Dorman Assets Available:
+£880 million
A portion of the £880 million released by the UK government will go to create further social and environmental impact, with Big Society Capital a beneficiary of the new funds.
Communities Reached:
17 Major UK Cities
Material Impact's survey reached 17 major UK cities across the 9 regions of England and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Media Highlights:
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Politico
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Better Society
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Third Sector
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IFA Magazine
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Charity Times
Material Impact was not involved in the execution of the PR campaign which used our survey results.
The Challenge
Big Society Capital (BSC), one of the UK's largest pure social impact investors, invests dormant assets for social impact across the UK.
Dormant assets are funds untouched in bank and other financial accounts for a period of 15 years. Though the sum of the average dormant account is very small, it represents a significant amount when aggregated.
In 2022, working with others across the sector, BSC identified an opportunity to secure new funds for social impact investment with the first expansion of the Dormant Asset Scheme since 2011.
To capitalise on this once in every 15 years event, Big Society Capital enlisted Material Impact's expertise to help evidence the case for social impact investment.
Our Solution
Material Impact developed compelling messages for BSC's policy team, to bring to the attention of UK Members of Parliament the importance of social impact investment in local communities.
Partnering with a dedicated field research team, Material Impact orchestrated a comprehensive survey involving 2,000 UK adults from various regions, seeking their opinions on BSC-funded projects within their communities.
The overwhelming positive feedback from the survey data not only bolstered the group’s advocacy outreach but also proved an invaluable asset for BSC's own public relations campaign.
The Outcome
Our research helped bolster BSC’s messaging for PR and advocacy efforts which led to social impact investment being named a beneficiary of the next dormant assets distribution, and receiving approximately 40% (£31m) of the initial £76m released.
This achievement reinforced in the value of social impact investing to policy makers and ensured the continuation of new impact projects across the UK.
Insights