Platform launches to help businesses support people in need
Melanie May | 3 January 2024 | News
The platform, from social impact startup Beam, lets businesses choose how much they want to donate each month, starting from £100, and how many people they wish to support.
This support can be scaled up using a slider, with a £50 donation going to each person. An algorithm automatically allocates these £50 donations to the live campaigns that are slowest funding on the platform, so they are equitably distributed among the people using Beam.
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The platform provides companies with information on the people they’re supporting, and real-time metrics online on how they’re doing, from getting jobs to being housed. Companies get a company page measuring and showing their impact. Employees are also notified about the people their company has backed and can send messages of support using the platform.
Beam ensures beneficiaries have a working smartphone so they can speak to their Beam caseworker and read the messages employees send them.
Beam says that while donations by individuals to its own crowdfunding campaigns fell by 25% in 2023, due to the cost of living crisis, company giving more than doubled, with the number of businesses contributing increasing by almost 80%.
The Permira Foundation is one of the organisations that have signed up to the platform. Harika Sihota, its Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, said:
“Our mission at the Permira Foundation is to make a positive contribution to our local communities. We’re delighted to be working with Beam to tackle a critical problem in the UK. The Beam for Companies profile has made it easy for our team to see which individuals are benefitting from our donation, and the tangible impact it is making on their lives.”
Homewares brand Mustard Made has donated over £160,000 so far, which has helped over 750 people to find jobs and housed more than 600 people.
Its Co-founder Jessica Stern commented:
“Working with Beam creates a strong sense of purpose for our team. The Beam for Companies platform allows us to track our growing social impact in a simple way. Our team is able to engage personally to motivate people – to date, they have sent out more than 200 messages of encouragement.”
Commenting on the platform’s launch, Alex Stephany, Founder & CEO, Beam, said:
“I saw first hand running my previous company how hard it can be for businesses and busy employees to make a measurable difference month in, month out. So we decided to take out all the friction: companies can sign up in under 10 minutes. Employees can set aside a similar amount of time each month to send messages that lift the spirits of disadvantaged people at a critical point in their lives.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.