Authority - Journal

Welcoming ForHousing to Match My Project

A Shared Commitment to Stronger Communities

We are pleased to announce that ForHousing has joined the Match My Project platform.

ForHousing owns and manages over 19,000 homes across the North West and is widely recognised for its commitment to supporting tenants and communities through inclusive, customer-focused services. A clear mission guides their work: to provide safe, well-maintained homes and deliver equitable and efficient services that reflect the needs and priorities of their tenants.

With a strong presence in Salford and the wider Greater Manchester area, ForHousing brings valuable regional knowledge and a proven track record of community development. Their approach is built on respect, trust, openness and passion, values that resonate strongly with our ethos at Match My Project.

We are especially proud to be expanding our work in the North West with an organisation that has consistently demonstrated innovation in tackling social issues. From award-winning strategies to address anti-social behaviour, to delivering employment and financial inclusion programmes that support vulnerable residents, ForHousing exemplifies what it means to invest in the drivers of long-term wellbeing.

By joining Match My Project, ForHousing will connect with like-minded local authorities, housing associations, VCFSEs, and suppliers who are committed to delivering social value in the places that need it most. We believe collaboration is the key to unlocking new opportunities, and this partnership will help do just that.

We look forward to supporting the ForHousing team as they engage with local stakeholders through the platform, and to seeing the positive outcomes that arise from this new chapter.

Welcome to the platform, ForHousing. We’re excited to work together to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Want to see your organisation on this list? Contracting authorities can sign up here.

We try to be transparent and straightforward.

For example, last week we shared our product update for Match My Project.

The new product features we’ve just shipped and what we’re working on is out there for the whole world to see.

As we were doing this, some ‘disinformation’ about Match My Project came to light in an email chain I was included in.

Which also included around 50 public sector organisations.

The conduit of the disinformation put his hand up.

And is checking his source 🔍

But given how easily the disinformation was shared, who knows who else is under false pretences about Match My Project?

In case you are a UK public sector organisation interested in Social Value delivery and the work we do at Match My Project, can I just confirm:

There IS matching on @Match My Project (!)

Suppliers can search for community projects by using specific criteria.

Related to geography, place based outcome and resource type.

‘Several local authorities have cancelled.’

This could not be further from the truth.

We have had 100% retention over almost 5 years.

No one has cancelled and so far everyone has renewed.

For now.

We realise it won’t stay that way forever.

And we do not take our customers for granted in any way.

But in my experience of building product…

100% retention over 5 years is pretty rare.

If this is doing the rounds in your networks, please check your sources.

Or, make up your own mind by coming to one of our open sessions, taking place tomorrow morning…

We are proud to announce that Onward Homes has renewed its partnership with Match My Project for another two years. This decision highlights their long-term commitment to delivering social value and supporting the communities they serve.

As one of the largest housing providers in the North West, Onward Homes manages over 35,000 properties across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, and Lancashire. Their mission extends beyond providing housing; they are dedicated to empowering residents and investing in neighbourhoods to help people lead happier, more independent lives.

A Mission Backed by Action

Onward’s collaboration with Match My Project has united businesses, suppliers, and grassroots organisations to achieve tangible results. From community gardening initiatives to skills-based volunteering, every match made on the platform contributes to Onward’s broader mission of strengthening local communities.

Here’s what that looks like in numbers:

🏢 104 businesses signed up to support local communities

🤝 102 community organisations engaged

⏱️ 1,029 volunteer hours donated

🌱 61 projects completed

🔄 53 more in the pipeline

🔧 16 suppliers actively offering support

These numbers represent real people uplifted, spaces improved, and relationships built across various sectors.

Why It Matters

By extending this partnership for another two years, Onward Homes reaffirms its commitment to the importance of long-term collaborations that foster local impact. This partnership enables Onward to:

Support grassroots organisations addressing real-world challenges
Help businesses create meaningful social value within the communities they serve
Build a stronger network of support for residents across the North West

What’s Next?

Onward Homes is committed to delivering practical, high-impact solutions, ranging from volunteering initiatives to supplier-driven contributions. Together, we are working towards a future where housing providers act as catalysts for lasting, community-led change.

We look forward to seeing what the next two years bring, and we’re proud to be part of the journey.

Looking to simplify the way your organisation delivers social value?
Contracting authorities can sign up here to get started.

At the end of May Peabody launched their Match My Project platform.

The Match My Project team is so pleased to be working with Peabody, one of the oldest, and largest, housing associations in the UK.

It was founded in 1862 by the American banker and philanthropist George Peabody. The first Peabody dwellings were in Spitalfields, on the edge of the City and not too far from where the Match My Project is based.

By using Match My Project, Peabody is continuing its long history of working with communities to tackle social and economic inequality.

Indeed, Peabody continues to innovate – for example with its 189-home project at Deptford Landings, one of the biggest single-phase Passivhaus projects in the UK.

Peabody is also leading the regeneration of south east London, with its enormous programmes in Thamesmead, Abbey Wood and Plumstead, with significant investment from the Greater London Authority.

We had a great launch – thanks goes to Corin Menuge and team. And thanks to Stephen Burns, Peabody’s Executive Director for Care, Supported Housing and Inclusion.

And also a great turnout with lots of Peabody community partners and suppliers in the room.

The in-person launches are always great, as it gives the Match My Project team a chance to get out in front on local stakeholders. One of the things we’re most proud of is the approach-ability and responsiveness of our team. It was an opportunity for everyone to put Match My Project names to faces.

So, if you want to get speak to someone about getting involved with Peabody’s Match My Project platform, here’s how:

– Get in touch with the Match My Project team here

– Get in touch with the Peabody team here

– Stay up to date with Match My Project opportunities if you are a business or a community organisation or a local public sector organisation.

We had a great launch in Cambridge in the middle of May.

Many thanks to the council team for organising the event. It was a well attended online event with many council suppliers and community partners on the call.

There is so much going on across Cambridgeshire at the moment.

Consider the £1 million in funding for Greater Cambridge Impact, approved late last year by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

And there are a number of strategic partnerships in place to deliver locally-led growth, investment and regeneration. Perhaps the most important being with Homes England’s new Strategic Place Partnership.

It is vital that local communities – and particularly those in need – see the benefit of this inward investment. This is why we are so pleased to see Match My Project introduced to Cambridgeshire.

People do talk about Match My Project as being an innovative Social Value delivery platform.

Perhaps it’s because we work with the platform everyday – but we think it’s just plain common sense.

In many of the places we work we see a community sector plugged into the challenges facing local people.

These organisations know what people are going through in a way that, often, the public and private sector cannot.

They know the history and they know the politics. They are often right at the heart of local networks.

If then, as an authority, you are asking your supply chain to create local community benefits, it seems obvious to build on existing social, community or civic infrastructure that your local community sector has created over decades.

Match My Project makes that match between private and community sector as easy and as effective – as efficient and as targeted – as possible. We make private and community sector collaboration easy and then let the public sector, as the contracting authority, scale that collaboration to maximise Social Value delivery and impact.

And as simple as that sounds, the Match My Project team has invested a lot of time and effort into making it easy.

And it is why the launch events are so important – to share good practice and top tips so we see as many projects delivered as possible.

So, if you want to get involved with Cambridgeshire County Council’s Match My Project, here’s how:

– Get in touch with the Match My Project team here

– Get in touch with the Cambridgeshire County Council team here

– Stay up to date with Match My Project opportunities if you are a business or a community organisation or a local public sector organisation.

We all know that managing Social Value takes time…

From finding out what community organisations need, to getting suppliers involved, to tracking delivery – it all adds up.

Many authorities dedicate hours, even days, every week to Social Value administration. Our conversations with public sector partners have highlighted this challenge repeatedly.

We’ve heard many a horror story about manual Social Value Excel spreadsheets.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Working closely with our public sector partners through our bi-monthly User Group, we’ve designed Match My Project to eliminate this time drain, without compromising on quality.

In fact, our platform helps deliver more outcomes while requiring less admin time.

Here’s how:

Speedy onboarding: authorities can be up and running in just 8 minutes, businesses in under 2 minutes, and community organisations in under 6 minutes

Simplified project creation: community organisations can add well-structured projects in around 8 minutes, eliminating the need for authorities to chase up on poorly written requests

Automated matching and tracking: suppliers and community organisations match amongst themselves, removing the need for spreadsheets, email chains, and follow-up calls that take up valuable time

One of our most prolific authority users, Hyde Housing Association, told us, “Having Match My Project has meant that the time spent on reviewing and facilitating Social Value requests has reduced from two days a week to two hours a week. So it’s definitely been worthwhile for us.”

What makes Match My Project stand out is that it’s not a trade-off between time and quality. You actually get better outcomes in less time.

The platform ensures resources go to the right places while freeing up your team to focus on strategic priorities rather than administration.

Would a quick chat be helpful? Let’s see how we can help you reduce the amount of time you spend doing Social Value without sacrificing any quality.

Are you delivering Social Value that is genuinely impactful?

Social Value is a great opportunity to strengthen local communities.

And local community organisations know what their communities need better than anyone.

From our conversations with our public sector partners, we know they agree with us.

But so often Social Value feels untargeted – sometimes driven by what the supplier chooses to do, rather than led by the community. And, worst case scenario, it can be unverified.

How confident are you that the Social Value committed at tender stage – which feels ambitious and aspirational – is actually delivered, is actually felt in the community?

It’s a problem.

And, based on our public sector partners – through our bi-monthly User Group – that we knew to design Match My Project to explicitly address these challenges.

Every authority we work with has the opportunity to configure its own Match My Project site to ensure:

-All community projects that receive resources are delivering against local place based outcomes

-Resources get to the type of community projects that are really going to benefit – larger charities with existing bid writing teams may, for example, not need extra resources as much as the smaller local organisations

-Resources get to projects in exactly the right place, geographically – does the southern part of the borough, or a particular estate need more support? You can do that on Match My Project.

Would a quick chat be helpful? Let’s see how we could help you deliver Social Value that is truly targeted and impactful.

It’s one thing getting suppliers to commit to Social Value – and another for them to deliver it

Over the years, Social Value has suffered from what we call the ‘credibility gap’.

That’s the difference between rhetoric and reality.

Or… what suppliers promise to deliver at tender stage and what they deliver in contract mobilisation.

There are ways and means of dealing with this. Let’s take them in turn.

Option 1: ask the supplier to self certify

This is a tricky one.

It creates a risk of gaming: essentially, you are asking suppliers to mark their own homework.

In our experience, the people who do Social Value in supplier organisations believe in Social Value and do a great job of delivering it. But, as an institution, suppliers have to focus on revenues and profit margins.

That will always be the priority and this is where potential conflict of interests arise if you go with Option One.

Option 2: ask a third party to assure

Can be expensive.

Asking a team of consultants to assure can increase time and cost.

There is also the risk that the consultants may not have the experience or insight to do this job properly.

And more potential conflict of interest is the team of consultants is also in a contractual relationship with the supplier. Sub-optimal.

Option 3: use a marketplace platform

Marketplace platforms, like Match My Project, have direct access to the community beneficiary.

If a supplier has committed to delivering a resource or an apprenticeship, the community beneficiary – the organisation or the individual – is on Match My Project and will record whether the resource has been delivered to time and to quality.

This is then shared across the network to establish which suppliers are credible and consistent.

No need for suppliers to self-certify or to bring in costly consultants if you use Match My Project.

Would a quick chat be helpful? Let’s see if we can help you deliver Social Value that is community led and community verified.

This month marks a significant milestone as we celebrate two years of Sovereign Network Group (SNG) — a journey defined by purpose, progress, and partnership. In just 24 months, SNG has continued to build on its commitment to providing good, affordable homes, creating the foundations for better lives and stronger communities.

By the Numbers – A Snapshot of Impact

In two years, Sovereign Network Group has achieved impressive outcomes that reflect the power of collaboration and community-driven action:

🏢 54 businesses have signed up to support SNG’s mission

🤝 134 community-based organisations have joined the network

⏱️ 131 volunteer hours donated

🌱 52 projects supported to date

Each number tells a story of people coming together to create meaningful change across neighbourhoods and regions.

A Vision for Thriving Communities

SNG’s vision is to create thriving communities over generations, guided by five key goals:

1. Financial and Digital Inclusion

SNG provides proactive and critical support to customers facing financial hardship. From building financial resilience to supporting digital connectivity, they ensure the communities aren’t left behind in a rapidly evolving world.

2. Community Action

Through close collaboration with anchor organisations, local groups, and their customers, SNG co-creates social action programmes with long-term impact. Their focus areas include youth initiatives, ageing well, health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. Together, they harness community power and amplify customer voices.

3. Partnerships and Fundraising

SNG’s partnership approach is strategic and inclusive. By bringing in external funding, we enhance and expand our community investment offer, helping local organisations grow their capacity and deliver more impactful services. Everything SNG does, from grant-making to collaborative frameworks, is rooted in driving measurable social value.

Reflecting on the last two years, we are inspired by the dedication, creativity, and compassion fueling the Sovereign Network Group. From affordable homes to meaningful partnerships, they remain committed to helping individuals and communities not just survive, but truly thrive.

Here’s to the future — building stronger, fairer, and more connected communities. 🏡💛