Here are some things to think about when posting projects and using Match My Project.

When signing up for an account, DO…

Wait for an email to access your account, once the contracting authority has accepted your registration.

Remember to look and check at whether there are supplier offers that you can match to, which will help your project without having to make a request.

When posting a project, DO…

Include information that is relevant to the project, for example, does it require a DBS check if working on site? If the building is leased, do you have relevant permissions to undertake any work? etc.

Think about if your project adds a social, environmental or economic benefit to our customers, communities or society.

Remember that there are other resources available for projects from our suppliers, including time, materials, advice, training and jobs. This isn’t just about funding.

Upload a breakdown when asking for funding – with quotes where possible

Ensure your project has a very clear title and description.

Highlight whether communities and residents are already engaged in the project

Highlight if projects are time sensitive. Please then upload with as much notice as possible to increase the likelihood of a match. For example, if you have a Christmas activity, then post the project by the end of October

Remember that the “ideal value” of a project is between £1,000 to £3,000. Larger projects have been matched, but this is rare.

Be aware that larger requests are less likely to be matched. So, can they be broken down into smaller separate requests and uploaded in stages?

Remember that your project will appear in the ‘Directory’ for Businesses to view.

Get ready to receive offers from businesses to complete your projects and respond promptly.

Contact the business about your requirements before accepting the offer to ensure you’re both aligned (do you need to see copies of Insurance? Names of staff working on a project? Key contact details? Etc). Make sure that you’re happy to go ahead with them as a project partner.

Ensure that each party agrees and understands its responsibilities.

Accept the offer.

During project matching, DO…

Get started with the project once you’ve accepted an offer from a business. Reach out to them via the contact details provided.

Make sure you keep track of the hours, donations and resources that the business is donating during the project. Verify this information with the business as well.

Share feedback once the project has completed. You will be able to see your feedback from the business once you’ve given them feedback.

Keep track of your progress using your dashboard.

…DON’T

Post a project if you don’t have the relevant permissions or can’t provide evidence for it

Apply if you think it’s purely a way to save on budgets

Additional things to consider

Have you thought about other means of support for your project?

Empower other community groups by encouraging them to register and post their own projects.

Please note that there is no guarantee of a match on the platform and we don’t have unlimited resources from suppliers.

Once a project is complete, please upload your feedback onto the platform to ensure verification of the project can take place and other groups can see what parties are like to work with.

Please note that support and resources are limited. All requests will be assessed, but unfortunately making a request doesn’t guarantee a match.

As more and more organisations sign up to Match My Project, an important question is – how does Match My Project work alongside the National TOMs?

The National TOMs framework is a set of financial proxies that provides a financial value for Social Value requirements – often specified in government tender documents.

They were introduced in 2016 by the Local Government Association but are owned by the Social Value Portal. Currently, to access the TOMs you have to sign up to the Social Value Portal.

There are alternatives. For example HACT, Loop, Thrive and the Social Value Engine. The approach set out below can apply to these frameworks as well.

There is currently no technical integration between Match My Project and any of the products mentioned above, including the Social Value Portal.

A general process for using the TOMs alongside Match My Project

Many authorities start by adapting the TOMs to make them specific for their own places.

For example, our colleagues in Stockport have ‘Stockportified’ a number of the outcomes and are using about 40, which reflect Stockport’s priorities.

Once the outcomes are identified, the measures linked to those outcomes are shared with suppliers in tender documentation.

Most commonly, these are:

NT7 – Hours supporting unemployed people into work
NT8 – Local school and college visits
NT15 – Expert business advice to VCSEs
NT16 – Equipment or resources donated to VCSEs
NT17 – Voluntary hours donated to VCSEs
NT28 – Donations or in kind contributions to local community projects
NT29 – No of hours volunteering to support community projects

Suppliers are then signposted, in the tender documents, to Match My Project to find corresponding Social Value projects to deliver.

Within contract meetings, the contract manager cross references between the Social Value projects found on Match My Project and the TOMs to ensure they align, to see whether suppliers have met their targets and / or to calculate the financial proxies.

What if there isn’t alignment between the TOMs and Social Value projects found on Match My Project?

If a supplier can’t find a Social Value project to support, the supplier can post the Social Value commitment on Match My Project and wait for a community organisation to pick up the offer (or refer in a local person to, for example, access an apprenticeship opportunity).

Is the current situation ideal?

No!

From an operational point of view, suppliers have to use two systems. So far, this isn’t proving a problem, but it’s not ‘optimal’. Full technical integration via an API would solve this.

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And we are very aware of the wider debate about the limitations of using a measurement framework like the TOMs.

Pure descriptions of every Social Value projects – like those found on Match My Project – may be true to reality, but would be difficult to compare, generalise and therefore learn from.

At the other end of the spectrum, financial values based on simplifying assumptions allow comparisons to be made while sacrificing some validity of those comparisons.

Match My Project is a Social Value delivery platform

Our primary focus is to get Social Value delivered in communities, where it’s needed most. Our matchmaking tools facilitate connections between suppliers and community partners – of whom we now have approximately 900 registered on Match My Project.

But we also include an annual SROI evaluation, which provides a more robust assessment of the impact delivered.

Meanwhile, our government, business and community partners can see the tangible Social Value being delivered on Match My Project, because it is verified by community beneficiaries.

Come along to our next online event: ‘Match My Project – By the Numbers’ where take a closer look at the impact being created by the platform.

Tips and tricks for Community Organisations using Match My Project