our first open innovation skills sharing evening ..

Learning to knit whilst fundraising for Age UK Bromley & Greenwich

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Guest blog by Kim Day  from Age UK

Over the past 18 months, Age UK has been part of the Nesta Open Innovation Programme working to develop our first Open Innovation product. Along the way it has been a journey of trials and tribulations. We have challenged our way of thinking. We have had to relook at our initial ideas and go back to the drawing board on more than one occasion.

Through all of this we have worked hard with our Open Innovation Coach Kim and Nesta’s Alice Casey to explore different options. We have also developed partnerships with Ecomodo and Age UK Bromley and Greenwich to create our Age UK Bromley and Greenwich Wealth of Experience circle. From all this hard work and amazing partnerships we were able to host our first Open Innovation skills sharing evening!

Last Thursday one of our Age UK volunteers taught two supporters to knit for the first time. The evening was hosted in a local restaurant where food and drink was shared. Our new knitters were quite excited to learn came armed with lots of patterns, needles and wool. Their ambition and excitement almost got the better of them and was agreed we would start with a simple cat blanket and simpler jumper. The group have agreed to meet our Age UK volunteer over the course of the next few weeks to help the projects progress.

The Age UK supporters were thrilled to be part of the Age UK Bromley and Greenwich Wealth of Experience knowing that while they are learning to knit they are also able to help an older person. They found out about the programme through the Ecomodo site and are looking forward to try other skills sharing activities. They are also eager to become volunteers to help an older person in their community either through the skills sharing platform or their local Age UK.

This is the first of many Open Innovation skills sharing projects that we hope to showcase over the next few months.

we’re partnering with Age UK ..

Nesta recently run an Open Innovation programme for charities to find new ways to overcome major challenges within their sector. Through the Cabinet Office’s Innovation in Giving Fund, managed by Nesta, we had the opportunity to meet with a number of these charities and explore ways to collaborate.

Through the process we spoke to Age UK, who were very interested in the potential of working with ecomodo on a sharing platform that raises donations while reducing isolation in old age. And we are delighted to recently hear that Age UK was one of the 10 charities accepted to go forward.

Working together, the idea is to build on Ecomodo’s existing platform and for Age UK to explore new business model based on skills-sharing whilst encouraging older people to actively engage in society.

Paul Farthing, fundraising director at Age UK, says: “By working with Ecomodo, we believe we have found a way to bring these two challenges together, and generate an income stream that could be a long-term, sustainable platform for Age UK to fund its services.”

We are incredibly excited by this opportunity to work alongside one of the biggest charities in the UK. This mutually beneficial partnership can help us deliver the scale we need to drive impact whilst enabling Age UK to deliver on their mission and fundraise in a new way.

With Age UK, we will be exploring two models: a white label option branded as an Age UK and an integrated model where Age-UK offers would appear alongside others charities; to see which is most effective.

For the project, Age UK has been awarded £120,000 from Nesta to support technical development, salary contributions for key staff at Age UK and Ecomodo and market research.

50 fabulous good causes ..

WOO-HOO! We now have 50 registered good causes for you to donate to when lending your stuff!

Ecomodo.com is an effortless and everyday way for supporters of good causes to fundraise, simply by lending and borrowing everyday objects, skills or spaces with their neighbours, friends and colleagues.

From lawnmowers to tents; golf clubs to awnings, individuals can simply list items to lend and see what others have on offer. Items can be lent for free or lenders are able to charge for an item, and choose if they want to keep the fee or make a donation to charity.

How to start fundraising on Ecomodo ..

1. Think about all the stuff around home that you want to keep but don’t use that often. And if can’t think of anything > Get inspired.

2. Take a photo of your item and add it on our web-site to lend.

3. Choose a price to lend for a day (or week) and select one of our 50 good causes to donate to. If you’re favourite isn’t there just make a suggestion and we will try to sign them up.

4. Sit back and wait until a borrower in your area needs your item.

5. When you recieve a request – arrange a time to collect and return. At the end of the transaction you will have raised money for your good cause!  – Easy!

And if you have a skills or spaces you can also add those to lend  too. It’s easy to and anyone can do it – and much easier than running a marathon.

Good causes on Ecomodo can be any not-for-profit group (from a registered charity, school PTA, social enterprise or community campaign). And though we have 50 good causes registered we are always looking for more. So if you run a charity or not-for profit group then register your good cause for free on Ecomodo. Read more about the benefits and how to get involved.

Here’s the 50 fabulous good causes we have signed up so far ..
Friends of the Earth, The Prince’s Trust, Waste Watch, 10:10, Bricks and Bread, RSPCA (Hillingdon, Slough, Windsor, Kingston & District Branch), Positive Action in Housing, 3rd Guernsey Scout Group, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, Cambodian Communities out of Crisis, Care for Children, Children Walking Tall, DARE uk,Earthwatch Institute, Environmental Justice Foundation, Exercise Tiger Trust, Fanconi Hope Charitable Trust, Greener Leith, Food4Macc, FoodCycle, Forces Childrens Trust, Group B Strep Support, Guernsey Climate Action Network, International Aid for the Protection & Welfare of Animals, Islamic Aid, Lungevity, Lemon Aid Limited, Low Carbon West Oxford, Millennium Health Microscope Foundation, Positive Action in Housing Ltd, Puriton Horse and Animal Rescue, Scope, St Martin’s School PTA, The Book Bus Foundation, The Fostering Network, The National Autistic Society, The National Society for Epilepsy, Thrive Africa, UK Youth, Grace & Flavour CIC, Harringay Online, Sheffield Alcohol Support Service, Sustaining Dunbar, Carmarthen Town AFC, Food4Macc, Plant Heritage, Touchwood Project, Giving World, Contact the Elderly and XLP Research Trust.

every budget has a silver lining ..

It’s tempting at budget time to jump straight to the calculators to work out what the effect is for your personal finances. Once you’ve done that, stand back take a broader look and you might see some new opportunities there. Here are 5 we’ve thought of ..

1. From January 2011 people will buy less because of the VAT increase. An increase in demand for second hand goods is great news for people that use Freegle to get rid of stuff, for those who sell their unwanted things on eBay and for people who use Ecomodo to make money by lending out their seldom used stuff to people who prefer to borrow instead of buy.
   People who bring forward purchases to beat the VAT increase in January 2011 can use Ecomodo to lend out their new stuff, helping others less able to spend, and making back some of the purchase price.
   This renewed interest in the longevity of stuff will also drive a resurgence in repairing which can only be a good thing for the environment and jobs.
2. Many families will have less disposable income. Don’t fret, it is easy to live a rich life without riches.
   Most families have stuff lying around which can help make up the shortfall through being sold or lent out, and friends, neighbours and colleagues probably have most of the skills, spaces and stuff they need to achieve their goals for far less money.
   Ecomodo can reveal these possibilities in a community.
3. Charities and other good causes will find it harder to convince people to part with their hard earned cash.
   There is an ever increasing set of innovative ways to continue to donate without taking money out of your pocket. Charities can raise funds from entirely new sources such as web searching, exchanging currencies and community resource lending.
4. With pay freezes and the national insurance increase, morale in communities and workplaces will be low. People will feel blue. But there are some reasons to feel good.
   Times like these make us find other ways to achieve our goals by making better use of the resources around us. If that ends up bringing communities together and reducing our environmental impact that is a good thing.
5. Budget cuts across Government departments are likely to impact environmental and social projects. The onus moves to communities and citizens to work together to make a difference creating the Big Society. Will the emergency budget really kick start Big Society?

Meriel Lenfestey, co-founder of Ecomodo believes strongly in society’s ability to adapt. “The rise in social enterprise and community focus places everyone in good stead for the years ahead. Society and attitudes will need to change… but for the good. Good for pocket, good for planet and good for people“.

Come and join Ecomodo today .. www.ecomodo.com

do the green thing ..

What better day than Green Britain Day to Do The Green Thing !

The Green Thing Trust has become our latest good cause to choose to donate to when lending out your assets. They’ve become a friend of ecomodo and invited us to write a guest entry on Green Thing’s Blog.

If you’ve not heard of Green Thing, it is a not-for-profit public service that inspires people to lead a greener life. With the help of brilliant videos and inspiring stories from creative people and community members around the world. My personal favourite is a Gusty and Ford.

lets start fundraising ..

It’s simple to fundraise through ecomodo.com and it takes hardly any time to do it, just lend out your assets to the people around you.

First, think about all the stuff around home that you don’t use that often, take a photo and list it on our web-site. Once listed, you then sit back and wait until a borrower in your area needs it. Then arrange a time to collect and return and at the end of the transaction you will have raised money for your good cause! If you have a skill or space you can also lend those too. Anyone can do it and it’s so much easier than running 26+ miles. Not sure what to lend? Get inspired.

Good causes on Ecomodo can be any not-for-profit group (from a registered charity, school PTA or community campaign). And though we have 30 good causes registered we are always looking for more.

If there’s a good cause you would like to donate to and it’s not on our list below, then please make a suggestion and we will try to sign them up.

Here’s a list of our good causes to date ..

3rd Guernsey Scout Group, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, Cambodian Communities out of Crisis, Care for Children, Children Walking Tall, DARE uk, Earthwatch Institute, Environmental Justice Foundation, Exercise Tiger Trust, Fanconi Hope Charitable Trust, Food4Macc, FoodCycle, Forces Childrens Trust, Group B Strep Support, Guernsey Climate Action Network, International Aid for the Protection & Welfare of Animals, Islamic Aid, Lemon Aid Limited, Millennium Health Microscope Foundation, Positive Action in Housing Ltd, Puriton Horse and Animal Rescue, Scope, St Martin’s School PTA, The Book Bus Foundation, The Fostering Network, The National Autistic Society, The National Society for Epilepsy, The Prince’s Trust, Thrive Africa, UK Youth

Or if you run a charity or not-for profit group then register it for free on Ecomodo. Read more about the benefits and how to get involved.

horray .. we’re live !

Today is a red-letter day. Ecomodo has gone live. So here’s a little bit about what we’re about the marketplace of good returns

Ecomodo is an online service that enables people to lend and borrow each other’s everyday objects, skills and spaces with confidence. They can do this for free, for a fee or for charity. Ecomodo facilitates the transaction to make good returns for all.

Ecomodo enriches a local community by enabling people to ..

• Make and save money : Earn money by lending the assets already owned. Save hard earned cash by borrowing the things not needed often.
• Do a good turn : Donate proceeds to a favourite good cause or simply help the people around by sharing assets.
• Lend and borrow confidently : Control who can borrow items by joining or creating trusted lending circles. Choose insurance or deposits for extra peace of mind.
• Live a richer life : Gain access to the things needed to follow dreams, pursue interests and do the boring jobs more quickly.
• Be green : Reduce collective effect on the environment by pooling resources.

Join the marketplace of good returns at www.ecomodo.com

Invite people and pool your resources ..

Get the most out of Ecomodo by pooling your assets. Create a circle for your street, village, town, workplace, charity, club, school, PTA, university, faith centre, hospital, coffee shop, interest group, local action group or evenwith the people you meet whilst walking your dog! Use your circles of trust to control who can borrow your items. Find out more about circles ..

Register your charity or good cause  ..

If you run a charity or not-for profit group, register it as a good cause on Ecomodo to let our members donate their earnings to you. Create a circle to promote your good cause and help your staff, volunteers and members by pooling the assets they have. Register your good cause for free.

So, whether you are an individual, charity, community group, school, or any other public or private organization find out how you can get involved.

Not sure what to lend ? Get inspired |  Need to borrow something ? Post a wanted ad |  Learn more about ecomodo

Help us spread the word ..

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