Awards

“I hope to see a better world for every living organism.”

Bronagh Loughlin — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 11:41:52 +0000

“I hope to see a better world for every living organism.”

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Sustainability

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Sustainability

Awards

Courageous sustainability leader, Godfrey Mchunguzi Oyema, has been recognised for his extensive work in advocacy and igniting change.

The importance of leaders within the sustainability sector cannot be overstated. Sustainability leaders have the skills and courage to challenge industries and business as usual, while acting as the voice for the people.

The Sustainability Leader of the Year Award hosted by the Earth Mother Community non-profit organisation aims to recognise the work of leaders fighting climate change and making the world a better place for all.

Winner of this year’s award, Godfrey Mchunguzi Oyema, works as Assistant Environmental Officer with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and shares his thoughts on what keeps him going.

His career background has extensively been in wildlife conservation, human ecology, and sustainability, which lead him to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Kasulu, Tanzania.

Additionally, Godfrey uses his social media networks to spread awareness of the environmental issues we currently face and encourage people to take action.

His passion for advocating for sustainability issues was ignited during his school years.

“It’s been quite a journey; I’ve worked with many different organisations in environmental conservation, biodiversity, and wildlife protection,” Godfrey says.

He shares that his personal motivation for his work is to “see a better world for every living organism.”

Godfrey Mchunguzi Oyema, sustainability expert and activist, winner of the Sustainability Leader of the Year Award

Godfrey further explains:

“When I say every living organism, I speak about people, plants, and animals.

Without a better, balanced world regarding the environment, economy, and society, our lives, businesses, communities, and societies cannot be what they are.

So putting these three components together really motivates me to ensure they stay in balance for all living organisms on this planet.”

He kickstarted his sustainability career in 2010, working with the Tanzania Commission for Science & Technology as their Associate Country Programme Coordinator. In this role, Godfrey established the Tanzania Biodiversity Information Facility (TanBIF) Portal and co-published the first-ever National Biota Checklist, which included more than 13,000 biological species.

Godrey now serves as the Assistant Environmental Officer at UNHCR.

Following his work here, Godfrey went on to work as the Senior Biodiversity Officer at a consultancy company, where he continued to shine as an expert in biodiversity and environmental management.

His impressive career continued as he began working as the Environmental Compliance & Forestry Manager for Unilever in 2015. Here he was responsible for implementing their Sustainable Living Plan, which linked environmental objectives to business operations.

While working with Unilever, Godfrey achieved the Rainforest Alliance Certificate for three consecutive years and created numerous plans to prevent biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems.

Also, he worked on the development and implementation of their Environmental and Social Strategies.

Later, he worked as a Freelance Consultant, providing professional advice and expertise on sustainability issues using his diverse experience.

Now, he serves as the Assistant Environmental Officer at UNHCR. His work with this refugee agency has centred around offering advice on alternative sustainable cooking energy programmes, ensuring they are sustainable and compliant.

Godfrey shares what keeps him going:

“The issue of sustainability needs to start from home, and this needs to rise from the fact that environmental resources are vital to us. We need to protect, conserve, and sustainably use these limited natural resources.

My value has always been to be a custodian and take the responsibility of managing our limited natural resources and taking this knowledge to the general public, family, friends, and colleagues.”

He strongly believes we all must do this to ensure a balanced world for all living organisms. Godfrey is also harnessing the power of social media to drive change:

“I speak to groups, people one-on-one, and communities to discuss our current problems. Social media has provided us with a great platform to do this!”

About winning the Sustainability Leader of the Year award, he shares:

“For me, winning this award means so much. This is my first-ever sustainability award with global recognition. The award only motivates me to do more work in this area and continue inspiring others to do right by the environment.

It means so much in terms of my career and is a huge personal milestone for me.”

Organisers of this award believe that we need more courageous sustainability leaders taking risks and leading the way, but we also need to support them on their journey.

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July 2022

Environmental leaders received prestigious UNEP Champions of the Earth awards

Business Spirit News reporting — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:03:51 +0000

Environmental leaders received prestigious UNEP Champions of the Earth awards

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2021 Laureates of the Champions of the Earth have been announced in four categories, receiving the United Nations’ highest environmental honours for their work.

The annual Champions of the Earth awards, hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) since 2005, were handed to exceptional leaders who have a transformative impact on the environment and represent bold leadership in taking action on behalf of people and the planet.

Awardees in 2021 were chosen from a record number of nominations in four categories: Inspiration and Action, Policy Leadership, Entrepreneurial Vision, and Science and Innovation.

“As we enter into a decisive decade, to cut emissions and protect and restore ecosystems, UNEP’s Champions of the Earth demonstrate that all of us can contribute. Every single act for nature counts. The entire spectrum of humanity has both a global responsibility and a profound opportunity,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

Andersen highlighted that this year’s Champions are women who ‘not only inspire us, but also remind us that we have in our hands the solutions, the knowledge and the technology to limit climate change and avoid ecological collapse’.

2021 Champions of the Earth:

Policy Leadership category - Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados

Awarded for her powerful voice for a sustainable world from the global south, she consistently raises the alarm about the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States due to the climate crises.

The Prime Minister is a driving force for climate action across the Latin American and Caribbean region. Under her leadership, Barbados has adopted ambitious renewable energy targets, committing to a fossil-fuel-free electricity sector and transport by 2030.

At the same time, Barbados is implementing numerous conservation and restoration projects, from forests, through cities, to the coastline and the ocean.

She also co-chairs the One Health Global Leaders' Group on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Inspiration and Action category - The Sea Women of Melanesia

The award goes to this organisation in recognition for their work in training local women to monitor and assess the impacts of widespread coral bleaching on some of the world's most endangered reefs using marine science and technology.

“When you train a woman, you train a society,” said Evangelista Apelis, a SeaWoman and co-director of the SeaWomen programme based in Papua New Guinea.

“We're trying to educate women, get women on board, so they can then go back and make an impact in their own families and their society as well."

Inspiration and Action category winner of the Champions of the Earth: The Sea Women of Melanesia

Science and Innovation category - Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda

She was the first-ever wildlife veterinarian of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and is a recognised world authority on primates and zoonotic diseases.

As the founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), she leads the implementation of three integrated strategic programs using the ‘One Health’ approach. Kalema-Zikusoka, says that she hopes she will inspire young Africans to choose careers in conservation.

“There is a lack of local representation among conservationists. Not many are from the places where endangered animals are found,” she said. “We need more local champions, because these are the people who will become decision-makers for their communities and countries.”

Entrepreneurial Vision category - Maria Kolesnikova, Kyrgyz Republic

She is an environmental activist, youth advocate and head of MoveGreen, an organisation working to monitor and improve air quality in Central Asia.

Under her leadership, the organisation developed an app called AQ.kg, which collects data every 20 minutes from the two largest Kyrgyz cities, Bishkek and Osh, about the concentration of pollutants in the air, including PM2.5, and PM10 and nitrogen dioxide.

“So often, you can get demotivated as an activist – you work so hard, don't see results of your endeavors and, finally, you feel like you don’t want to keep going. But then you realise, no. Someone has to take responsibility for the future. Why shouldn’t it be me?” Kolesnikova says about what drives her to make change.

Meet the Champions of the Earth 2021

The Champions of the Earth award aims to amplify the impact of leaders working on the environmental frontlines and inspire others to take action in addressing the triple planetary crisis.

The honour goes to individuals, groups, and organisations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment and recognises outstanding leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector.

This year’s award reflects on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs until 2030, coinciding with the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Headline image: Evgeny Tchebotarev from Pexels

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December 2021

Early-stage startups in Berlin can apply for business award

Business Spirit News reporting — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 11:11:00 +0000

Early-stage startups in Berlin can apply for business award

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The Berlin Newcomer Startup Award is open for business ideas that are not yet on the market.

The Berlin Newcomer Startup Award 2021, managed by Singa Business Lab, is looking for newcomers with great business ideas who are not yet on the market.

Early-stage businesses that are on the verge of turning their concept into reality, but who may still be lacking capital, contacts or advice can apply for the award to receive support and get recognised.

With digital event formats ranging from Q&A sessions and networking events to the pitches at the award show, organisers want to enable more people to get involved.

The winner of the award can access up to 10.000€ seed capital, and additional coaching budgets, while the amount of seed capital in total is 27.500€ to be split between finalists.

Besides finalist projects get to enjoy more visibility and opportunities for networking and co-creation sessions.

Applications can be submitted online by the end of 2nd November.

Eligibility criteria to apply for the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award:

Live in Berlin, Germany.
Moved to Germany within the last 8 years, i.e. in 2013 or later.
The applicant has the nationality of one of the countries from the DAC List of ODA Recipients.
Aged over 18 years.

The six finalists preselected by the jury will be presented on the award's website for 2 weeks where public can vote on their favorite project.

Winner of the public voting will we rewarded with an extra prize of 5.000€ and 2.500€ additional budget for coaching and consulting.

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November 2021

Twelve European impact focused start-ups receive awards

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 15:48:57 +0000

Twelve European impact focused start-ups receive awards

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The Impact Shakers Awards shine a light on businesses with a positive impact on society and the environment.

The inaugural Impact Shakers Awards aiming to create a supportive environment for impact-driven start-ups and scale-ups, announced its winners.

The award is inspired by the doughnut economics model that maps human prosperity according to a social foundation and an ecological ceiling.

Winning teams were selected by an expert panel of jury and public voting in twelve categories reflecting on the concept of the doughnut economy: Energy, Water, Food, Health, Education, Income & Work, Peace & Justice, Political Voice, Social Equity, Gender Equality, Housing & Networks.

Twelve winners of the Impact Shakers Awards 2021 European edition

The twelve selected start-ups will be invited to participate in an intensive bootcamp to secure alternative funding and get access to a prize package with valuable tools and workshops for impact entrepreneurs valued at 20.000 euros.

They also will become part of the global Impact Shakers ecosystem and receive access to unique networking opportunities with highly sought after mentors, business angels and impact founders across the globe.

Winning start-ups:

Energy: Charm Impact (Borehamwood, UK) is an impact investing platform that crowdsources loans for clean energy start-ups in developing countries.
Water: BitaGreen (Leuven, Belgium) offers nature-based solutions for urban water management and quality of life.
Health: ResHub (Dublin, Ireland) ResHub is a resident engagement for Aged Care Providers who provide residential care to older adults, from independent living, assisted living, senior living to nursing home settings. •
Gender equality: TaskHer (London, UK) champions women in skilled manual trades.

“We are absolutely thrilled that the work TaskHer is doing has been acknowledged by such a notable panel of judges and awarding body. This award for Gender Equality further validates the pressing need to shift the gender imbalance in this multi-billion pound industry.

Thank you very much to everyone who voted for TaskHer, it means so much to us.”- the TaskHer team recalls winning the award.

Food: LAM'ON (Sofia, Bulgaria) Ltd produces and sells 100% biodegradable and suitable for compost laminating film called LAM'ON and packaging foil - PACK'ON.
Political voice: The Newsroom (Lissabon, Portugal) The Newsroom fights misinformation and promotes plurality online.
Housing: nestful (London, UK) helps those seeking affordable accommodation to co-live with seniors aged 50+ with rooms to spare.
Education: Ecolytiq (Berlin, Germany) Ecolytiq enables banks, fintech companies and financial service providers to show their customers the personal impact of their purchasing behaviour on the environment in real-time.

David Lais, Co-founder and CPO at Ecolytiq, explains why this award is an important step on their journey:

”One of the most powerful tools at our disposal in fighting climate change is education. It is through education that we create awareness and inspire the action needed to solve one of humanity's most pressing issues. That is why we are so happy the Impact Shakers see it the same way we do!”

Income & work: Lightning Social Ventures (London, UK) helps people in financial hardship to receive super fast support and recover from shocks.
Peace & justice: Amurabi (Paris, France) bridges the gap between the law and its users: empowering all users to actually understand and exercise their rights.
Networks: Maanch (Londen, Verenigd Koninkrijk) develops technology to measure, monitor and report on the impact of investments, organisations and philanthropy, through the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Social equality: TIIQU (London, UK) is a trust mechanism continuously fed by blockchain-based certificates. They build trusted ecosystems for a modern, inclusive and fair society.

The awards are a part of the broader Impact Shakers ecosystem, the driving force behind the awards, which tackles complex societal challenges through inclusive entrepreneurship and aims to expand opportunities and capacity further to grow.

The organisation is currently developing their impact investment projects and will launch an accelerator later this year. Organisers will also introduce the Impact Shakers Awards in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region after the Summer.

Headline image: Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

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July 2021

Public voting is open to select winners of the first Impact Shakers Awards

Anonymous — Thu, 27 May 2021 11:31:45 +0000

Public voting is open to select winners of the first Impact Shakers Awards

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Social Entrepreneurship

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Social Impact

People are invited from all over Europe to vote for the most innovative impact-driven startups and scale-ups.

Public voting is open until June 18th 2021, to select winners of the first Impact Shakers Awards that takes its inspiration from the doughnut economics model, which maps human prosperity according to a social foundation and ecological ceiling.

Applications were submitted from 24 countries, and an expert panel of jury selected 48 projects that made it to the final round.

Using simple online voting, people can now decide which innovative startup or scale-up will become category winners.

The public can pick winners in twelve categories: Energy, Water, Food, Health, Education, Income & Work, Peace & Justice, Political Voice, Social Equity, Gender Equality, Housing & Networks.

Top 10 countries and cities represented at The Impact Shakers Awards

Finalist projects present various solutions to tackle pressing social, environmental challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset, focusing on data-driven technologies, capturing carbon from the atmosphere, mental health issues, plastic pollution, and more.

Winners will be announced on June 21st and receive access to unique networking opportunities, prizes to accelerate business growth and be invited to participate in an intensive bootcamp to secure alternative funding.

Partners offering prizes for best projects include Quest Impact Design Studio, EVPA, Mikme, SeedTribe, UpEffect, Business Spirit Platform and Adobe.

Yonca Braeckman, CEO of Impact Shakers and founder of the award, said:

“It’s the first time we used the doughnut economics model to work with impact startups, and we can say it’s an excellent and educational first edition.

We’ll continue to research how we can implement insight, collect more data, and measure impact.

At this point, we found significantly more impact startups in the categories energy, health, income & work and food, while there were far fewer in the categories peace & justice, political voice and water.”

Impact Shakers, the organiser behind The Impact Shakers Awards, aims to create a supportive ecosystem in which impact-driven startups can grow into solid and scalable businesses and bridge the gap between impact and profit.

“It’s really great to be able to prove with data what we’ve been sensing for a while: founders of impact startups are more diverse.

Over 80% of the applicants had at least one ‘under-represented founder’ on their team.

Another remarkable trend: many already found interested business angels—even with an impact-driven business model,” says Braeckman about the added value of organising the first edition of the Impact Shakers Awards.

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May 2021

Award is open for sustainable and inclusive European startups

Anonymous — Tue, 04 May 2021 11:52:42 +0000

Award is open for sustainable and inclusive European startups

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Applications for the Impact Shakers Awards are open to European startups and scaleups that positively impact society and the environment.

For the first time, more than 40 impact ecosystem players from all over Europe, including incubators, accelerators, investors and networking organisations, are rallying behind the same cause.

Impact Shaker, organisers of the Impact Shakers Awards, wanted to create a space where impact-driven startups can grow stronger and scale their business idea to bridge the gap between social, environmental impact and profit.

Startups and scaleups from all over Europe can apply until May 7th for the awards inspired by the doughnut economics model that maps human prosperity according to a social foundation and an ecological ceiling.

Yonca Braeckman, CEO of Impact Shakers and co-founder of the Impact Shakers Awards

An international expert jury will pick winners in twelve categories: Energy, Water, Food, Health, Education, Income & Work, Peace & Justice, Political Voice, Social Equity, Gender Equality, Housing & Networks.

Yonca Braeckman, CEO of Impact Shakers lead organiser and co-founder of the awards, said:

“Impact should be a logical part of every business model.

With Impact Shakers, we want to bring about a systemic shift that fosters more diverse entrepreneurship and success.

In 2019, 200 of the CEOs of the top Fortune 500 issued a statement declaring that delivering shareholder value was no longer the chief focus and that value needed to extend to the employees, suppliers and environment.”

The public can also cast their vote over a month-long period, and winners will be announced on June 21st during an online Awards Show.

“One advantage of the awards show is the spotlight it shines on businesses that work in harmony with society and the environment.

By recognising inclusive and sustainable businesses, people can better visualise meaningful alternatives to profit-only enterprises that overuse resources and undervalue segments of the population.

It’s not that profit isn’t important, but it is no longer the only important factor,” says Braeckman.

On top of the Awards, there will be additional supports to help selected startups embrace their idea.

The winners in each category will get to participate in a unique Masterclass to help them 'Raise Alternative Funding', and as part of the program they will get to interact with the top founders in their region and learn from experts as well as peers.

The Impact Shakers Awards are open to European startups and scaleups that positively impact society and the environment; Image: Impact Shakers

At the same time, other prizes include impact service design offered by Quest, tickets to the EVPA (European Venture Philanthropy Association) Annual Conference, UpEffect scholarship for crowdfunding, free upgrade on the SeedTribe platform to o be exposed to a global network of over 250,000 investors from around the world, and more.

Braeckman adds: “We’re launching a warm call for accelerators, investors and all those who care about sustainability, social impact and inclusivity, to encourage startups to apply and be a part of an impactful positive future.”

The Impact Shakers, who is the driving force behind the awards, tackles complex societal challenges through inclusive entrepreneurship and aims to expand opportunities and capacity further to grow.

Together with partners, they created the Impact Shakers Lab to create experimental entrepreneurship programmes.

Here they work with underserved communities and explore new educational methods to help more diverse audiences start using entrepreneurship as a problem-solving method.

They will be launching their own micro-investment fund and accelerator later in 2021.

“We believe in people — especially when they have succeeded against all odds.

If you can get through tough times, break through barriers, then you can also build a company.

Resilience and problem-solving capabilities are ideal breeding grounds for entrepreneurship.

We work to bring out the potential from all walks of life and to incorporate inclusion in every detail,” explains Braeckman.

Headline image: Impact Shakers Awards

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May 2021

Social Innovators in Dublin received €50,000 funding to realise greater impact

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 13:31:39 +0000

Social Innovators in Dublin received €50,000 funding to realise greater impact

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Five social innovation projects received significant funding in Dublin to bring more benefits to communities and economy

The annual Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards 2020 took place in early November, as a fully online ceremony in line with the Irish government Covid-restrictions.

At the ceremony, five awardees received funding from a total pool of €50,000 along with supports which will assist their social enterprises in achieving a greater impact among the individuals and communities that they serve.

Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards 2020

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu delivered the keynote address in which she praised the awardees:

“This year’s Dublin City Social Enterprise awardees are actively and innovatively working to address inadequacies, contradictions and underlying issues within our city.

They are delivering change, progress and hope to individuals and communities while also bringing about economic, community and policy benefits.”

The social challenges that the awardees are seeking to address include: diversity, social inclusion, disability, unemployment, mental health, family support, old-age care, education and sustainability.

This year’s Dublin City Social Enterprise awardees:

Outhouse, the LGBT Community Resource Centre.
The Open Doors Initiative provides opportunities to some of the marginalised members of the society.
MyMind has created a unique movement for community-based mental health services that work towards giving every person in Ireland equal access to mental health support early, affordably, directly, without stigma or delay.
The Great Care Co-op is Ireland's first ever carer-owned cooperative in home care.
ReCreate Ireland is making art materials and educational supplies affordable and accessible to every sector of the community for all kinds of creative purposes.

Chair of the Dublin City Social Enterprise Committee and MC of the ceremony, Mary Mac Sweeney congratulated the awardees.

She highlighted the importance of raising awareness of both the awardees and social enterprises in general. ‘It is so important that we collectively promote the significant impact that social enterprises deliver in local communities and economies. The awardees, along with an increasing and dynamic array of social enterprises in Dublin, are creating employment, opportunities and improvements where they are based’. said Mac Sweeney.

“This award is going to allow us to work with fifty Primary Schools within Dublin City.

We are going to deliver fifty boxes packed full of materials directly to these schools, which will be accompanied by some creative consultation sessions.

Schools will also get a full membership until the end of 2021 which will give them the chance to continue being creative with minimal environmental impact.”

Kevin McLoughlin, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Recreate Ireland

says Kevin McLoughlin, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Recreate Ireland, about what this award means to them.

The Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards seeks to celebrate and support innovative social enterprises, highlighting their role in the city’s ecosystem.

Great Care Co-op social enterprise - awardee of Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards 2020

Aoife Smith, co-founder and director of Great Care Co-op social enterprise, explains how this award can open up new opportunities to create value in the community through their work.

“We started off to support disadvantaged migrant women in home care and to create equal opportunities in this sector for all. We see that our way of operating will bring a real systemic change in the home care system in Ireland.

With the financial support of this award, we will be able to set up a hub, which usually takes up to six months to sustain itself. This is going to be crucial for us in getting this model out there.”

The programme and competition aim to increase awareness of the important contribution that social enterprises make to building communities, creating employment and developing the skills of the participants who get involved.

The awards are funded by Dublin City Council and the Department of Rural and Community Development and are managed by Inner City Enterprise.

The funding awarded to social enterprises will allow them to develop their plans, activities further and bring benefits to more individuals and communities.

The scheme was first established in 2015 through a collaboration between Dublin City Council, Inner City Enterprise (ICE) and the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City to provide funding to kick-start the creation and development of social enterprises in Dublin City.

This year’s award ceremony was part of a series - which represents Dublin's involvement in the European Commission’s: European Social Economy Regions - 2020 Project. The objective of the project is to build networks of Social Economy and Social Enterprise stakeholders and to raise awareness about the Social Economy at the regional and local level.

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Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards

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November 2020

From school project to multi-award winning business

Szilvia Szabó — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 10:50:28 +0000

From school project to multi-award winning business

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Business

Responsible Innovation

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Business

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Irish company is paving the way for startups to drive positive change.

Is it too ambitious for a startup to drive positive change and make a profit at the same time? Lizzy Hayashida and Willie Conaghan are on a mission to build a community of everyday philanthropists, donating one cent at a time to not-for-profits across the globe. The platform is easy to use: each time you pay by card, it will round up your purchase to the nearest euro and donate your spare change to the charities of your choice.

In reality, they are changing so much more than the way we donate.

More than a school project

Lizzy: Change Donations started as a school project, and we were lucky to have lots of help which allowed us to get as far as we are today. When we first set out, we had big ambitions, and we knew we really wanted to make an impact.

It still feels a bit surreal and hard to believe that this time in 2018, we were finishing up our MBA course at Trinity College in Dublin and starting the LaunchBox accelerator program.

We spent the whole summer working on the platform. We talked to as many people as we could, refined our presentation and developed our MVP, all while finishing the MBA. It was a lot of hard work and such a team effort which allowed us to go on to win the LaunchBox program. I wish someone had taken a picture of the shock on all of our faces!

It was a great moment, and I think that gave us the confidence to really push forward with the platform. We realized that we actually have the chance to create something that both donors and charities needed. That was such a liberating feeling.

Willie: .Just before Christmas 2017, we decided that this idea had legs and we wanted to run with it. There wasn't really any doubt about committing to the idea. It was mainly a discussion about the best steps to make it happen.

Business model built on everyday philanthropy

Willie: I have always been incredibly passionate about giving back and wanted to find a career path that I believed in. I had gone through 8 years of Jesuit education, so the prayer for generosity has been drilled into my head for a while now.

We all know that profit is necessary, and you have to have a sustainable business model to continue to operate. Still I think the public sector is finally pushing back and forcing companies to think beyond their bottom line.

We’re committed to building a community of everyday philanthropists, empowering people to make a positive impact on their community through their daily spending.

Lizzy: We’re lucky to live in a time where there’s a growing trend toward making a profit with purpose.

For us, it was more a case of figuring out how we could create a sustainable business from our purpose vs how to make more than just a profit.

We’ve had so many learnings so far. One of the biggest for me has been the importance of clear communication; not just with each other, but in general: letting friends, family, charities and donors know what we’re working on and what we’re struggling with.

It was talking to the charities that convinced us that there was a real need.

The more open we are, the more manageable things become, and it’s been a pleasant surprise to see how ready and willing people are to help.

Willie: We are Americans, and I believe that we are conditioned to think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Therefore we have a tough time admitting when we need a hand.

The biggest learning from the past two years is: ask for help.

The startup life is lonely enough as it is, so seeks out all of the help you can get. There are so many organizations, government bodies, and public support systems that offer support.

Winning the Business SPIRIT Award in 2018 was one of the first steps to start showing what we've been working on.

My favourite memory is probably winning the Ones2Watch pitching competition at the Futurescope conference in 2019, Dublin. There were so many great teams with incredible businesses, and we were just happy to be talked about in the same breath as them. Our traction and public profile started to pick up after that, and it gave us some positive momentum.

Everyday challenges

Willie: Everything is moving incredibly fast, we are working around the clock and there aren’t enough hours in the day. However, we love the energy and excitement that the public has shown us, and we are so thankful for the support we have been given from various organizations.

I tend to stay pretty even keel on an emotional level, so I take the victory and defeat with virtually the same attitude. One of my favourite sayings is “this too shall pass” which tends to be a quote used by many to get through tough times.

For me, it’s a good reminder that the nature of a startup is extremely volatile, and I need to regulate my state of mind to make sure that I don't lose focus.

Lizzy: About this time last year, we built a 5-year roadmap which helped us understand where we were and where we wanted to be. From there, we were able to work backwards, marking out milestones to help us get there.

Of course, many things have changed since we laid out our first version of that roadmap.

As a team of two, it’s easy enough just to talk through anything we need help on, but there also aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, so we have to divide and conquer the tasks.

Sometimes it can be frustrating when things take longer than expected, but that’s part of being a startup. Overall, having a plan has helped us set goals and prioritize (and reprioritize) with those goals in mind.

It’s natural to have disagreements, but that really comes down to communication and respect. As long as you have those two things, you can talk through anything until you come to an agreement or compromise.

Overcoming barriers

Lizzy: We’ve put everything into building Change Donations, and we think it has the potential to make a massive impact on amazing causes all around the world.

We’ve definitely jumped in 100% still running a startup can be quite scary at times. I’m lucky to have a great support system both locally and abroad. I’ve learned to lean on them when I need to talk through a problem, frustration, or celebrate a big or small win.

My biggest fear is that we’ll fall short of our goal to make the impact for our charities and donors.

Talking to both charities and donors as often as possible helps us continuously improve and build with our partners in mind. It’s also been a great motivator to hear feedback on the impact we have the potential to make.

Willie: Lately, I have had a bit of a rollercoaster in my personal life. I had been unknowingly battling walking pneumonia from January to April. By the end of April, I lost both of my grandparents which made Ireland feel a lot further away from home than it actually was. It just reinforced the importance of family.

Inspiration and self-care

Willie: Courage in the face of uncertainty inspires me a lot.

I don't like people going against the grain just for the sake of rebelling, but when you see someone who actually believes in what they're doing, and they gracefully dismiss the doubts and judgements of others, I find that to be powerful.

My three role models are Jane Goodall, Paul Farmer, and Jim Kim.

Lizzy: One of the most inspiring things to me is seeing the big ideas that young people are putting into action before they’re even out of high school.

I'm passionate about what we're working on, and I don’t think you can ever fully switch off once you start your own business. However, it is vital to get away and sometimes. I’ve found that these are the times when great ideas will pop into your head!

My switch-off time is when I’m running or doing anything physically active. I wasn’t great about it last year, so this year I signed up for a few races.

Willie: It doesn't take too long for me to recharge: sitting outside, getting some fresh air, and just taking a break from screens help a lot.

In a typical 9-5 workplace you get the weekends off, but with a startup, your business is always on your mind, so you have to find your weekends in 15-minute increments -sometimes a cup of tea and a fun conversation are enough.

I bike to work every day, which has been a great way to decompress, but after a tough week, I make sure I get outside and recharge.

How to keep the momentum going?

Willie: I expect us to be fully operational in Ireland, the US, the UK, and Canada in the next five years, and looking to expand into other markets.

Most of our decisions and growth plans are dependent on funding, so if we get the funding we need our next move will be into the US. We have about 20 schools in the US interested in using our platform, so it is a natural progression for us.

Lizzy: Every great company starts with the team, and we’re putting in a lot of work to build an amazing team who has the same vision as we do: create the easiest, most flexible way to donate what you can in Ireland, the US and the UK.

We’re starting to look at new opportunities to bring on additional partners like retailers and big corporations to help them create and expand their donation options to employees and shoppers.

At Change Donations we are always looking for ways to improve our solution and support more charities. Feel free to give feedback or recommend a charity to add to the platform.

Check out our work and join the community of everyday philanthropists!

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November 2019