Dear BfE community, 

I hope this email finds you doing well and staying healthy. As 2023 progresses onwards, I am reminded that our greatest power lies in collective strength. In the face of tumultuous challenges, innovative solutions are accelerated by bringing people together, not tearing them apart. This is especially true when people come from diverse backgrounds in the joint pursuit of a broader mission. Self-interest is inevitably involved, yes, although it typically takes a backseat when alignment on the how of tackling larger ambitions remains at the center. The challenges we face in 2023 are far bigger than ourselves, and we can only make progress by contributing towards solutions if we come together over our shared interests.

In some respects, I view BfE as a project born from this mold. Looking back, it's preposterous to think that 300+ people from different corners of the globe could come together over a shared mission in a purely voluntary format. No monied interests, maybe a little self-interest, but genuinely mostly compassion and a willingness to help contribute towards advancing progress - be it climate resilient solutions, poverty alleviation, or otherwise - in the face of bleakness. When I look for sources of inspiration, I look at BfE and sometimes marvel at the unique archetype of this organization. True, I may not personally know more than 10 people in BfE, but I do know that we're all bonded by the same mission. For me, that is powerful. I hope it is for you too.

I wish you all an excellent February in pursuit of greater heights and fonder memories. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me (even if we've never spoken) for a chat if you have an idea or think I can help support you in any way.

My best regards,

Jordan (BfE Global President)

We've continued to make steady progress on various initiatives at the global level. Here's what each division was up to:

📊 Incubation

• Recruitment: The BfE Global Incubation Division is currently hiring a BfE Academy Manager and Volunteer(s) to support building the knowledge asset pool and training programme for BfE chapter associates. Stay tuned to our opportunities site for more details! We are also hiring externally, so spread the word to your friends to see if they may be interested too! 📢

🤝 Outreach

• Communications: Tessa Foo (BfE Singapore Communications Director)  just published an article contributing to our ongoing Thought Leadership  series on Medium: Key Areas for Social Impact in the Southeast Asia Region. Check it out! 👏
  

🔋 Strategy & Operations

• Strategy:
  • Chapters: We held the monthly Chapter President/Vice President checkpoint on 29 January. A warm welcome to the new leadership teams for all Chapters! 🤗
  • BfE Platform Model: The reworked Platform Model Strategy for discussion and approval with the Global Heads will be held in February
  • Talent: The team is working on the alumni database and strategy, as well as building the BfE global recruitment framework and talent sourcing strategy
• Operations:
  • Spring 2023 Cohort: 11 new social enterprises were admitted to the BfE Incubation Programme in January1 The recorded welcome event can be viewed here
  • Recruitment: Srishti Agarwal, once part of Cambridge's Finance Advisory team, has recently joined the global Startup Recruitment team 👏

👩‍💻 Impact Research

• Impact Dashboard: The Impact Research Division continues to work with BfE Tech to develop dashboards to visualise post-engagement feedback metrics. We hope to utilize these dashboards for future annual reports and enhanced impact reporting
• BfE Annual Report: The process of developing this year's annual impact report began at the year's close
• Impact Statistics: The team has been focusing on updating the impact portion of the website to ensure we're displaying the most accurate statistics and information regarding our stakeholders, portfolio, and case studies

⚙️Technology

• Recruitment: In December 2022, BfE Tech recruited two new members of the Tech Talent Team, including Chidi (Global Tech Talent Manager) and Rebecca (Global Tech Learning & Development Manager).
  • Chidi is responsible for managing the BfE Tech recruitment process, which consists of conducting strategy meetings with hiring managers to fully understand job requirements, candidate fit, and the attributes needed to be successful in the role. He then uses those insights to effectively procure, develop, and conduct a strategic review of volunteer applications. Chid is supported by two other volunteers, Moses (Global Technology Volunteer) and Ibrahim (Global Technology Volunteer)
  • Rebecca is responsible for our L&D strategy and offering. Rebecca is supported by two other volunteers, Nina (Global Technology Talent Volunteer) and Chigoziri (Global Technology Talent Volunteer). The Tech Talent team will be working to improve how we attract, develop, and retain our members. You can expect to hear more from them in the coming months as they look to you for input into our talent priorities. Watch this space for some great developments in our L&D offering in the coming months too, which you can all get involved in! 👀 

• The Algorithm Comparison Project: The Algorithm Comparison Project, executed by Xing (Global Analytics and Algorithm Manager) and Sam (Global Analytics and Algorithm Volunteer) has been completed. A thorough presentation comparing NLP models was completed, and improvements in data collection and feedback for future implementations were documented. A key learning from the project was to have more stakeholder involvement

🇬🇧 Cambridge

• Recruitment: We kickstarted Spring 2023 recruitment with the new BfE committee and have received a positive response for associate positions on the outreach and incubation sides of the chapter. The new leadership team has decided to proceed with a few changes, such as a welcome dinner and BfE Cambridge quarterly meet-ups

• Orientation: The BfE Cambridge Chapter conducted an introduction and orientation on 30th Jan 2023 with the new BfE associates recruited for the spring term
• Upcoming Activities: The BfE Cambridge Chapter plans to have a welcome dinner with the BfE Committee, quarterly meetups with BfE members, and co-hosted events in collaboration with 180DC Cambridge

🇺🇸 New York

• Recruitment: The BfE New York Chapter successfully onboarded 22 new members to our 6 student teams for this semester!

• Incubation: BfE New York chapter directors have completed intro calls with clients

• Outreach: A Deloitte workshop for BfE members, a potential collaboration with Palladium Capital, and other exciting opportunities are in the works 🙏

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Incubation: BfE Singapore Chapter engagements are scheduled to kick-off for Consulting, Finance Advisory, and Technical Advisory in Feb 2023
• Recruitment: The chapter conducted a highly successful recruitment drive that yielded 100+ applicants for ~30 positions for the upcoming academic year
• Information Sharing: The chapter innovated a new Alumni Sharing Format for information sharing sessions inspired by "Vogue Questions" 
• Town Hall: The BfE Singapore Chapter conducted its first town hall on 4th Feb 2023
• Thought Leadership Article: The BfE Singapore Chapter contributed to the Thought Leadership series on Meidum with an article by Tessa Foo (Communications Director) on Key Areas for Social Impact in the Southeast Asia Region

🇨🇦 Vancouver

• General Updates: In January, the BfE Vancouver Chapter welcomed 16 new team members with a two-part Introductory Training Program. Week 1 was an Intro to Social Innovation & Casing 101 workshop, and Week 2 was on Impact Measurement and Management, featuring guest speaker Olga Cruz from Good & Well, an impact investing firm in Toronto 📷 (see photo below!). The chapter also had its first team social at UBC Gallery! And lastly, a big welcome to Alex Chow, our new chapter Vice President 🥳
• Incubation: Both our Consulting and Finance Advisory teams have kicked off their new engagements with Helgg Scooters (Nigeria) and Tele-Bere Green Agro Farms (Ghana). Associates are getting started with business and industry research, while directors and senior associates are in the project planning phase drafting work plans
• Outreach: The Growth & Partnerships and Communications teams have also hit the ground running with their team projects and activities. Comms is starting by refining the chapter social media strategy, while G&P is planning a networking event for February called Let’s Talk About ESG

🇮🇳 New Delhi

• Engagement Updates: The BfE New Delhi Chapter concluded its consulting engagements from the Autumn 2022 Cohort in the first weeks of December. Also, the chapter scheduled initial meetings with the founders they're working with this semester, and already had an initial meeting with Mr. Mohammad Jouza, the founder of Meraki Academy (Jordan)
• Recruitment Updates: A rigorous recruitment process consisting of 3 rounds of interviews was conducted in the first half of January 2023. 60% of the batch of 2025 at Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) applied to join BfE New Delhi, and the chapter is excited to have onboarded 20 consulting associates that are as excited as us to begin the chapter engagements
• Other Updates: 6 knowledge sharing sessions for the new recruits were conducted at the college campus on topics ranging from Valuation & DCF to Slide Design and Case Competitions (see picture below of the session!). Also, the chapter is onboarding collaborators and partners for its new casebook, which is now in its final stages of being completed

We are so grateful for the outstanding contributions made by the following BfE members this month. Thank you and well done! 👏

• ⚙️ From BfE Global Technology: 
  • As a key member of the Algorithm Comparison Project, Sam (Global Analytics and Algorithm Volunteer) showcased strong research skills and dedication throughout the project. He brought fresh perspectives and a strong work ethic 🎉
    

Reads:

• Taking Control of the Value for Money Narrative: How Innovative Metrics Are Making Impact Part of the Financial Equation (Next Billion)
• Six Business Plan Pitfalls to Avoid When Approaching Funders: Lessons from Healthcare Enterprises in Emerging Markets (Next Billion) 
• South Africa maintains southern Africa VC dominance (TechCabal)
• Why We Didn’t Fund Your Scaling Plan (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
• How (Not) to Scale a Nonprofit (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
• Big ideas and predictions for ESG in 2023 (Impact Alpha)

Roles:

• Social Media Manager (UK) @Halo Trust
• Program Associate, U.S.-Jordan Leadership Exchange Program (UJLEP) (Washington DC, US) @IREX
• Campaign Lead, Shift - Asia (Homebased in Asia) @Save The Children
• City Manager (Montreal, Canada) @Remote Year
• Finance Specialist (New York) @IRC

Leave your thoughts in the form below!

Alternatively, reach out to our global heads via leadership@bridgesforenterprise.com,

or schedule a casual chat with me.

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