Retail giant Marks & Spencer has appointed Neighbourly, the innovative Bristol-based internet platform, to support its trailblazing Spark Something Good campaign. Neighbourly connects community projects with companies wishing to make a difference.
The nationwide project, launched last week by Joanna Lumley and M&S chief executive Marc Bolland, aims to inspire the store group’s staff and its 34m customers to help their neighbourhoods and improve the lives of local people.
Within 24 hours of its launch it had transformed 24 community projects around London. 
All M&S stores will use Neighbourly’s website to select, manage and promote their fundraising activities with their local community causes of choice in the year ahead. M&S stores have already used Neighbourly.com to select and promote their charity of the year.
The Neighbourly platform, which was developed at the University of Bristol-backed SETsquared innovation hub at the Engine Shed, Temple Meads, simplifies the task of first finding a local cause, then selecting and managing participation. Transparency is also improved through better reporting of all local activities, the funds raised and impact achieved, both locally by each store and nationally.
Spark Something Good is part of M&S’s Plan A sustainable business plan. Plan A director Mike Barry said: “We could not have done Spark Something Good without our friends at Neighbourly. They’ve brought us connections with the community and helped us identify the projects we want to work with.
“And because they’re a digital platform, we’re able to show what M&S stores are able to do together rather than every store having its own, isolated story. Together we’re truly stronger, and Neighbourly’s at the heart of that.”
Neighbourly founder Nick Davies said: “Plan A is a benchmark for best practice in corporate citizenship, so helping M&S manage and deliver their engagement with hundreds of grassroots causes is an important endorsement for the benefits of using the Neighbourly platform.
“The London launch has already demonstrated how inspiring and effective the Spark Something Good initiative is going to be. We’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
Neighbourly recently raised more than £1m from angel investors. The funds – its third round of investment – will be used to grow the firm’s engineering team and accelerate its development and international launch.
Since its launch in July last year, Neighbourly clients have pledged £1,86m and more than 7,500 volunteer days and have already backed 245 causes.
