“Getting the team involved in pro bono work is equally – if not more – important”
DCC’s long-standing relationship with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland goes back 13 years to 2011 and we’ve donated around €2.5 million in that time. We decided to focus resources where they can do most good.
“We get a lot of people knocking on our door and we’ve learned that you can’t support everything,” explains Donal. “We saw that our contributions to Social Entrepreneurs Ireland were making a tangible difference, and that’s why we decided to concentrate our resources in this area,” he says.
Donal believes that the time and expertise that donors like DCC give are as valuable as cash. “Social Entrepreneurs Ireland has the ability to get your people involved where they can make a real difference,” he says. He takes part in panels that hear Dragons’ Den-style pitches from would-be entrepreneurs. Together with peers and colleagues, he’s been a mentor for those who have vision but lack the commercial experience to back it up.
“Some entrepreneurs don’t have the training or knowledge of how to budget or do cash flow forecasts and some may not know the intricacies involved in managing their HR function,” he says, and so DCC, along with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s other supporters, offers pro bono help.
“It’s relatively easy to just write a cheque, and we’re happy to provide money from our own corporate social responsibility perspective. The harder bit is getting people in your team more deeply involved and we’ve managed to do that, which for me is equally – if not more – important,” Donal says.
“If you could just bottle that feeling, you’d have something really special”
It’s an example of how we like to find out what really matters to our host communities and how we engage with them, while reinforcing our own culture that values diversity, innovation and community. The benefits cut both ways: by pitching in, our people feel good, grow and develop too.
A highlight of the year for Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s team, alumni and supporters is the annual event known as The Gathering, a get-together to share stories, mark progress and spend time with friends old and new. This year’s Gathering had something extra to celebrate as it’s SEI’s 20th anniversary. Bigger than ever, with 500 guests, it was the chance to take stock of two decades of hard work, showcase today’s most exciting changemakers, and enjoy panel discussions and live performances.
SEI has helped more than 600 entrepreneurs in its two decades. They may have diverse backgrounds and interests, but what they all have in common is that they are society’s problem solvers, looking beyond the current way of doing things and blazing a trail to a brighter future for everyone.
“Anybody who goes to The Gathering walks out inspired by the energy and positivity in that room,” says Donal. “I often say to the people who run Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, if you could just bottle that feeling, you’d have something really special.”