Small company – big difference
Thinktastic has demonstrated that companies of any size can be an exemplar of community investment. With three employees supported by a small number of associates, the company has been able to deliver a significant difference to both the business and the communities in which it operates. The company focuses on the issues of social exclusion, educational isolation and business disengagement across Scotland and uses creativity to forge partnerships between business and the community to deliver change:
- Thinktastic believes that to effect change and shape attitudes, it is important to work with schools to foster ambition and help them connect with communities. By connecting education and business, young people are able to see the value of independent thinking whilst business can tap into this creativity. In support of this, the company has worked in partnership with Craigroyston School to develop a communications strategy to engage young people, parents and local community. The company supported the school in creating a marketing prospectus and supported brand development work with pupils. This has meant that the school has reached 80% capacity and parental involvement has increased from 33% to 50%. 200 pupils have also been able engaged in partnerships with another school through educational exchanges, media work and participation in external events such as the launch of Leith FM.
- Thinktastic helped in the launch of 500 Miles, a charity that supports amputees and other disabled people in Malawi and Zambia by developing and delivering prosthetic and orthotic services. Thinktastic created the branding and materials for an event that raised £260,000 for 500 miles, and created on- and offline branding and fundraising collateral for the charity. Through its networks, the company were also able to create a connection with The Proclaimers, resulting in their performing live at the event and their giving permission for the use of the 500 Miles name and song. Such support enables 500 Miles to provide 80 prostheses per week in Malawi and 20 in Zambia. As a result of this involvement, demand for the company’s motivational speaking services have increased by 400% and led to the awarding of contracts and work with British Gas, Scottish & Southern Energy and RBS.
Convening business
Engaging business in support of community investment is fundamental to Thinktastic’s work and creating partnerships with community organisations. The company has facilitated or run 50 events in the last year, ranging from neighbourhood partnership evenings across Edinburgh to whisky tasting evenings, to bring together businesses and the community. Thinktastic shapes the format of events to raise ambitions, promote partnerships, enabling organisations that would not normally meet to come together. This has resulted in new relationships, from work experience opportunities to new business partnerships. The company has involved its education partners, Craigroyston School and St George’s School for Girls, who have benefited from 200 individual exchanges between the schools and external organisations.
To support this work in the future, the company is working with The Herald Society Awards, run in conjunction with The Herald and the Big Lottery, to provide a framework for collaboration between organisations attending the Awards. As a result, Thinktastic aims to create five new partnerships involving twelve organisations, which it will both facilitate and provide marketing and communications input.
For more information on Thinktastic’s approach to community investment, please visit http://www.thinktastic.co.uk/community_mark.php
