 20 employees based in the Engine Shed, Bristol Temple Meads.
What are your plans for the future of the business?
To be the global social network for good.
What do you want to see happening in Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone and around Temple Meads in the near future?
We’d love to see an expansion of the Engine Shed, creating a compelling regional proposition for the best young talent.
You can keep up to date with neighbourly on Twitter, Facebook and on their website.
