It was so exciting to hear Dominic present our latest venture at our Local by Social event the other week. Simpl (Social Innovation MarketPlace) is an idea we had which really just solves a problem for us, but we hope it will scratch an itch for others in the process.
When we embarked on Safeguarding 2.0 we were lucky enough to get funding from Nesta for our first phase; what we didn’t have was a local authority to work with us. We needed to talk to service users and social workers and get introductions to the council’s partner agencies and wider networks. We were fortunate to have a strong local government network and with the help of the Local Government Information Unit we were united with Westminster City Council for our first phase, but not everyone with a good idea for improving a public service has a direct link to a strategy manager at a local council.
It started us thinking: what if there were a way for people with social innovation ideas to meet councils? and what if there were a way for councils to pose problems that need solving to a community of people with bright ideas? There are a few other marketplaces around (like this one, or this one) but they mostly focus on bidding cash for projects. We think cash is important for making new ideas part of the fabric of the public sector, but in this climate asking many councils to fully fund projects that have no precedent is a road to nowhere. Public sector organisations have more than cash to offer – office space, service users, staff, local networks, experience, server space to mention just a few. We came up with Simpl (Social Innovation MarketPlace) as a way of connecting organisations with people with ideas and letting them bid with more than just cash.
With the seed of an idea we got chatting to the dudes at Rock Creek Strategic Marketing who instantly got it and generously promised to provide the technology to make the idea into a Real Thing. They put together some screen shots for us so we could guage people’s reaction, and so far we’re chuffed that the idea has been well received.
From our Local by Social session in London, attended by both public sector organisations and social innovators, through to those working on innovation in the city government of Washington DC in the USA, the reaction has been positive and encouraging with a few local government bodies in the UK and the US offering to scope and pilot the tool for us.
We’d love to hear what people think – drop us a line or say hello in the comments – as this is a tool for anyone who wants to radically improve public services. Take a look and tell us what you reckon…
This is a truly brilliant idea. Working for a small social enterprise, with lots of ideas and potential plans – this could be a great way to progress work that we haven’t got off the ground yet, and to connect with other people with interesting ideas.
Looking forward to seeing where this will go from here. Keep us updated!
K
This is a truly brilliant idea. Working for a small social enterprise, with lots of ideas and potential plans – this could be a great way to progress work that we haven’t got off the ground yet, and to connect with other people with interesting ideas.
Looking forward to seeing where this will go from here. Keep us updated!
K
This is a truly brilliant idea. Working for a small social enterprise, with lots of ideas and potential plans – this could be a great way to progress work that we haven’t got off the ground yet, and to connect with other people with interesting ideas.
Looking forward to seeing where this will go from here. Keep us updated!
K
Love the idea behind this and would be interested in being a beta tester. I can see it from both sides as I have recently returned to private practice after three years inside the Canadian Government.
Love the idea behind this and would be interested in being a beta tester. I can see it from both sides as I have recently returned to private practice after three years inside the Canadian Government.
Love the idea behind this and would be interested in being a beta tester. I can see it from both sides as I have recently returned to private practice after three years inside the Canadian Government.
This looks terrific – and incidently just the sort of thing Big Society advocates are talking about. I hope they come to you first rather than re-inventing
This looks terrific – and incidently just the sort of thing Big Society advocates are talking about. I hope they come to you first rather than re-inventing
This looks terrific – and incidently just the sort of thing Big Society advocates are talking about. I hope they come to you first rather than re-inventing
Love it! We are looking to connect social enterprise with low carbon/sustainable built environment and I can immediately see the benefits of Simpl.
Love it! We are looking to connect social enterprise with low carbon/sustainable built environment and I can immediately see the benefits of Simpl.
Love it! We are looking to connect social enterprise with low carbon/sustainable built environment and I can immediately see the benefits of Simpl.
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I like and will bear in mind for ideas we have knocking around. Digging the entrepreneurial spirit you guys embody.
I like and will bear in mind for ideas we have knocking around. Digging the entrepreneurial spirit you guys embody.
I like and will bear in mind for ideas we have knocking around. Digging the entrepreneurial spirit you guys embody.
Really great idea, and so… erm… what’s the word?
Right now I’m eyeing up a big project/task and looking across at my scant toolbox and thinking “yes, this is something I would turn to to help me connect with the right people and the right needs/ideas”.
I look forward to launch in the autumn (don’t think I can wait ’til the Fall).
Really great idea, and so… erm… what’s the word?
Right now I’m eyeing up a big project/task and looking across at my scant toolbox and thinking “yes, this is something I would turn to to help me connect with the right people and the right needs/ideas”.
I look forward to launch in the autumn (don’t think I can wait ’til the Fall).
Really great idea, and so… erm… what’s the word?
Right now I’m eyeing up a big project/task and looking across at my scant toolbox and thinking “yes, this is something I would turn to to help me connect with the right people and the right needs/ideas”.
I look forward to launch in the autumn (don’t think I can wait ’til the Fall).