My name is Jitte Dingenouts. I work as a Junior Data Scientist in the Data & Analytics team for IG&H. In addition to working on client projects, I was very keen to contribute more to society. So I joined IG&H’s Social Impact team, which is responsible for cause-related projects and initiatives within the company. We organize, among other things, short social impact projects in which IG&H employees can help non-profit organizations achieve their goals. This is either arranged by our direct contacts or through an organization called Impact Matters. In only my second month with IG&H, I was given the opportunity to put my energy and skills into practice on a social impact project for Orange Babies.
What does Orange Babies do?
Orange Babies is a non-profit organization that envisions a world in which babies are no longer born with HIV, and all children have a fair chance at life. To achieve this goal, Orange Babies supports pregnant HIV-infected women and their children in Africa by providing medication, care and education about HIV. A baby has a 40% chance of getting HIV if its mother is already infected. Proper medication reduces this chance to 2%. Because half of HIV-infected babies die before the age of 2, and the majority of HIV-infected survivors do not grow older than 12, many deaths could be prevented with the medication Orange Babies supplies.
Besides supporting babies and their mothers, Orange Babies also takes care of children who are infected with HIV or who lost their parents to HIV. In this way, they aim to give every child a fair chance at life.
Why did they ask for our help?
Usually, Orange Babies receives 50% of their donations through events they organize. Unfortunately, the success of such events is dependent on factors such as the weather and world events. The corona pandemic made this type of fundraising harder. In addition, the rise of the number of charities has made it increasingly difficult for Orange Babies to attract new donors. Therefore, they asked us for help to make their fundraising more sustainable and less contingent on world events.
What did we do?
During a one-day workshop with Orange Babies, we formulated objectives, got a better understanding of their donors, analysed other non-profit organizations, and identified new ideas that could help Orange Babies move forward. We made this possible using different interactive working methods which we applied in individual, working group and plenary sessions. This resulted in two concrete concepts we decided to move forward with.
How did I experience working on this project for Orange Babies?
I was extremely excited to put my energy and skills into practice for a project involving Orange Babies. In our daily life, we tend to forget that there are many people in the world who need help. In my opinion, it is also important to give back to our community if we can. I’m very happy I had the chance to work on this project.
The project for Orange Babies was a great success for both Orange Babies and IG&H colleagues. First, it was interesting to get a better understanding of how a non-profit organization like Orange Babies works and what their drivers and perspectives are. In addition, we were able to add significant value by developing 2 concrete concepts for Orange Babies and fleshing out the next steps. In this way, Orange Babies was able to set short-term goals for attracting new donors and become more sustainable in their fundraising. Lastly, it was a lot of fun to work with such a diverse group of people. This enabled us to discuss relevant topics from different perspectives and learn from each other. The high level of enthusiasm made this one-day workshop even more fun.
In summary, it was a great experience in which we had a direct impact on society, did some personal development and had a lot of fun! I'm certain that this will not be the last social impact project I work on, and I'm already excited for the next one!
IG&H’s purpose is to improve the welfare of the day-to-day lives of millions. By taking part in social impact projects, we help non-profit organizations achieve their goals, and in this way, we have a positive impact on society. During these projects, we apply our knowledge and expertise to addressing the organization’s most urgent needs. At the same time, we offer employees the opportunity to develop themselves further and work with colleagues from other entities. All in all, this results in leadership that encourages us as IG&H colleagues to take part in social impact projects, which are either arranged through direct contact or through Impact Matters.