If one of your New Year’s resolutions has been to give something back, then let us point you in the direction of the brilliant Social Society, who make the whole process easy, speedy and, yes, fun.
You may have heard of them before – over the last 10 years, they’ve grown from a meetup group into a social club for social good, disrupting the standard model for charitable giving, something we’re big fans of here at BOTI. And now they’re taking on 150 new members.
So how does it work exactly? Basically, they take the tedious bits out of the volunteering process, you know, like bureaucracy. Think of them as a sort of bespoke matchmaking service (zero ghosting here though) – a local charity needs a skill, you’ve got that skill, bingo, it’s a match!
As Brighton-based founder Toni Finnimore (pictured below) says: “We take the legwork out of volunteering so you just have to turn up or log on. Then come hang with us when you’re finished”.
They’ve already got charities in place who need your help, all you have to do is decide which of your valuable skills – trust us, you’ve got a lot – you’d like to help them with.
But that’s not all, signing up is also a great way to meet likeminded people and feel part of your community. The Social Society hold regular member-only curated hangouts – think everything from pop-up dinners to beachside silent discos.
Toni wants the platform to facilitate meaningful connections between individuals and charities, and with escalating local service cuts and the growing public health concern of isolation and loneliness in the UK, it’s perfectly timed.
“Our local charities form the backbone of community support and they need our help more than ever,” says Toni.
And, since January, it’s not just people in Brighton who can get linked up with charities who need a bit of help to grow. The Social Society has expanded across the UK, with a particular focus on Manchester, London and Dublin and they’re taking on 150 new members.
Founding city Brighton is still getting lots of love, too, of course. Locally, The Social Society supports the following charities:
- Emmaus (supporting people who’ve experienced homelessness)
- Audio Active (creating social change through music)
- The Real Junkfood Project (turning food waste into healthy meals for the community)
- Forward Facing (supporting families with children living with life-limiting conditions)
- Gig Buddies (supporting people with disabilities to see live music)
- Together Co (creating connections through befriending)
Membership is £11.99/month and the first month is free
thesocialsociety.org.uk
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