Incredible Research with London Business School and Booth Business School Chicago

Grow Movement is collaborating with two of the world's top business schools; London Business School and Chicago Booth School of Business to measure the impact of its services on micro and small business performance in Uganda. This is an incredible opportunity for Grow to have external validation of the impact of its work. In the future this will enable Grow to influence Government policy and attract additional funding to expand.

Using a 'Randomised Control' methodology, 600 entrepreneurs starting in June 2015 will receive Grow Movement services. Their business performance will be compared against 400 entrepreneurs included the study who do not receive any consultancy until the end of 2016. Impact that will be studied include business sales, costs and profits, and household spending on assets, housing improvements, food and clothing. These outcomes will be measured at the start of the programme, and at 12  and 18 months  using a new surveying methodology that combines electronic surveying technology with improvements in survey design.

Grow Movement Uganda Team will be expanded to 10 managers and operate from a new location in Kampala providing more laptops and internet access to clients than ever before. 

Grow Movement will be working with its existing volunteer consultancy base to drive recruitment ready for June 2015. If you would like to be involved as a volunteer consultant, or know someone who would like to join then please follow this link.

http://lbs.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_86Zr2LxC9JlhWgl

If you are an existing Grow volunteer consultant, taking a break but would like to be involved for June 2015. Please follow this link

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GrowMovement0115

IMPACT! Results are out! 689 new jobs created!

At Grow Movement the team stops once a quarter to review the impact of its work. Grow is proud to announce that it has finished with 370 clients; with 166 impact assessments completed 689 new jobs have been created giving an average of 2.3 new full or part time jobs created for each consultancy.

There is a great variance across all of our countries with Uganda having the highest jobs creation rates driven but work in agriculture. Malawi has our lowest job creation rates which masques the true impact of our work. The Malawi economy has been struggling in recent years with 'Cashgate' and ensuing devaluation of currency. It is an achievement for our clients to stay in business, let alone create new employment.

For more detail on our results check out http://www.growmovement.org/results

We Want You as a New Trustee Recruit!

For 2015/16, Grow is recruiting a new team of trustees to help guide the organisation through a  period of growth and a key research project with two of the World Best Business Schools; London Business School and Booth Business School Chicago. 

Grow is looking for Trustees who are driven, active, have experience living or working in Africa and able to commit to 2 hours per month for 2 years. Specific skills Grow is looking for:

- PR
- Marketing
- Fundraising
- Project Management

Being a Grow Trustee  provides an opportunity to design and implement a new strategy, expand into new countries and interact with a global team of talented businesses people.

Interviews will be held Tuesday January 27th at London Business School. 

Please email why you would like to be a Grow Trustee to:

applications@growmovement.org 

or contact Mark Neild 07747896324 for further discussions

Role Description for Grow Movement Trustee

Role:

To ensure, with the other trustees, that the charity acts in accordance with its constitution and to manage its activities in furtherance of the charitable purposes set out in that constitution  

Responsibilities:

•Setting strategy and under taking the strategic management of the charity

•Ensuring that the charity complies with its Articles of Association and all applicable legislation and regulations

•Ensuring that the charity pursues its charitable purposes for the public benefit as set out in its articles

•Ensuring that the charity applies its resources in pursuance of its charitable purposes and provides appropriate public benefit through its activities in pursuit of those purposes

•Ensuring the financial stability and solvency of the charity

•Ensuring proper accounting records are kept

•Ensuring the effective and efficient administration of the charity

•Projecting and managing the property of the charity

•Ensuring proper investment of the charity funds

•Approving the charity policies

•Safe guarding the good name and ethos of the charity

•

Duties:

•Approving the rolling 5 year plan annually and monitoring progress against it

•Determining/ approving the annual budget and monitoring progress against it

•Preparing and approving the annual report and accounts

•Being an ambassador for the charity, providing connections for volunteer consultant sources and fundraising

•Attending meetings of trustees, playing an active role

•Using the trustees own skills, knowledge and experience to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions

•Taking the lead in any trustee activities where the trustee has special knowledge

•Avoiding any conflict of interest and declaring potential conflicts to the board of trustees

•

Monthly Activities:

•Attend monthly 2 hour meetings

•Review and action monthly operational reports

•Provide monthly updates of actions

Raising money by crowdfundraising

During December 2015 Grow Movement ran a £10,000 fundraising campaign to enable 40 more budding African entrepreneurs to access the skills and experience of Business Consultants. Grow had over 3,000 hits on its campaign site, with 86 funders from 17 countries; the UK and the USA being the biggest. £6,000 was raised  enabling the gift of opportunity for 24 new clients.

Achieving 60% of target in a crowded market place which is suffering from a degree of fatigue is a real achievement. A number of times it was said ' 'If only you were an Ebola charity!' it would be a lot easier for you to raise money. Ebola charities are very worthwhile doing an incredible job in very difficult circumstances.

Crowd fundraising was a new experience for Grow, the campaign was run by a team of London volunteers with the first ever professional video being also funded by a volunteer.  A big thank you goes to Mark, Till, Fiona, Josh and Eunice who did a fantastic job of raising awareness and to Laura Pohl for creating a great video on a tight timeline and budget. For 2015 Grow plans to run another campaign during Global Entrepreneurship week in November with some creative ideas for perks from our talented entrepreneurs. Watch this space!