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from ThinkBusiness

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FoodCloud is a social enterprise that connects businesses with surplus food to charities. A new deal with Opel Ireland means the company can now scale rapidly.

Opel Ireland has joined FoodCloud in Ireland in a bid to deliver the equivalent of 2.3 million meals to over 250 charities in one year alone.

Recent reports show that one in eight people in Ireland is living in food poverty, yet one million tonnes of food is still wasted each year.

"As FoodCloud's transport partner, we hope to redistribute larger volumes of food to hard working charities in communities across the country," says Gillian Whittall, head of marketing and PR for Opel Ireland.

"As a result of our new fleet, over 1,000 tonnes of perfectly good food that would have been wasted is now being distributed to people who need it," says FoodCloud co-founder Aoibheann O'Brien.

FoodCloud is a social enterprise that connects businesses with surplus food to charities in their local communities that need it via a software platform. Some of the organisations FoodCloud already works with include The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and The Simon Community.

Pictured above are Gillian Whittall, head of marketing and PR for Opel Ireland with Aoibheann O'Brien and Iseult Ward, co-founders of FoodCloud.

The story of FoodCloud

Iseult studied Business and Economics while Aoibheann has a masters' degree in Environmental Science. The two met at a start-up event for social entrepreneurs and decided to build a business around a shared interest in the elimination of food waste and food poverty. Eighteen months on from launch, Iseult shared her start-up journey with ThinkBusiness.ie

What's your business's elevator pitch?

FoodCloud is an app that connects businesses that have too much food with charities working in communities that have too little. A business can upload details of any surplus food it has and a text goes out to charities that need it. It's mostly fresh produce like fruit, veg and bakery.

How has it grown?

We take surplus food from stores in 25 counties. Our first contract with Tesco enabled us to employ six people. We are piloting with another retail chain, and working with two independent Dublin bakeries, Antoinette's and The Bretzel. We won the contract with Tesco because we were able to make savings for them in relation to their waste management bill, reducing the amount going to landfill and also helping them contribute to their local community in a meaningful way. We don't charge smaller businesses because there aren't the same savings for them to realise and we don't want any barriers to participation. We work with more than 250 charities around the country.

What do you regard as your business's greatest achievement?

Enabling a network of charities and businesses to work together to solve the problem of food waste and food poverty. Every kilogramme of food waste we retrieve is equivalent to 2.2 meals. To date we have received 355 tonnes of food, equivalent to over 800,000 meals.

What was the lowest moment?

There have been a few. In the early days it felt like we were walking a tightrope and never knew if it would work. You wouldn't know if the business would still be there next week. Every knock back felt like, 'Is this it?'

How have you coped with setbacks?

We were very fortunate in that we were accepted into two start-up accelerator programmes, one in Trinity and one in the NDRC (National Digital Research Centre). That kind of environment gives you a great support network. If you're feeling low, there's always someone to talk to. As we've grown our coping mechanism has changed. Now it's about thinking of the bigger picture. If we've a low moment, we focus on the fact that there are charities that are depending on us to get food, so we have no choice but to cope.

What's your attitude to risk?

There's no escaping risk when you start a business. You just have to mitigate it as much as possible by trying to educate yourself about the sector you are going into and make informed decisions. That said, in our case more than a few coins were flipped along the way.

What has been the biggest challenge to scaling the business?

We had to scale up very fast when we won the Tesco contract. Everyone who joined us had to hit the ground running and that was a huge challenge. Luckily we secured people who really understood the concept and are as passionate about the idea of connecting food surplus with food scarcity as we are.

Who has inspired or motivated you and why?

My co-founder Aoibheann. We didn't know each other before we got into this. We met at a start-up event. We've done so much and been through so much together since then that we are constantly amazed at how well we get on. It was like stars aligning. It's great to have a business partner, someone to enjoy the good times with and on who you can rely on when things get tough.

What do you do, if anything, to switch off from the business?

Eat - either at home with friends or out with friends. I'm lucky in that my boyfriend studies culinary entrepreneurship so he's a great cook. Wherever I am, I always clean my plate - no food waste here.

What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?

Nothing. We've made loads of mistakes but it's in those moments when you reflect on what you've done wrong that the learning takes place. That prevents you making the same mistake again.

What lessons have you learned in business that others could apply?

Our main one was learned from a mistake. In business, you really need to understand a problem fully before you come up with a solution. Initially we had come up with an app that would let a few cafes say what food surplus they had, but we hadn't factored in exactly what the needs of the charities were. To really solve a problem you have to understand it inside out.

Finally, if there was one piece of advice you'd like to give to another business owner, what would that be?

Any start-up should go and talk to as many people as possible. It will help bring your idea to the next stage, you'll get great feedback - both positive and negative - and you'll be galvanizing support for when you get going, so reach out.
Discover more about FoodCloud and the drive to cut down on food waste.

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The story of FoodCloud in Ireland | Think Business

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Opel Ireland has joined FoodCloud in Ireland in a bid to deliver the equivalent of 2.3 million meals to over 250 charities in one year alone. Recent reports show that one in eight people in Ireland is living in food poverty, yet one million tonnes of food is still wasted each year.

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FoodCloud CEO wins European Tech Women Award

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FoodCloud CEO wins European Tech Women Award

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Irish entrepreneur Iseult Ward was one of 24 winners from 12 countries at the inaugural award ceremony recognising the achievements of women in tech.

FoodCloud co-founder and CEO Iseult Ward has won the Social Responsibility Award at the first ever European Tech Women Awards.

Running as part of London Tech Week, the awards were hosted by the UK's department for international trade and aimed to recognise the excellence of 24 women from 12 countries through their achievements in the technology field.

FoodCloud is a social enterprise that uses technology to connect a network of more than 700 charities and community partners to redistribute surplus food to families in need.

The company, founded by Ward and Aoibheann O'Brien, was part of the 2013 cohort of Trinity College Dublin's LaunchBox accelerator programme. Since then, the company has grown rapidly with partnerships with major supermarkets including Tesco, Aldi and Waitrose in the UK.

In 2014, FoodCloud was awarded an Impact Award from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, and in 2017 it was one of just 16 global start-ups selected for the Blackbox Connect accelerator in Silicon Valley.

In 2018, the company secured significant investment from AIB, with part-matched Government funding through Social Innovation Fund Ireland. Earlier this year, FoodCloud received an investment of more than €100,000 from Nestlé to support Irish families with access to nutritional food.

At the time of the investment announcement, Ward said that FoodCloud had "redistributed record volumes of food" since April due to the effects of Covid-19.

"Whilst this represents a huge achievement for our own teams, it also demonstrates the reality of the growing demand for food in communities, which we are increasingly unable to meet with our current surplus supply," she said.

Ahead of the European Tech Women Awards ceremony, which took place online today (2 September), the UK's trade commissioner for Europe, Richard Burn, said the awards are a demonstration of support for women business leaders. "These awards showcase 24 remarkable success stories from women entrepreneurs in 12 European countries," he said.

Apart from Ireland, other winners came from the UK, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Denmark, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic and Israel.

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FoodCloud CEO wins European Tech Women Award

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Irish entrepreneur Iseult Ward was one of 24 winners from 12 countries at the inaugural award ceremony recognising the achievements of women in tech. FoodCloud co-founder and CEO Iseult Ward has won the Social Responsibility Award at the first ever European Tech Women Awards.

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Sustainable Business Impact Awards more relevant than ever in time of Covid-19

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Sustainable Business Impact Awards more relevant than ever in time of Covid-19

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On August 14, Chambers Ireland published the Shortlist for the 2020 Sustainable Business Impact Awards, formerly known as the CSR Awards.

More than 70 projects have been shortlisted, across 14 award categories and will highlight the impactful and innovative ways in which businesses are engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals in their communities.

The winners of this year's Sustainable Business Impact Awards will be announced on September 24. To comply with social distancing measures, the 2020 awards will be hosted online in a digital ceremony, so that the health and wellbeing of those shortlisted can be protected.

Announcing the shortlist, Siobhan Kinsella, Chambers Ireland president, said that the difficulties faced by businesses across every sector has meant it was even more important than ever to recognise best practice and excellence at the annual awards ceremony.

"It is an honour to announce the shortlist for the inaugural Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Awards," she said. "2020 is a significant year. Following 16 years of the CSR awards, this is the first occasion we announce the companies who are shortlisted for our newly named awards, recognising sustainable business impact.

"This year is also significant because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the unprecedented effect it has had on businesses and local economies, not only in Ireland, but right around the world.

"Our business leaders are showing tremendous resilience in how they are facing the challenge of trading during a pandemic. And this makes it even more important to recognise the excellence in sustainable development and social responsibility that is evident in businesses of all shapes and sizes across the country."

Wishing all the shortlisted applicants the very best of luck, Kinsella said Chambers Ireland was proud to announce the category shortlist and looked forward to announcing the winners in September.

The Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Awards are sponsored by BAM Ireland and run in association with the Department of Rural and Community Development. Theo Cullinane, chief executive at BAM Ireland, said the organisation was proud to be associated with the event.

"The shortlist for the Chambers Ireland 2020 Sustainable Business Impact Awards is as impressive as ever and demonstrates the importance of sustainable business initiatives in Ireland," he said.

"As a long-time sponsor, we are proud to continue this partnership as the awards take this evolutionary step in becoming the Sustainable Business Impact Awards. At BAM, sustainability is at the core of what we do.

"BAM adopted a new sustainability strategy in 2016, driven by these SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]. As a result, we have set ourselves the target of having a net positive impact on Climate Change, Resources and People by 2050, and are proud of our prestigious A rating on the global Carbon Disclosure Project [CDP]."
Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2020 Shortlist Excellence in CSR Communication
Abbot, ESB & Irish Heart Foundation - Hands for Life - Community CPR Training

Aldi Ireland - Pride in Who We Are

Dawn Meats - CONNECT Programme

Fidelity Investments Ireland - Fidelity Cares - Engaging and Empowering our Associates in 2019

Lidl Ireland - Lidl More for Youth - Jigsaw/Lidl Listen Campaign

Tesco Ireland - Every Little Help makes a Big Difference
Excellence in Community - Partnership with Charity - LIC
A&L Goodbody - Supporting life after torture with Spirasi

AIB - AIB Together partnership with FoodCloud

Applegreen - Applegreen & Focus Ireland Youth Services

Arthur Cox - The Opening Doors Partnership with the Early Learning Initiative

Collins McNicholas Recruitment - A Piece of Our Time for Jigsaw 2020

Deloitte - Going Green with Leave No Trace (LNT)

Gas Networks Ireland - Gas Networks Ireland partnership with Age Action

Permanent TSB - Permanent TSB Staff Charities Fund - Partnership With Barretstown
Excellence in Community - Partnership with Charity - MNC
Bank of America - Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund

Diageo Ireland - The Guinness Fund

Intel Ireland - Intel Charity Program

KBC Bank - Skills- Sharing for Impact

Tesco Ireland - Tesco & Temple Street: The Drive for €5 Million
Excellence in Community - Volunteering - LIC
A&L Goodbody - Supporting housing rights and homelessness through free legal assistance

Arthur Cox - The Arthur Cox Zambia Project

Dawn Meats - Dawn Meats Junior Achievement Ireland Project

Deloitte - Impact Volunteering - The "Deloitte Experience"

EirGrid - EirGrid/Margaret Aylward Community College Partnership

PM Group - 'ELevate' Programme
Excellence in Community - Volunteering - MNC
Canada Life Reinsurance - Community First Responders

Fidelity Investments Ireland - Fidelity Cares - Giving Back in 2019

Horizon Therapeutics - From Plant to Patient

IBM Ireland and Cisco Ireland - ICU FamilyLink

Medtronic - EthosScope- Medtronic Global Innovation Fellows

VMware Cork - Serve.Learn.Inspire Campaign
Excellence in Community - Community Programme - LIC
A&L Goodbody - A&L Goodbody's Step Up Community Programme

Applegreen - Applegreen & Irish Youth Foundation: The Blossom Fund

An Post - Address Point

Bank of Ireland - Bank of Ireland COVID-19 €1m Emergency Response Fund

Deloitte - The Deloitte Consulting Analyst Christmas Challenge

Gas Networks Ireland - Cooperation Ireland / Gas Networks Ireland Youth Leadership Programme

Permanent TSB - Championing Social Entrepreneurship - A Partnership With Social Entrepreneurs Ireland

SuperValu - SuperValu & AsIAm Autism Friendly Towns

VHI - Run for Fun
Excellence in Community - Community Programme - MNC
Abbott - Croí an Óir, our long-standing commitment to our communities

Deutsche Bank - Write to Read literacy research project

HEINEKEN Ireland - Growing with our Communities

IBM Ireland - P-TECH (Pathways in Technology)

Microsoft Ireland - DreamSpace

Tesco Ireland - Tesco during Covid-19: Now More than Ever, Every Little Helps
Excellence in Environment - LIC
AIB - AIB's Energy and Environmental Plan to enable Sustainable Communities

Dawn Meats - Origin Green Sustainability Plan

Gas Networks Ireland - Biodiversity Enhancement Programme

Irish Water - Sustainable Water Services
Excellence in Environment - MNC
Aldi Ireland - Aldi Sustainability Project

Diageo Ireland - Diageo plastic packaging removal

Fidelity Investments Ireland - Green Team in Action 2019

Intel Ireland - Building Sustainable Communities

Tesco Ireland - Reducing our carbon footprint at Tesco
Excellence in Workplace - LIC
A&L Goodbody - A&L Goodbody Summer School-making the best use of our time

Bank of Ireland - Agile Ways of Working

Carbery Group - Carbery Ways of Working

Ervia - Work Safe, Home Safe

Scope - Scope & ChildVision Championing Children's Futures

Solas - SOLAS Workplace Choir
Excellence in Workplace - MNC
Abbott - Abbott Workplace Well-being: Empowering employees to realise their full potential

Diageo Ireland - Six months paid parental leave for all Irish employees

Tesco Ireland - Supporting colleague health and wellbeing in Tesco Ireland

VMware Cork - VMware Irelands Virtual Workplace
Excellence in Marketplace
AIB - Vulnerable Customer Programme

Arthur Cox - Helping the Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Access Legal Assistance

Bank of Ireland - Bank of Ireland Vulnerable Customer Unit

Tesco Ireland - Project Unwrapped: Working with our suppliers to reduce plastic packaging
Excellence in CSR by an SME
Codema - Home Energy Saving Kit

Liferay International - Liferay International Refugee Program

Marino Software - Keeping Róisín's Voice Alive, a Big Life Fix by Marino

Tico Mail Works - Tico Mail Works Sustainable CSR Program
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
A&L Goodbody - DARE - Daily Action. Real Equality

Bank of Ireland - Gender Balance

Dawn Meats - Dawn Meats Group Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Deloitte Ireland - A proud LGBTI+ community year-round

Diageo Ireland - The Open Doors Initiative

VMware Ireland - VMinclusion Ireland - Resilience and Disability Program

*LIC - Large Indigenous Company

*MNC- Multinational Company
Judging Panels:
The independent judging panel is made up of respected individuals working in various fields. The panel act independently at all times.

Chambers Ireland - Ireland's largest business network creating the best environment for members locally, regionally and nationally.

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Sustainable Business Impact Awards more relevant than ever in time of Covid-19 | Business Post

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On August 14, Chambers Ireland published the Shortlist for the 2020 Sustainable Business Impact Awards, formerly known as the CSR Awards. More than 70 projects have been shortlisted, across 14 award categories and will highlight the impactful and innovative ways in which businesses are engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals in their communities.

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'When we launched FoodCloud it didn't work at all. We had to go back to the drawing board'

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'When we launched FoodCloud it didn't work at all. We had to go back to the drawing board'

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Iseult Ward chats about FoodCloud's rocky launch and why she would like to hire Richard Branson.

OVER THE PAST five years, FoodCloud's co-founder Iseult Ward has become "hooked".

She's hooked on the social enterprise startup she set up with Aoibheann O'Brien that redistributes leftover food from supermarkets to charities, and she can't imagine doing anything else.

As she explains, it wasn't plain sailing at the start. But now the non-profit has Ryanair co-founder Declan Ryan on its board, and Ward has been named on Forbes' prestigious "30 under 30 Europe" list.

For the latest installment of Fora's question-and-answer series, she talks about the rocky launch FoodCloud went through, some peculiar things around the office and the one skill she wished she had.

Here's what she had to say:

What has been your biggest failure to date?
When we first launched FoodCloud it didn't work at all. So that is obviously our standout fail. We didn't have it set up properly with the right businesses - we had a few cafés and bakeries, but the donations were very small.

There wasn't enough value in them for the charities. One bit of feedback I got was that a charity spent 45 minutes driving around Dublin to collect enough food to feed about five people.

The food was free and they appreciated it, but when you're feeding 100 people a day the donations needed to be in larger volumes. We had to put the brakes on and go back to the drawing board.

That's what led us to supermarkets because it's where we would find the supply of food we needed.
How do you start a standard day and how do you finish it?
I don't have too many standard days because I travel quite a lot and I'm back and forth between London and Dublin.

My standard day would be when I'm working out in our hub in Tallaght. Generally I have a smoothie most mornings and then cycle into Tallaght from Clanbrassil Street.
What's the oddest item in your workplace?
We have a 'food cam' in our office that was built by one of our developers. Often in our warehouse food goes past its best before date, so to avoid throwing it out we try to get the team to eat as much as possible so it doesn't go to waste.

Our warehouse manager would bring in some products due to go off, put them underneath the 'food cam', push a button and then everyone in the team is sent a photo of whatever food we are being encouraged to eat.

Source: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

What's your favourite interview question and why?
I would always ask, "Why do you want to join our team?" There's no perfect answer to that question, I just hope they would show some passion for what we do and I want to see that they really want the role.

When you're working in the charity sector and startups it can be busy, so you need to want to be here.
If there was one person in the world you could hire for your board, who would it be and why?
Last year I was in this competition with Virgin Media and got the chance to meet Richard Branson.

When I met him, there was a lot going on. For one, he was at the competition and also the Brexit vote had just happened, but he knew what FoodCloud was even though we hadn't met.

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It stood out for me because I was expecting to have to explain to him from the beginning the FoodCloud story, but immediately he knew all about us.

If you weren't doing your current job, what do you think you would be doing instead?
To be honest, I have no idea. After school I purposely chose business economics and social studies in Trinity College because it was such a broad degree. I didn't know what I wanted to do and wanted to leave all my options open.

I'm very fortunate I found FoodCloud and have been completely hooked on this since - I would struggle to leave.
What's one skill you wish you had?
I would love to learn to code. If I ever took some time out from the business, it would be to try to learn that as quick as possible.
What detail about yourself would surprise your staff?
It's probably that I'm a fluent Irish speaker. I have done the odd interview in Irish, but not that recently so a lot of our new hires might not be aware of that.
If you could invest in any Irish company (other than your own), which one would it be and why?
Definitely Stripe. The Collison brothers have done something really special and it's impressive how fast they have grown. And they always seem to be a few steps ahead.
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'When we launched FoodCloud it didn't work at all. We had to go back to the drawing board'

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Iseult Ward chats about FoodCloud's rocky launch and why she would like to hire Richard Branson. OVER THE PAST five years, FoodCloud's co-founder Iseult Ward has become "hooked". She's hooked on the social enterprise startup she set up with Aoibheann O'Brien that redistributes leftover food from supermarkets to charities, and she can't imagine doing anything else.

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What is FoodCloud? Meet founders Iseult and Aoibheann

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What is FoodCloud? Meet founders Iseult and Aoibheann

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What is FoodCloud? Meet founders Iseult and Aoibheann

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FoodCloud: Transforming Surplus into Opportunity

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FoodCloud: Transforming Surplus into Opportunity

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FoodCloud: Transforming Surplus into Opportunity

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The Ireland Funds COVID-19 Response Fund: FoodCloud

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The Ireland Funds COVID-19 Response Fund: FoodCloud

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The Ireland Funds COVID-19 Response Fund: FoodCloud

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How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Boost Donations

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How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Boost Donations

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Digital marketing is a great way for those in the nonprofit sector to expand their sphere of influence. Many charities continue to rely heavily on direct marketing tactics such as flyers and direct mail campaigns. Although these offline strategies are an important part of a well-balanced marketing plan, organizatiosn run the risk of missing out on increased reach and donations if they fail to incorporate digital into their overall business objectives.

In this blog, find out how social media can help you to increase donors, retain your existing database and share the story of your brand to a global audience.

How Social Media and Nonprofits Complement Each Other

Using social media as a marketing tool has quickly become the norm throughout a range of industries. According to IDC, a global marketing intelligence firm, buyers who use social media regularly have larger budgets than those who do not use social media. Typically, this budget is 84% larger.

The good news? This increase in budget relates to the increase in exposure that social media marketing provides charitable organizations. Many large-scale non-profit organizations like Greenpeace, UNICEF, and PETA With more and more people using social media daily, social media engagement allows charity organizations to widen their net and reach a larger audience on a relatively limited budget.

By increasing exposure to potential donors, a well-rounded social media strategy positions your success by spreading awareness and generating donations.

Get Ready to Launch an Effective Social Media Strategy

Effective social media usage provides an efficient platform to tell the story of your charitable organization. By engaging with those who support and appreciate the work you do for your community, a best-in-class non-profit social media strategy can help you find those who believe in the work you do.

Set your non-profit organization up for success by taking advantage of the opportunities and connection that social media can provide with these steps for a successful social media launch:
1. Brainstorm and outline your social media goals
Okay, you and your marketing colleagues have decided that implementing a social media strategy is the right step to boost donations and connect with supporters. The first step in creating a high-performance social media strategy? Outline why you're doing it.

What do you want your non-profit's social media strategy to accomplish? If your organization provides shelter to vulnerable populations, your goal is to get individuals off the street. Or, perhaps you're an animal rights advocacy group. In that case, your goal may be to share information that keeps people informed about how they can protect wildlife in your area.

Your social media goals should align with your mission and value. Ideally, your organization will choose to create a social media strategy that accomplishes one or all of the following:

Boosts donations

Recruits volunteers

Engages with your target community and supports

Develops your brand and shares the story of your charitable organization

After you and your team have established the goals of your social media presence and marketing, it's time to figure out how you'll track and measure the success of your social media strategy. For non-profit agencies looking for a way to easily measure their outcomes, try regularly tracking how often supporters are commenting on your posts, how many direct messages your social media accounts are receiving, or using a "hashtag strategy" to see how often your organization is tagged in posts.
2. Reach the right audience

Your social media strategy is only as effective as the results you receive. If your charitable organization hasn't yet defined a target audience, now is the time. As tempting as it may be, it's important that your messaging is directed towards a specific audience rather than the general public.

Ideally, your target audience is an idea of who your "quintessential" supporters are. To begin generating your charitable organization's external target audience, it's wise to start by considering your internal personas. Compile demographic information and the reasons why volunteers and board members care about your organization and attempt to form various personas based on your findings.

Once you've created several personas, it's easier to determine the values and demographics of the potential external supporters that your social media strategy will aim to connect with.
3. Develop a comprehensive social media strategy
With a clear idea of your target audience and social media goals, it's time to formulate an actionable plan. The first step in creating a comprehensive social media strategy is discovering what social media networks your target personas spend the most time on.

With so many social media networks available now, it's important to clarify that you don't need to be active on every platform to have a successful social media strategy that boosts donations. Rather, uncover the platforms where your target audience is most active, and focus your efforts on 2-4 of these networks. Again, survey your volunteer base and board members to gain an understanding of where they spend most their online time to see where your efforts are best directed.

Now that you know where your social media marketing will take place, what posts will be most effective in reaching your target audience and boosting donations? Ideally, your posts will tell the story of your organization and engage with an audience who will support your mission. Some engaging content groups for charitable organizations include:

Advertising for upcoming donor events

Volunteer stories and call-outs

Successful endeavors carried out by your organization

"How-to" posts that demonstrate how supporters can help

Boost Donations with Powerful Messaging on Social Media

According to Marketing Sherpa, 95% adults aged 18-34 are most likely to follow brands through social networking. With the majority of adults connecting with brands on social networks, it's imperative that charity organizations have an effective and active non-profit social media strategy in place.

To boost donations and reach fundraising goals, try out these tips for successful social media marketing for nonprofits:
1. Use Twitter and Facebook to keep your audience informed
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are a great means to communicate important events, send updates to supporters, and connect with potential donors. Strategies such as live tweeting and sharing live events on Facebook allow supporters to see real-time updates of a seminar or fundraising event. Quote speakers, share photos and make sure to link back to your charitable organization's website while live tweeting or sharing photos on Facebook.
2. Maintain an active "needs" board on Pinterest
Pinterest is a social media platform treasured by bloggers and photographers alike. However, Pinterest also provides an amazing opportunity for non-profit organizations to share their immediate needs. By creating a board that specifies items required for the regular functioning of your charitable organization, such as canned food, children's clothing, or women's hygienic products, supporters can browse much-needed items and donate as they can.

Upon creating your active "needs" board, make sure that you share this update on your other social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook.
3. Fundraise online using crowdfunding
Looking for an easy, accessible method to boost donations online through social media? Online crowdfunding typically takes place online, setting out to generate funds from a large number of people who donate small amounts of money. With a variety of crowdfunding tools available online, you can easily create and share your crowdfunding endeavor on all your social media platforms.

Ideally, your organization will hold multiple crowdfunding events throughout the year as funds become necessary. For charitable groups, it's important to define exactly what the donations will be used for. For example, if you're in desperate need of a new stove for your shelter kitchen, share the story of what happened to the damaged or old appliance. If your organization is planning to host a Thanksgiving dinner for a vulnerable population, let potential supporters know when the event is, and provide them options as to how they can help in non-monetary ways, such as donating cans of food to your organization.

With any social media strategy, measuring analytics is vital to enhance the effectiveness of processes and shared content. Tools like Google Analytics provide actionable insights to track the effectiveness of your social media activity. Make the most out of this informative data and use it to streamline your strategy and drive traffic to your online donation page.

Conclusion

Just like a for-profit business, non-profits need an active online presence to maintain a connection with their target audience. By leveraging the power of a comprehensive non-profit social media strategy, charity organizations can experience a boost in both donations and brand awareness.

Thankfully, the implementation of a successful social media strategy can be cost-effective. If your organization is choosing to manage social media accounts in-house, there are a variety of helpful tools to streamline the process and share content quickly across multiple platforms. When your social media accounts are used to meaningfully share the story of your non-profit and how it helps a community or population, you can cultivate a supportive following, expand your reach, and connect with high-value, loyal donors.
Related posts:
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How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Boost Donations

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Digital marketing is a great way for those in the nonprofit sector to expand their sphere of influence. Many charities continue to rely heavily on direct marketing tactics such as flyers and direct mail campaigns.

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How to Create a B2B Social Media Strategy (Without Being Boring)

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How to Create a B2B Social Media Strategy (Without Being Boring)

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Reality check: B2B social media is here to stay.

In fact, recent statistics note that social advertising is practiced by a staggering 83% of B2B marketers and is second only to search engines in terms of success.

From nurturing customers to flexing your industry influence, the social space has a ton to offer B2B brands.

But there's no denying that B2B social media marketing is tricky. This is especially true if you're dealing with what may seem like a "boring" or technical product.

That's why we put together this step-by-step guide to help B2B brands come up with a social strategy that aligns with their business' key objectives.

Spell out goals for B2B social media marketing

Businesses of all shapes and sizes should focus on setting goals, but doing so is especially important for B2B companies.

After all, competition is fierce and there are so many marketing channels to work with. But you shouldn't be on social media "just because."

Also consider that a B2B social media strategy is apples and oranges versus retail or ecommerce. Rather than focus on selling, most B2B companies use social as a top-of-the-funnel marketing channel, specifically for content promotion and awareness.

Based on recent research breaking down the most-cited benefits of B2B content marketing, marketers should prioritize the following:

1. Creating brand awareness (86%)

2. Educating audiences (79%)

3. Building credibility and trust (75%)

Now, let's look at how B2B social media marketing can be used to address each goal.

Creating brand awareness

First thing's first: you need to let the world know who you are.

Again, there are plenty of voices in the B2B space. It's easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Businesses need to spell out exactly who they are, what sets them apart from competitors and what they value as a company. Social media is the perfect place to make it happen, providing a place to promote bite-sized pieces of content that highlight all of the above.

Educating audiences

Fact: the B2B buyer's journey involves more than just visiting a website or checking out a pricing page. An overwhelming number of B2B buyers do independent research and want to ensure that the companies they support are credible.

Perhaps the best way to cement your credibility is through teaching your audience. From blog posts and e-books to firsthand reports and how-to videos, any B2B social marketing strategy should center around actionable, educational content.

Building trust

With so much competition among B2B brands, anything you can do to build trust and prove your business's worth is a plus.

Testimonials, positive reviews and accolades (think: awards, customer milestones) are all ideal for sharing and can do exactly that. There's arguably no better place to both gather and promote social proof than, well, social media.

The G2 Best Software Awards for 2021 were just announced!

We're extremely proud and beyond humbled to be named the #1 Fastest Growing Product AND #2 Remote Work Product of 2021.

Thanks for choosing us as your collaboration partner! Onwards & upwards 🚀 https://t.co/LjfZQN3L7q pic.twitter.com/qjTpbJKwQO

- Miro (@MiroHQ) February 8, 2021

Adopt a customer-centric B2B social strategy

We often hear about the need for brands to be more "human."

B2B companies are no exception. That's why you need to put your customers front-and-center throughout your social campaigns.

No matter how technical or niche your product might be, customer engagement can immediately make your brand feel more personable.

For example, consider how Twitter has become a staple of customer service for SaaS marketing. Serving as a timelier alternative to email, social media is a transparent place to go back-and-forth with your customers about questions, compliments and feedback.

Providing positive, proactive customer service not only puts you in your buyers' good graces but also showcases to prospective customers that you care.

You can drag an empty block to the left or right of the image to control the alignment 👍 Let us know if you have any questions as you give this a try!

- Notion (@NotionHQ) February 11, 2021

Beyond customer care, consider integrating customer stories as part of your content strategy. Remember what we said earlier about promoting testimonials and positive reviews? Sharing them creates a sense of loyalty among your customer base. Doing so also lets you promote your services without being too in-your-face or salesy about it.

The takeaway here is that customer interactions should be central to your strategy, both in terms of providing service and also producing content. Pay close attention to any and all @mentions and branded keywords to ensure you never miss an opportunity to go engage with a customer.

Align your B2B social media strategy with business initiatives

This point is worth reiterating.

An oft-cited perception of B2B social media is that there's little to no ROI.

Why, though? Because many marketers either fail to tie their social media to performance to organization-wide data (think: sales, traffic) or fail to communicate those results across departments.

However, social media is a prime place to support company-wide initiatives. From product launches to PR and beyond, it's crucial to touch base with folks outside of marketing and provide some much-needed context to your campaigns.

Below is an example of how to use Sprout's custom reporting to not only measure social media engagement for a product launch but also tell the story behind it to stakeholders.

The takeaway here is twofold: measure your social efforts in the context of business outcomes and communicate those findings regularly. Reporting tools like Sprout can make the process so much easier.

Overcome the "boring" B2B content label

Okay, this is the big one.

Sure, terms like "software," "security" or "finance" might not get people jumping out of their seats.

That said, your prospects will have an inherent interest in your service even if you're not exactly in a thrilling industry.

Making your social presence less snooze-worthy can be a challenge, but it's definitely not impossible. Below are some tactics to consider for your B2B social media strategy that can help:

Refine your brand voice

No surprises here: don't talk like a robot.

A conversational brand voice can highlight the humans behind your social accounts and likewise make you seem more approachable. Despite popular belief, a "professional" voice doesn't have to be stuffy or rigid.

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- ClickUp (@clickup) February 8, 2021

Adapt your content to social-friendly formats

Building more buzz around your content is often as simple as switching up your post captions and formats.

For example, would you be interested in following someone that just drops link after link with no commentary? Below are some ideas to both give your social feed(s) some flavor while also giving your content some entertainment value:

Convert blog posts or lists into short infographics

Instead of simply linking a podcast or video presentation, publish a minute-long snippet

Use Twitter threads and long-form text posts (think: LinkedIn) as an alternative to external links or even blog posts

Remember: the average social user has a microscopic attention span. The formats above are definitely more interesting than links and likewise encourage engagement.

Stay on top of trends

So much of B2B social media centers around trends.

New promotional tactics. Companies rising and falling. Hot takes and industry insights.

It's important to keep a pulse on what your customers and competitors are talking about on social media. Doing so will make it much easier to both spot trends and chime in on relevant industry conversations.

Oh, and rather than spend all day sifting through Twitter or LinkedIn for news, let social listening do the legwork for you.

Embrace employee advocacy

Much like you should try to let customers' do the talking about your brand, the same rings true for your employees.

Who better to highlight your human side than the folks that keep you up and running? Employees can help amplify and compliment your brand voice with a bit of personality, all the while showcasing your company's culture.

Oh, and it's well-documented that employee accounts have much greater reach than business accounts alone. Creating a sense of community among your coworkers can really give your social presence a boost.

Focus on the most B2B-friendly platforms

As noted earlier, B2B companies have to use their time wisely when it comes to promotion.

Based on recent research from the Content Marketing Institute, there are a select few channels that are "best" when it comes to B2B social media:

We recommend prioritizing one or two networks so you don't spread yourself too thin. As both a primer and recap,

LinkedIn: the ultimate B2B network known for thought leadership content, employee engagement and a robust ad platform.

Twitter: a prime place to spot trends and interact with customers and business influencers alike.

Facebook: most Facebook B2B marketing centers around ads, but it's also a good hub for employee-centric, non-promotional content.

YouTube: perfect for how-to tutorials, interviews, presentations and commercials.

Instagram: ideal for visuals (think: infographics, brief how-tos) and culture-centric content

Although there is definitely a growing B2B presence on platforms such as Pinterest, the five networks above are the most important for B2B social media marketing at large.

Use analytics to inform your B2B social media strategy

We said it before and we'll say it again: reporting and analytics are crucial to B2B social.

Which networks are the most effective? Are your efforts resulting in actual traffic or sales? Is it time to start running ads?

For the sake of proving your ROI and optimizing your performance, analytics can provide the answers.

Tools like Sprout social provide a full suite of reporting, listening and analytics tools to support B2B brands regardless of their goals.

Does your B2B social media strategy make sense?

Listen: B2B brands quite literally can't afford to shy away from social media anymore.

Whether you're looking to primarily build awareness or promote your content, the best practices above can help guide your strategy in a way that makes sense.

And if you haven't already, make sure you check out our guide on how to translate your B2B social data into actual revenue.

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How to build a B2B social strategy (that isn't boring)

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Reality check: B2B social media is here to stay. In fact, recent statistics note that social advertising is practiced by a staggering 83% of B2B marketers and is second only to search engines in terms of success. From nurturing customers to flexing your industry influence, the social space has a ton to offer B2B brands.

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B2B Orgs Make Authentic Connections With Audiences On Social Channels Amid ‘Social Distancing’

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B2B Orgs Make Authentic Connections With Audiences On Social Channels Amid ‘Social Distancing’

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During a time when "social distancing" has become the new norm, it's no surprise most people are turning to social media to connect with friends, family, colleagues and buyers. The digital world has quickly become a safe alternative for B2B organizations to maintain relationships with prospects and customers alike, as in-person interactions are not an option for the time being. And while social media always has been a top channel for sales reps to engage with prospects and customers, and for businesses and individuals to share thought-leadership content with audiences, this "new reality" has shifted marketing strategies, requiring reps to rethink traditional tactics to cater to the needs and pain points of modern buyers during this unsettling time.

While the message always has been an important component for authentic engagement, it has become more critical than ever to understand what your audience is going through to better cater to their current situation in the right tone.

"Everything starts with the message ... it always did, but I think the message is absolutely imperative even more now," said Courtney Beasley, VP of Marketing at the B2B agency Walker Sands, in an interview with Demand Gen Report. "So, make sure that you are meeting your audience where they are. And that might mean going back to the drawing board of understanding your personas and putting yourselves in the shoes of your customer.

"What are the words that they're using right now? What are the new challenges that they're facing? Getting that message down to the granular of, for example, the language they are using. And it's not even just the words, it's the tone as well. Do you need to be more empathetic right now or is your audience truly just looking to get back to work? There's a lot going on and we still have to figure out how to run companies if this is going to be a new normal for a little while. So, I think the tone and language choice are very important."

Promoting Digital Communities & Education On Social Media

In a new world of canceled trade shows, as employees are forced to work from home and companies are shifting strategies to digital experiences, social media channels have become key to promoting virtual events and communicating discounts or free offers for services. B2B organizations such as Moz and Inverta are using company social channels, as well as individual employee's social channels, to relay useful information to audiences and promote a sense of community. Social media also allows organizations to share how they are helping the greater community in their time of need.

"It's important for everyone to play their part in trying to support whoever needs it the most," said Brendan Burns, podcast host and CEO of the coaching and consulting company Burns International. "A lot of companies are offering specials where they say, 'Hey if you buy then we're going to donate this percentage back to relief funds.' Now more than ever, I think it's always important to have an element of contribution in your business and your communication strategies. And it's really important to get those out there and share that on social because there's a lot of craziness happening in the world and while we don't want to take advantage of the hysteria, you want to address it and try to help people and give them hope. Let them know that you're thinking about these things and doing your part as an organization to help."

Inverta, for example, tapped into social media to promote an impromptu virtual roundtable for marketers to engage with each other to discuss strategies following the COVID-19 crisis. The company put together a Zoom meeting that was mainly promoted by the Inverta marketing team on LinkedIn, which led to more than 120 registrants for an event that didn't require registration.

"I said this was going to be a networking lunch and I want marketers to get together and discuss how they're dealing with these event cancellations and budget reallocation, and really anything else on our minds right now," said Ashley Schailer, VP of Marketing at Inverta. "I just put it out on LinkedIn and had some of my coworkers at Inverta also post it. We also did some highly targeted paid social through LinkedIn that was account- and title-specific."

Moz, an SEO software provider, also turned to social media to promote free educational services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is offering free courses within the Moz Academy and leveraging channels such as LinkedIn and Instagram to share the initiative.

"I'm seeing brands, especially in B2B, utilize their platforms a little bit differently," said Beasley. "Moz did a really awesome ad campaign where they're offering their training programs, which are normally around $250 a month, for free for whoever signed up. I happen to know that that was incredibly successful for them. They were running ads for that within Instagram stories since people are spending a lot more time on their phones interfacing with anything that's going to be collaborative. There's a lot of big opportunity to share those kinds of things via social ads and such."

Making Professional & Personal Connections On Social Channels

When it comes to deciding which social channels to leverage, marketers must first understand their audience and know which platforms they frequent to make both a personal and professional connection.

To no surprise, Demand Gen Report's 2020 Content Preferences Survey found that LinkedIn continues to be a top channel for sharing thought-leadership content, with 81% of respondents saying they share business-related content with their network. However, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are also becoming fairly common for sharing content.

Specifically, the research showed that 43% of respondents saying they share resources on Twitter, 40% share on Facebook and 22% on Instagram.

Buyers also continue to turn to social media to gain feedback and commentary on potential purchase decisions. More than half (57%) of survey respondents said they are relying on social feedback and commentary as they navigate new solutions and vendors.

"LinkedIn is still the starting point of where professional relationships begin, and often where the professional nature of relationships continues," said Mike Orr, Founder and CEO of Grapevine6, an enterprise social and digital sales engagement platform. "We can almost think about it as a continuum. And this is probably the same for brands, where it goes from a professional realm into the personal realm. [LinkedIn] is usually the starting point for most of the social programs that we see in B2B. But then often, when you build a relationship, especially with current customers, you then would start to engage in more personal conversations that may extend into Twitter or Facebook or even Instagram, some of the more personal platforms. It really depends on the maturity of the relationship or the depth and personal element of the relationship and how that progresses to those different platforms."

Orr noted that these more "personal" social media channels are ideal platforms to visually present company culture to a new audience, as well as promote charitable initiatives and support.

"The personal nature of the visual medium is that you can have a chance to externalize your company culture," said Orr. "If you have a company culture that supports people internally or externally, or helps your customers do amazing things for society, you can visually represent those on social. If that's authentically part of your company culture, those platforms give you a way to externalize it."

Amid our new reality, social media can make or break the way prospects and customers feel about your company. Taking the time to reassess what matters and what doesn't for your audience is critical to delivering an authentic customer experience on social media.

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B2B Orgs Make Authentic Connections With Audiences On Social Channels Amid 'Social Distancing'

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During a time when "social distancing" has become the new norm, it's no surprise most people are turning to social media to connect with friends, family, colleagues and buyers. The digital world has quickly become a safe alternative for B2B organizations to maintain relationships with prospects and customers alike, as in-person interactions are not an option for the time being.

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2018

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World Food Day: Morning Ireland talk to Tesco Ireland and Dublin Simon Community by foodcloud

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Lorraine Shiels of Tesco Ireland talks about how they have redistributed 6 million meals since 2014 with FoodCloud. We also hear from Fionn Flaherty of the Dublin Simon Community who feed up to 600 people every day using surplus food donated to them, including food from FoodCloud. 

First broadcast on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme on Tuesday 16 October 2018 -https://www.rte.ie/radio1/morning-ireland/programmes/2018/1016/1003478-morning-ireland-tuesday-16-october-2018/?clipid=102953716#102953716

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Buy the very best produce online, direct from your local farmers and food producers

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Tesco join the food sharing movement in uk with Olio

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BBC News on LinkedIn: #BBCNews #video #foodwaste | 150 comments

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"Bankers and people on benefits come to my door." Supermarket chain Tesco has teamed up with the neighbourhood food-sharing app Olio, in a bid to reduce... 150 comments on LinkedIn

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Top 30 Food Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

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Top 30 Food Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

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Feedspot

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United States About Podcast We bring in top performers like Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill, Legendary Investor Jim Rogers (Skip the MBA and Start a Farm), and founders of emerging food startups in a weekly show designed to educate and entertain. Exclusive tips and insights to help you build a meaningful and profitable food business. Frequency 4 episodes / year Since Aug 2013 Also in Startup Podcasts Podcast foodstartupspodcast.com/podc..
Facebook fans 614 ⋅ Twitter followers 2.5K ⋅ Instagram Followers 2.3K ⋅ Domain Authority 31 ⋅

About Podcast Food Non-Fiction tells the incredible true stories behind food. We delve deep into the history and fascinating facts about the most famous and interesting foods. We look forward to taking you on this wild food journey, through history, and around the world. Frequency 1 episode / year Podcast foodnonfiction.com
Facebook fans 498 ⋅ Twitter followers 104 ⋅ Domain Authority 32 ⋅

About Podcast Podcast about the Filipino American experience through food. Podcast pigpartsandbeer.podbean.com
Domain Authority 86 ⋅

Australia About Podcast One of Australia's Favourite Food Podcast's. The Pass is an insider's guide to the best food, restaurants and eating experiences, locally and around the world, chosen by the experts themselves. In each episode we meet world-class chefs, food writers, critics and tastemakers, who take us on a journey to their favourite places. Honest and engaging, The Pass gives unprecedented insight into our guests and what makes them tick, through the food they eat. Podcast thepass.com.au/podcast-episodes
Facebook fans 124 ⋅ Twitter followers 72 ⋅ Domain Authority 25 ⋅

Melbourne, Victoria About Podcast Ingredipedia is a podcast about food by Emily Naismith and Ben Birchall. Every episode, we pick one ingredient and present three mind-blowing facts, anecdotes or uses for it. You get to decide who is the most interesting by voting on Instagram. After we upload each episode, we'll share an image of each of us holding the ingredient. Heart the one you liked best and you might get a shout out in the next episode. Podcast ingredipedia.com.au
Facebook fans 225 ⋅ Twitter followers 364 ⋅ Domain Authority 29 ⋅

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Top 30 Food Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020

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About Podcast The Sporkful is a James Beard Award-nominated food podcast where we obsess about food to learn more about people. We like to say it's not for foodies, it's for eaters. The Sporkful is created and hosted by Dan Pashman, who's also well known as host of Cooking Channel's 'You're Eating It Wrong.'

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Top 15 Irish Food Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2020

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Top 15 Irish Food Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2020

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Ireland About Blog To bring you healthy recipes, clean eating, nutrition and fitness tips, and beauty and fashion inspiration. Every single recipe, article and health tip is designed to enable you to reach your highest health and beauty potential, and I prepare, cook and photograph each recipe myself. Frequency 2 posts / month Also in Healthy Food Blogs, Healthy Lifestyle Blogs Blog rosannadavisonnutrition.com
Twitter followers 66.8K ⋅ Instagram Followers 185.7K ⋅ Social Engagement 1ⓘ ⋅ Domain Authority 45ⓘ ⋅ Alexa Rank 1.4Mⓘ

Ireland About Blog Roz Purcell is a bestselling cookery author and entrepreneur. Roz has successfully launched a stellar media career which includes a winning role on Come Dine with Me Ireland, a guest chef appearance on TV3s the Restaurant, and a stint as a Celebrity Bainisteor on RTE. Her passion for healthy food and lifestyle has earned her thousands of followers on social media in recent years. Frequency 9 posts / quarter Blog naturalbornfeeder.com
Facebook fans 40.6K ⋅ Twitter followers 73.1K ⋅ Social Engagement 2ⓘ ⋅ Domain Authority 40ⓘ ⋅ Alexa Rank 5.2Mⓘ

Wicklow, Ireland About Blog The home of quality home cooking! Find all your favourite recipes, tried and tested for you in our test kitchen, plus step-by-step videos, healthy eating tips and top cooking techniques to help you cook like a pro. Frequency 6 posts / year Blog easyfood.ie
Facebook fans 37.1K ⋅ Twitter followers 9K ⋅ Domain Authority 35ⓘ ⋅ Alexa Rank 1.3Mⓘ

Dublin, Ireland About Blog I am Indy Power. My cooking is not about giving up things, least of all taste. It is about embracing natural, nutritious and nourishing foods. I am constantly experimenting to develop new recipes and put a healthy twist on some old favorites. My recipes are nutrient-rich, gluten free and refined sugar free, with many paleo, dairy free and vegan options. Frequency 1 post / quarter Blog littlegreenspoon.ie
Facebook fans 50.1K ⋅ Twitter followers 4.8K ⋅ Instagram Followers 68.3K ⋅ Domain Authority 43ⓘ ⋅ Alexa Rank 5.4Mⓘ

Wexford, Ireland About Blog Hi there, welcome to Simply Homemade. My name is Nicola, wife to Mr Simply Homemade and Mum to five children. I am a stay at home Mum and Simply Homemade is my little piece of the internet, my blog which was born in 2011. This blog is about me and my perfectly imperfect, simply homemade lifestyle. Frequency 1 post / month Since Mar 2011 Blog simplyhomemadeblog.com
Facebook fans 2.6K ⋅ Twitter followers 1.6K ⋅ Domain Authority 15ⓘ ⋅

Dublin, Ireland About Blog I am Ketty Quigley, I started this blog in 2012 as a journal of my food experiences and to spread my love about Dublins food scene. I always pay for my meals and only write about places I am happy to recommend, be it a fancy restaurant or a hidden gem of a cafe. I hope you enjoy reading my blog! Frequency 6 posts / year Since Aug 2012 Blog frenchfoodieindublin.com
Facebook fans 5.4K ⋅ Twitter followers 11K ⋅ Social Engagement 37ⓘ ⋅ Domain Authority 34ⓘ ⋅ Alexa Rank 6.9Mⓘ

Dublin, Ireland About Blog Hi, i am Katia, A mad yoke of a French woman in love with all things #IrishFood. Stick around for some interesting chats and laughs. I blog about independent small food producers and the women of the Irish food industry. Frequency 1 post / week Blog properfood.ie
Facebook fans 3.1K ⋅ Twitter followers 7.1K ⋅ Social Engagement 25 ⋅ Domain Authority 20 ⋅ Alexa Rank 2.4M

North Cork, Ireland About Blog Bibliocook is an Award-winning blog of Irish food writer and broadcaster Caroline Hennessy where she shares her experience and journey with food. Frequency 2 posts / month Since Apr 2005 Blog bibliocook.com
Facebook fans 1.4K ⋅ Twitter followers 11.4K ⋅ Social Engagement 2 ⋅ Domain Authority 40 ⋅ Alexa Rank 4.5M

Dublin, Ireland About Blog Welcome to The Wonky Spatula, The tasty way to be healthy. Bringing you delicious recipes that are paleo, gluten free, dairy free, vegan and more! Frequency 1 post / week Blog thewonkyspatula.com
Facebook fans 10.2K ⋅ Twitter followers 1.6K ⋅ Domain Authority 27 ⋅

Ireland About Blog Hi, I am a Holistic Nutritional Therapist sharing recipes that I cook for myself, my husband and my 4 children using everyday ingredients on a budget. My goal is to raise a Healthy eating awareness, how to be emotionally and physically stable by eating healthy. Frequency 10 posts / year Blog everydaycookingwithmira.com
Facebook fans 4K ⋅ Twitter followers 1.1K ⋅ Domain Authority 31 ⋅

Ireland About Blog We are GastroGays. Since 2013, we've been blogging about what we eat and where we visit around the world. We're internationally published freelance writers in magazines and newspapers, including The Irish Times, The Guardian, Independent Travel (UK), Gay Times Magazine. We're also cooks on TV3's' Six O'Clock Show' in Ireland. Frequency 2 posts / week Also in Food Blogs Blog gastrogays.com
Facebook fans 3.9K ⋅ Twitter followers 18.9K ⋅ Instagram Followers 19.9K ⋅ Social Engagement 18 ⋅ Domain Authority 42 ⋅

Cork, Ireland About Blog Lilly is a food writer, blogger, photographer and chef. With a practical and approachable style of cooking Lilly also has a love of baking beautiful things. Her beautiful photographs and friendly warm style of writing will encourage you to feel confident in the kitchen. Frequency 5 posts / year Since Jan 2010 Blog lillyhiggins.ie
Twitter followers 12.3K ⋅ Domain Authority 25 ⋅

Kenmare, Kerry, Ireland About Blog Karen Coakley is a Home Cook and Food Blogger living in Kenmare, Co.Kerry with her husband Vincent and their 4 sons. Her ethos with Kenmare Foodie is to lead a healthy, balanced active life and to get families back to the simple pleasures of Home Cooking and connecting through sharing family meals together. Frequency 6 posts / year Since Sep 2012 Blog kenmarefoodies.com
Facebook fans 5.6K ⋅ Twitter followers 4.5K ⋅ Social Engagement 21 ⋅ Domain Authority 22 ⋅

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Top 15 Irish Food Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2020

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Ireland About Blog To bring you healthy recipes, clean eating, nutrition and fitness tips, and beauty and fashion inspiration. Every single recipe, article and health tip is designed to enable you to reach your highest health and beauty potential, and I prepare, cook and photograph each recipe myself.

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Vibrant And Delicious – 11 Healthy Foodies to Follow on Instagram This Year

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Vibrant And Delicious – 11 Healthy Foodies to Follow on Instagram This Year

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Healthy food is so vibrant these days, and not just in colour, but in flavour too. I'm a firm believer in eating with your eyes first so it's no surprise that there are a number of great foodies that I stalk on Instagram (I mean this in the least creepy way of course).

So to kick off the new year, why not join me in stalking my own personal favourite selection of healthy foodies? You never know, they might inspire you.

With a background in clinical nutrition and pharmaceutical sciences, Jelena is a self-proclaimed foodie. She combines a love and passion for cooking with the unique skill of being able to create dishes that taste great and are of a high nutritional value, making sure you eat the very best.

As one of TheTaste.ie's regular recipe contributors, I've had the pleasure of salivating over so many of her perfect creations. I've attempted them myself but they just never look as good. This is definitely one account you need to follow in 2019.

Vicky is a coach, retreat host and award-winning blogger who helps busy entrepreneurs find healthier ways to eat and live. Now, I'm no businesswoman but her blog, The Flourishing Pantry, is packed full of delicious and inspiring recipes that will make your pantry, well, flourish!

With dishes for all seasons and all moods, Vicky is a welcome addition to any Instagram feed. And it's not just food, watching her stories and reading her blog is not a bad way to spend an evening.

Instagram: theflourishingpantry

Chiara Gianelli, aka A Matter of Nourishment, is another skilled recipe creator with a background in chemistry and nutrition. A firm believer in being aware of what you eat in order to lead a healthier and happier life, Chiara's Instagram feed will have you craving everything!

So whether it's a salad or a few muffins, you can be assured that any recipes you're following are going to be nutritious but also delicious. She's definitely one to follow if you're trying to be a little more health conscious.

Instagram: amatterofnourishment

Tanya is a vegan food blogger who set up The Tiny Vegan Kitchen blog in 2015. Since then, she has expanded into hosting supper clubs and giving cooking workshops from her home in Dublin.

What I love about Tanya's recipes is that they include vegan versions of her favourite wholesome dishes and she utilizes so many wonderful ingredients.

Instagram: thetinyvegankitchen

Can you even have a list with healthy and droolworthy Instagram photos without mentioning The Happy Pear? The answer, of course, is no. From their cafe in Greystones to products in SuperValu and a loyal social following, these lads have pretty much taken over the Irish health food scene.

David and Stephen Flynn's first cookbook, The Happy Pear, was a number one bestseller, as is their second book, The World of the Happy Pear. The recipes are just divine and you don't have to be a vegan to appreicate the vibrancy and taste of these fantastic recipes, which are so easy to preapre by the way.

Instagram: thehappypear

Eva Burg is a German-born Nutrition and Health Coach and the woman behind The Healthy Tart food blog. She loves cooking with organic products, especially those that are seasonal and from local farmers.

Her recipes draw influences from all over the world and are easy to execute and focus heavily on nutrition. The past year, I was such a fan of her autumnal soup and I am determined to successfully make that cake above one of these days.

Instagram: thehealthytart

One of my newest favourites on Instagram, award-winning Shilpa Razniewska aka Soulful and Healthy, has a serious talent for food photography. Her photos are beautiful and have me wishing it was breakfast/dinner time all day long.

She's said that "healthy eating doesn't have to be boring" and with a blog like this, that is definitely true. With a cultural mix cuisine-wise, many of Shilpa's dishes are gluten, sugar and dairy free. So it's a major health bonus!

Instagram: soulful_and_healthy

Indy Power, aka The Little Green Spoon, believes that "the best kind of food is food that doesn't just make you feel good when you're eating it, but afterwards too". If you eat to feel good, you'll enjoy living a healthier lifestyle, one rich in colourful and nutritious food.

Through her Instagram account, Indy shares a number of beautiful and natural recipes which reflect her own eating habits on a day to day basis. They're easy to prep as well!

Instagram: thelittlegreenspoon

Author of one of last year's wonderful cookbooks, Holly White is a Fashion Journalist and Broadcaster who is passionate about style, natural beauty and plant-based eating.

Vegan-ish is a great introduction for those considering adding a little more plants into their diet. The vibrant dishes really pop on the page and there's a great mix of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack dishes available. Want to know more? You can read my interview with Holly here.

Instagram: hollywhite.ie

No stranger to healthy and nutritious food, bestselling author Roz Purcell should definitely be on your must-follow list if she isn't already. Her recipes are easy to follow and very creative, not to mention visually pleasing.

My favourites are the little sinful bites of chocolate or the loaded breakfast bowls, because what's life without a little bit of indulgence?

Instagram: naturalbornfeeder

I met Jennifer Oppermann at a food photography evening in Hugh Jordan last year and she's both talented and a lovely person. The way she sets up a shot is amazing and her passion for food is so clear.

Whether you're after a bit of food porn or you just want to practice your camera angles, you won't regret giving Jennifer a follow this year.

Instagram: jenniferocooks

Sarah has always had a great love of travel, food and photography. Following her journalism degree at DCU, she developed a passion for travel writing while living in Spain.

Named Best Break Out Travel Writer at the 2018 Travel Media Awards, Sarah loves exploring new places and sampling the local cuisine. Working with TheTaste.ie combines her love of food and travel.

A big people person, especially when it comes to hearing other people's stories, Sarah loves interviewing chefs, food producers and more.

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Vibrant And Delicious - 11 Healthy Foodies to Follow on Instagram This Year

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Healthy food is so vibrant these days, and not just in colour, but in flavour too. I'm a firm believer in eating with your eyes first so it's no surprise that there are a number of great foodies that I stalk on Instagram (I mean this in the least creepy way of course).

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Sustainability In Retail: Good For Business, Great For Humanity

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Sustainability In Retail: Good For Business, Great For Humanity

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Forbes (2019)

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Consumers, especially younger ones, are seeking brands that publicly champion values that align with their own. They're demanding socially conscious mission statements, checking the political views of executives, and pressing companies to make both their products and businesses sustainable. Their concerns are not limited to materials and packaging. They're looking to buy from companies that focus on sustainability across the entire supply chain and all business operations. But creating and meeting sustainable brand goals is more than good PR-it's a moral responsibility, and I predict that the brand boycotts we're beginning to see over social issues will soon become major considerations for all responsible retailers and brands as they set strategies around sustainability.

A 2018 survey from data platform Euclid found that "52% of millennials and 48% of Gen Xers feel it's important that their values align with the brands they like," while 35% of baby boomers surveyed felt the same way. For retailers and brands, focusing on sustainable practices is not only crucial to protect the environment, but also a key way to attract younger generations of consumers and drive long-term brand loyalty.

MINSK, BELARUS JULY 4, 2019: Models carry net shopping bags during a fashion show at a waste ... [+]
Viktor Drachev/TASS

Young consumers are especially concerned about sustainability issues within the fashion and apparel industry. There are numerous ways retailers and brands can make their supply chain and business operations more sustainable, but many companies haven't yet implemented them. And these will only become more difficult to roll out as time goes on and consumer habits are formed. The ease of ordering via e-commerce has encouraged some shoppers to order three or four items to try at home with the intention of returning all but one. Free return guarantees mean there's no downside or additional cost to the shopper for doing this, but the practice results in a completely unnecessary and wasteful shuttling of goods back and forth between retailers and shoppers, even when companies encourage shoppers to make e-commerce returns at physical stores. Whether it's the company paying for a shipper to return an unwanted item to a warehouse or the customer paying for their own gas to take it to a store, the return is wasteful and costly in both dollar and environmental terms.

Another point, and one I've been making for a while, is around the industry trend of very fast shipping, so much that many retailers are now offering, or working towards one-day and even same-day shipping, which may soon become a standard customer expectation. These create more pressure from an ecological and logistical inefficiencies standpoint, and one that retailers are aware of and trying to solve for. The good news is that there are innovative, scalable, and even eco-friendly ways to go about the problem for some consumer shopping use cases.

As I wrote in my last column, a great first step to satisfy customers without minimizing margins is the notion of decoupling delivery from shipping.

'Delivery' means that the item was delivered through a digital experience. This has no boundaries or limitations, and also reduces the negative environmental implication. By offering customers the option of digital delivery of a product and the ability to customize the order before shipment, retailers and brands can help promote sustainability, especially when the product is being given as a gift. The recipient gets the experience of receiving and "unwrapping" a digital gift immediately, so she is likely to be more willing to wait a few extra days for delivery of the physical item. That allows the retailer to ship the item on an ecologically efficient route and schedule, ensuring lower emissions and less waste.

Not to mention that delightful digital delivery experience, where the recipient receives a digitally "wrapped" package, is an easy way for retailers to eliminate the need for costly and wasteful gift-wrapping services. According to clean technology news site AZoCleantech, gift wrap and packaging account for nearly half of the 85 million tons of paper consumed in the US each year, and gift wrap is notorious for being difficult to recycle.

Digital delivery also gives recipients a chance to make any needed or desired changes to an order before the product ships, slashing return rates. The process saves the environment from another unnecessary product shipment and saves the recipient from the inconvenience of having to return an item.

These problems are easily tackled today with the right fintech solutions. By gathering customer transaction and preference data, and putting that data to work synergistically with the rest of business operations, retailers can streamline the digital experience to provide a satisfying delivery, even without a physical shipment.
Today's Sustainability Leaders Understand Both Their Own Footprints and Their Customers' Desires
Using sustainably harvested fibers and materials, creating products and packaging from recycled materials, and using digital technologies that help deliver the convenient and memorable shopping and gift-giving experiences consumers want can all help lower costs, waste and resource usage. The good news is that more and more retailers and brands are already taking on the issue in terms of their production materials and use of resources, and earning lifelong brand fans in return.

Patagonia has long set the standard on sustainability, but young, digitally native footwear brands like Allbirds and Greats and established apparel brands like Eileen Fisher are also standouts on sustainability. These companies are helping lead the industry by investing in sustainable materials and processes and making those investments a core part of their brand promise.

Allbirds touts its use of natural fibers over synthetic versions, as well as its minimal use of packaging, 90% of which is post-consumer recycled cardboard. Greats' newest shoe model is made entirely from yarn spun from recycled plastic and the shoes are delivered in a box that's also made of recycled material.

Eileen Fisher laid out its Vision 2020 plan in 2015 and committed to using sustainable materials whenever possible. The company pledged to use all organic cotton and linens by next year and to work to boost industry demand for more environmentally responsible dyes.

Sustainable manufacturing and shipping practices should be at the forefront of every retailer's and brand's priorities in the coming years. Using sustainably harvested materials, recycled packaging, and efficient shipping and delivery methods is not only a responsible and forward-thinking strategy, but also an excellent way to attract younger shoppers and build brand loyalty and lifetime value.

... Read More

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Sustainability In Retail: Good For Business, Great For Humanity

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As concern grows around fashion's unsustainable practices, consumers expect brands and retailers to start making eco-friendly decisions across all supply chain and business operations - or risk their interest and loyalty. Here's a look into how key sustainability leaders are taking on these issues.

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Food waste is defined as food that is discarded, lost, or uneaten. One of the most significant contributors to food waste is grocery stores ordering a higher volume of food than the food purchased by their customers. FoodCloud is an Irish organization that allows grocery stores to donate their excess food to local homeless shelters or non-profit organizations. The following slides describe an overview of the company, the social issues of food waste, and a SWOT analysis of the food-saving brand.

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Food waste is defined as food that is discarded, lost, or uneaten. One of the most significant contributors to food waste is grocery stores ordering a higher volume of food than the food purchased by their customers. FoodCloud is an Irish organization that allows grocery stores to donate their excess food to local homeless shelters...

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FoodCloud: new app proves a nourishing idea for wasted food

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FoodCloud: new app proves a nourishing idea for wasted food

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New app proves a nourishing idea for wasted food _ Killian Fox _ Environment _ The Guardian

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FoodCloud issue a bi monthly email newsletter

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Hi there, We hope you are keeping well. WorldFoodDay marks the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, in an exceptional year as countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

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FoodCloud financial statements 2019, documents their financial stability and governance. Usually sought out by business in advance of corporate giving