Designing a social value strategy programme to create meaningful impact
The context
One+All had a clear ambition: to create a new social value initiative that would make a meaningful difference, in line with their values and long-standing commitment to doing business responsibly.
They had a strong starting point. There were multiple ideas already in play, alongside a willingness to invest both time and resource, with an annual budget of around £100,000. The challenge was not a lack of intent, but how to focus that intent into something coherent, impactful and scalable.
We were commissioned to help shape that thinking, identify where the greatest opportunity lay, and design a pilot that could be taken forward with confidence.
Our approach
We designed a structured process to move from a wide set of ideas to a clear, evidence-based recommendation.
The work was delivered in four phases, combining research, stakeholder insight and practical analysis.
We began by reviewing One+All’s existing ideas alongside comparable initiatives from other organisations. This helped to understand what already existed, where there was overlap, and where there might be genuine opportunity.
We then broadened the conversation, speaking to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders across Greater Manchester. These conversations tested the initial ideas, surfaced new ones, and grounded the work in real-world challenges.
A clear theme emerged: poverty was a critical issue, particularly in relation to children’s ability to engage fully in education and reach their potential.
From this, we identified three priority areas for further exploration:
access to school uniforms
digital poverty
access to activities during school holidays
We then carried out a deeper analysis of these options, assessing each against feasibility, cost, scalability, impact and alignment with One+All’s brand.
What we delivered
The project moved from exploration to clear, practical recommendations.
Through detailed analysis, we refined the initial ideas down to two priority opportunities:
providing free school uniforms to children from the poorest families
addressing the lack of accessible activities for children during school holidays
For each of these, we developed a clear pilot model, including:
how the programme would work in practice
potential delivery partners
cost assumptions and budget alignment
scalability and national roll-out potential
approaches to impact measurement
We also worked through operational considerations, ensuring that the pilots would be realistic to deliver and aligned with One+All’s existing relationships, particularly with retailers and community partners.
What made it work
A key strength of the project was the balance between ambition and practicality.
Rather than pursuing ideas that were interesting but difficult to deliver, the process focused on identifying opportunities that were:
closely aligned to One+All’s core product and brand
capable of delivering meaningful social impact
feasible within the available budget
scalable beyond an initial pilot
The stakeholder engagement was also critical. By grounding the work in conversations with those working directly with children and communities, the final recommendations reflected real need rather than assumptions.
The impact
The outcome was a clear, focused social value direction, supported by practical pilot designs that could be implemented with confidence.
The recommended initiatives created the potential for:
direct, tangible support for children facing financial disadvantage
improved access to education and development opportunities
a stronger alignment between One+All’s commercial activity and social impact
enhanced brand credibility and leadership in the sector
Importantly, the work moved the organisation from a broad set of ideas to a clear plan for action.
Why it matters
Many organisations have the ambition to “do more” in terms of social impact, but struggle to translate that into something focused and effective.
This project worked because it combined strategic thinking with practical design, ensuring that the final recommendations were not only meaningful, but deliverable.
For One+All, it created a clear route from intention to action, with the potential to build a programme that could grow and evolve over time.
Interested in doing something similar?
If you are thinking about how to create or strengthen your social impact, whether that is a new initiative, a mentoring programme, or a broader leadership offer, this is exactly the kind of work we do.
We help organisations move from good intentions to well-designed, practical programmes that deliver real impact. If you would like to explore what that could look like in your context, we would be very happy to have a conversation.