Collaboration between Lumens and Bright Cape launched
Both have only just joined Brainport voor Elkaar, but one is already helpng the other with an important issue. Welfare organisation Lumens joins forces with Bright Cape, expert in data solutions. The aim: to measure the impact of all Lumens' services. 'We are actually gaining an external knowledge department with fifty data experts. That's a huge opportunity for us.'
On Thursday 7 March, the two parties met for the first time, at Lumens' office on Beemdstraat in Eindhoven. The meeting was the official kick-off of both their membership of the Brainport voor Elkaar association and their special cooperation. 'We want to contribute to the world arround us,' explains Bright Cape project leader Madelon Schellekens, 'so that also means volunteering our knowledge and skills to a great organisation like Lumens.'
From storytelling to impact measurement
Bright Cape's data expertise is more than welcome at Lumens. After all, they periodically report to municipalities on the impact they make with the social assignments they place with them. Think youth work, (school) social work and debt relief. 'Of course, we already measure a lot,' explains director Jacqueline Vonk. 'Think of the number of people we help, how often we have seen them, and so on. But those are really only superficial figures, which say nothing about the impact we make.' That's why Lumens always tells the stories. Jacqueline: 'For example, about the depressed boy we helped build a social network, so that he is no longer alone in his room all day gaming. His talent now comes into its own by also helping other lonely young people as enthusiastic volunteers in our e-sports community. After all, we want to know: what does our service do to the social resilience.
Roadmap
But how do you measure social resilience? Paul Veendrick, managing director at Bright Cape, has no ready-made answer. 'Indeed, all the data consultants working for us find this social issue enormously interesting. It actually encourages them to challenge themselves by using their knowledge of data in this way. Still, I am sure we can go form superficial numbers to fact-based. We just work in a structured and step-by-step way, as we always do with our clients.' In practice, that means initially getting the important definitions clear, such as social resilience. Project leader Madelon Schellekens: 'We cannot determine that definition, Lumens has to do that. But of course we provide guidance. We know how to make a definition measurable, so we can translate it into data.' From now on, the two parties will meet weekly to discuss progress. The next phases are data collection, setting up reports and implementing data-oriented work within Lumens.
The whole sector benefits
It is clear that this cooperation will benefit Lumens. Yet the impact of this project could be even greater. 'Every social organisation struggles with this issue,' said Lumens director Jacqueline Vonk. Really, everyone. So don't underestimate the value of this collaboration. The whole non-profit sector is going to learn form this project.'
Multiplying lessons
Manager programme office Brainport voor Elkaar Jacline de Kort is only too happy with this first collaboration in the field of social innovation. 'All the lessons we learn here will be multiplied later on. This is a great first example within Brainport voor Elkaar that shows how technological innovations can strengthen other sectors. But the same applies the other way round: Lumens can inspire Bright Cape to give new content to social employership and entrepeneurship. So the cooperation works reciprocally.'
Social innovation in Brainport
Brainport is at the forefront of technological innovation. One of the four programme lines of Brainport voor Elkaar is therefore about innovative forms of cooperation betweens, for instance, companies and civil society organisations. How can technological applications help social organisations move forward? The same applies vice versa: social organisations can inspire employers to give new content to social employership and entrepreneurship. The cooperation between Lumens and Bright Cape is the first pilot within the social innovation programme line.