VA-BCG Social Impact Team Partnership — To jointly support the growth of two Xinhu-Yu VP Award recipients
Background
In January, Xinhu-Yu Venture Philanthropy Fund announced “Xinhu-Yu VP Award” in partnership with the British Council and Venture Avenue. It is a non-cash award to support the growth of high-potential social enterprises in China.
Two social enterprises have been competitively selected out of over 50 applications. They are Beijing Migrant Workers’ Home (北京工友之家) and Shanghai Puki Coordination Agency for the Deaf (上海小笼包聋人协力事务所).
What Do These Two Social Enterprises Do?
Beijing Migrant Workers’ Home is committed to serve migrant workers for the advancement and improvement of their social, cultural, educational, legal and living conditions. In 2006, Beijing Migrant Workers’ Home established Tongxin Shop (同心互惠商店), which collects surplus goods from those who are “better-off” and sell them to the low-income population at reasonable prices. The profit is used to support community, cultural and educational activities for the migrant workers and their children.
Shanghai Puki Coordination Agency for the Deaf employs hearing-impaired graphic designers and sustains its business by providing branding and design services to corporates such as China Mobile, DBS Bank, Eli Lilly & Co. and Sanofi-Aventis, etc. Besides, Puki provides communication and professional development skills classes for free to university students with hearing disabilities, and matches them with suitable internship positions.
What Services Will Winners Receive?
These two social enterprises will receive one year of on-site / off-site incubation services led by Venture Avenue in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group Social Impact team. The on-site support will be on a monthly basis.
Ten experienced BCG consultants from Beijing and Shanghai have volunteered for this partnership program to provide support on topics of strategic planning, operational improvement, financial services and HR management, etc.
VA will focus more on the “PMO” (Project Management Office) role: to closely work with SEs/BCG consultants to identify needs, manage monthly deliverables for both SEs and BCG consultants, and to connect SE needs with necessary resources.
Project Progress
The project kick-off meetings were held on May 11th in Beijing and Shanghai respectively. During the meeting, the SE project teams went through their organizations’ histories, business performances, organizational structures, and most importantly, development plans and bottleneck issues. Then consultants from VA and BCG worked together with the SE project team to identify key areas for the one-year consulting services. Roles and responsibilities as well as project timeline were also determined.