Social Impact Report 2021
For many, 2021 was meant to be the year that we got back to normal. Instead, it became more about embracing the new normal. The pandemic continued to have an impact on every area of our lives, and here at Doppler Effect, we tried to support independent creatives, entrepreneurs, and social enterprises to do what they love during this tumultuous time, as much as we could. Our free Funding My Dreams programme was popular as creators’ financial security was challenged and for many was exacerbated by venue closure. The pandemic gave many people the time to evaluate what is important to them and meaningful, fulfilling work has emerged as a trend, our coaching and counselling services proved popular during this time. Revenue was largely driven by marketing consultancy which is proving to be the backbone of our revenue growth and as we went into late 2021 Doppler for Brands became more popular, as we have got closer to completion of our BCorps certification we are attracting clients who are interested as well as more social conscious well-established companies.
2021 Overview
We worked with 57 clients - coaching, consultancy and free workshops
6 social enterprises
494 sessions in total
£29,524 gross revenue - including donations
166 free sessions
15 subsidised clients
Peaceful existence average ranking 7/10
About Doppler Effect
What do we do?
We empower more businesses and people in the world to create an impact, an impact that genuinely helps us as a human family and makes a difference to the world as well as a profit.
Who do we work with?
We work with B Corps, CICs, social enterprises, creative entrepreneurs and start-ups who want to make a difference.
How Do we do that?
We have experienced in-house business coaches and consultants who have built tools, workshops, online courses, and 121 coaching membership programmes all geared up to help you make a big impact. From mindful marketing, and coaching to funding. Using the Doppler Gift Economy, you get to pick your own pricing. That means we can help more people who otherwise couldn't afford our experience and expertise. We also reinvest your money to fund others in the community just starting out.
Our Values
At Doppler, we want everyone to have the opportunity to reconnect with their creativity and their calling. We are here to help creators make a living doing what they love, to take a step out, live ambitiously, and to know that the life they want is never out of reach.
When people are free to live creative, more fulfilling, meaningful lives the world will be a better place.
We are changing the world for the better.
In three words, our values are:
Empowerment
Collaboration
Creativity
" Live your life in such a way that you'll be remembered for your kindness, compassion, fairness, character, benevolence, and a force for good who had much respect for life."
— Germany Kent
Introducing some of our clients
We love what we do at Doppler Effect, and after any interaction with us, we send out a survey to get an overall happiness and satisfaction with the service rating. But we wanted to be able to demonstrate some of the wider, more tangible, but harder to quantify in a rating-out-of-10 impact that Doppler has had.
Read on to hear from some of our clients, past and present, and how we’ve supported them, and the impact Doppler has had.
Manda Graham – 1-2-1 Business Coaching
We worked with Manda, supporting her with 1-2-1 Business Coaching sessions for her work on Equal Vision, a CIC, and their project, Curiosity Museum.
I'm Manda Graham, and I am a freelancer with multiple hats. In terms of working with Doppler, it's mainly around two projects. One is Equal Vision, which is a CIC. But it has a project called Curiosity Museum, which is kind of bigger than the company. And so that's where I started, which is why I think that is a different project when actually it isn't.
Just the loveliness of Doppler and the concept is having an impact. And actually, I think there's a whole community of companies that are in the same bracket, and I feel like we weren't alone, but it's actually who can you find? Where's your connection into that world? And it's nice to find, as you say, limited companies that have got ethical standards.
I've identified that connection is a massive thing. I need to do a heck of a lot more outside of my little country world, you need to connect more and accountability. I think all of that is really interesting. In feeling that and to have the conversation with you.
Plus, inspiration, there's just the feeling of somebody there to lean on to or join our virtual team because I've always had a thing that I don't want our team to ever really be an office with a load of bored people that just don't want to come to work.
And I think it would be nice to have various companies or people that feel connected, but not because of money. It's not the money that connects us. It's the values. So, thank you so much.
Diana Figueiredo – Funding My Dreams and 1-2-1 Coaching
Diana has been involved with Doppler for a long time, engaging with the Doppler community, taking our Funding My Dreams course and utilising 1-2-1 Coaching sessions.
Doppler has impacted me. The fact is that I now operate from a more real me.
Let's say, before I was struggling with, my confidence and lack of confidence, self-doubt and experience had got me to default into a negative thought process and that impacted different relationships with trust issues and confidence issues and branching out with new ideas, stepping out and taking risks, might be finance or going for job staff or applying for grants.
Or the idea that I can run a business. In other words, I'm a balloon and you have pumped me full of helium gas. And now I'm just like I'm just rising, growing and my dreams now are so much bigger than I could ever know, then I have ever had before. And people are seeing that, and people are being inspired by my big dreams and the way that I speak, my encouragement, my support, and my hope.
I'm able to speak now into people’s struggle and their mental health because I can carry more weight on my shoulders. I've gone through that experience, and I've come out the other end, and I can be inspiring to other people. There is life after depression, you know, you can dream and you can dream big.
Before I was like, oh, I hope that one day I'm going to be able to buy a little house or like a one-bedroom flat and I'm gonna be able to get a 9 to 5 job. And now I'm like, damn, I'm going for free G towers and I want to build a creative institute.
I can see this vision going beyond what I am, you know, as a gift to the world by the grace of God, and you're making me see my value. I think that is, that's the baseline. You're making me see my value and rise to the challenge. I see I'm the light that's shining from me.
I'm just bursting with such joy, light and excitement for where I'm going that people are like, damn what's going on with her. It is profound. Thank you so much.
Mateusz Lesniewski – 1-2-1 Business Coaching
Seeking some 1-2-1 support, Mateusz engaged with Business Coaching Support with Danielle.
Working on my own as a freelancer for the past three months, Doppler has provided assistance, from sharing ideas and talking about things. Especially as problems arise, I can’t solve everything on my own. So, I think that was very helpful.
I do think back to what we've talked about before, and it's given me a bit of a framework to think back to, so that's quite useful.
If I was to come across someone who I felt that could use your help, then, I’d recommend Doppler, for sure.
Shelle Luscombe – Funding My Dreams and 1-2-1 Coaching
Shelle knew Danielle, Doppler’s founder, and had engaged intermittently with Doppler before signing up for our Funding My Dreams course, and then also working with Danielle in 1-2-1 coaching sessions.
The main thing for me is the coaching sessions with you (Danielle). I feel like I've made a lot of progress in coming to terms with quite a few things about myself, and on the journey of self-acceptance, self-belief, and self-love.
I’ve known about Doppler for years, as long as I've known Danielle, and I think I've dipped in and out of things. But I started my kind of intensive journey with the Funding My Dreams course. And I think that just started me on a journey of sort of thinking about all sorts. I got to the end of Funding My Dreams and found that I wanted to continue with the 1-2-1 sessions, they've been really valuable.
I think they sort of held me and took me through a very difficult period last year. I'm quite sure it wasn't quite as difficult as it might have been because I had that weekly check in and doing the work that we were doing. It’s an exciting time now where I can really think about the future.
Suddenly I'm not shackled by quite so many personal commitments. And suddenly I can focus on me, my life, and what that means, and what do I want? So, that's been a really useful, valuable exercise all the way along, and we'll continue. Thank you so much.
Nicola Scott – Funding My Dreams
We met Nicola when she stumbled across Doppler Effect by accident, and she signed up to our Funding My Dreams course.
I was looking for help. My work situation had gone a bit awry, and my main source of income was gone, and I was floundering around worrying about money. So yeah, I came across your course, which I thought was funding my dreams.
I didn't really know what it was. I was just like, Oh, it's free. I'll try it like I need help. I was very shocked when you were like, Hello, on Zoom. It was amazing, it literally changed my life at that time. I wasn't expecting to kind of engage and connect with somebody, about that kind of stuff, like you can't escape that again. I don't mean that in a bad way. It was really good, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.
I was expecting something a bit more formal, but I think that the intimate nature of it really accelerated the process and for me anyway, I was instantly engaged in what was happening. I also did not want it to end so it hasn't, it has impacted me hugely, in my mindset, in the way that I look upon myself, what I'm doing and organise things and further on to other people. So, I obviously then want to pass that on to other people.
Working with other organisations to be a force for good
Here’s a small selection of organisations we worked with and supported in 2021.
Tech Inclusion UK
The idea was conceived during the height of the national lockdown in 2020 by Collette and Rich. They had a conversation over text about the many people in education who don’t have internet connectivity or devices to benefit from an at-home education and aren’t eligible for the then proposed government support. The conversation turned into them creating a solution starting with addressing access to devices - TechInclusionUK has gone from a small project to a long term sustainable and circular solution to benefit education and the environment. Bringing their biz ops, legal, information security and tech experiences together with their passion for equality for all, Collette and Rich are helping close the digital exclusion gap. TechInclusionUK has the generous support of friends and family as well as volunteers from Code for Covid and We Make Change, taking Collette and Rich’s idea into a social enterprise platform helping empower young people in education.
The Kuumba Centre
Part-owned by the Rastafarian community and part-owned by the council, Kummba is the heart and soul of the backstreets of Stokes Croft in Bristol, providing a safe haven and entertainment to many locals. This community centre has been through all sorts of transformation and has seen the area change and gentrify. We supported Kummba helping the community fundraise, connect with other organisations and offer sage advice and comfort during the trying times of lockdown.
Convoy Community
Convoy Community is such an important organisation, working hard to take the loneliness out of the job hunt. Combining agile methods of project management with accountability and friendship, Convoy was created by Christopher Ross during the height of lockdown. During lockdown, over 45% of members of the Convoy Community found new roles within three months.
Looking forward: our plans for 2022 and beyond
2022 has kicked off and we’re more excited about Doppler than ever. We’re currently working with a range of clients in both a consultancy and coaching capacity.
We have also started working with two organisations under Doppler For Brands, Meanwhile Space and Tem Energy.
Meanwhile Space is a CIC that unlocks underused spaces for the benefit of community cohesion and enterprise. They transform unloved and often dilapidated buildings into something useful, creating affordable and easy access space for start-up enterprises that will benefit the community. Their model reduces the financial risk whilst encouraging entrepreneurship, creating more jobs, as well as a diversity of business and services within a community.
Tem Energy is a brand-new digital marketplace for selling green and renewable energy that is disrupting the typical process of energy selling and buying. Making it more accessible and easier for individuals to sell their additional energy, not only does it make renewable energy more affordable, but it creates accessible alternatives to fossil fuels. In the wake of the climate crisis, this is more important than ever.
Final thoughts
Doppler is currently in a period of transformation, as we become clearer about who we want to serve, support and how best to have as large an impact as a force for good and help others to live a more meaningful life as possible. This is so exciting, and we can’t wait to become even clearer in our focus and reach those who need support.
We’re so grateful to everyone who has supported Doppler Effect to become what it is today, from clients to our advisory board, everyone who has a little cog to play in Doppler helps us to create an even stronger force for good in the world.
Social Impact Report 2022
Reflections by Danielle morgan (CEO and Doppler founder)
Welcome to our second-ever impact report. Whilst compiling this report I felt disappointed that we haven't managed to achieve more at Doppler. It’s easy to slip into a ‘not enough’ storyline. It’s a story that we tell ourselves that is fueling predatory capitalism and irresponsible consumption and it’s very compelling.
While it’s true we could have done more, I remind myself that doing anything to positively contribute to building better businesses for people and the planet is always better than doing nothing. I hope for you the reader that when you read this report you are inspired to act or perhaps you have some guidance to share with us about your own impact. Either way, this report helps us at Doppler be accountable, encourages us to do more and helps us build deep long-term sustainable foundations. Hopefully, it helps you get involved, take more action and keep you better informed.
This year I have been deeply absorbed in delivery for our clients, I am blown away by how much investment is pouring into climate tech, impact tech and BCorps. I was talking with a Venture Capitalist firm last week who have invested over 1 billion since 1996 and mentioned their last 2 investments were BCorp-certified startups, similarly a founder's day at Goldman Sachs there were recommendations from investors to get involved with the BCorp certification. It’s certainly no longer considered a ‘hippy dream’ to want to do right by our planet or a bit ‘woo-woo’ to expect to put people and the planet first above a handsome return on investment. I am deeply encouraged to come across investors such as Planet A and Revent who are specifically backing startups that have a purpose of solving global challenges.
Still, I sometimes lose sight of why I am doing what I am doing and why I created Doppler. When I hit these bumps, I take a step back and reconnect with others who remind me of a better place, they remind me of the visions I have had of what the future could look like. I connect with organisations such as the Pachamama Alliance, communities who are doing so much good and friends and Doppler supporters like Sara Hughes, these people and organisations remind me of what is possible.
Our visions combined are of a world where we all work collaboratively to make sure everyone thrives. It’s a ‘you AND me’ world that works in harmony. It's not a utopian dream we are chasing but a future grounded in optimism where we all have enough no matter where we are born and to whom.
It’s not a fairytale, the pandemic saw us make life-altering changes overnight, changes we said would never happen or would take forever.
So for those among us who choose love over hate, time and time again, even when we fail, even when we get tired and especially when we get hurt, we hope you enjoy hearing about what we have been working on behind the scenes.
This is our little yet mighty contribution to try and create a legacy of hope.
2022 Headlines
We worked with 133 clients - providing coaching, consultancy and free workshops
Supported 6 social enterprises that are making their own huge social and environmental impact - impact x impact = mega impact
£51,615 gross revenue - including donations
308 total free sessions to support budding creative entrepreneurs
39 subsidised clients - pick your own pricing model to encourage people to invest in their businesses at an affordable rate
Peaceful existence average ranking 7/10
We were awarded BCorp certification, March 22 - full blog post here
Working with organisations to drive a bigger impact
Supporting social enterprises and CICs
At the beginning of the year we started working with an admirable CIC called Meanwhile Space, they have spent over 15 years making temporary space available to social enterprises and creators across London and the southeast.
Part of the project took us to Elephant Arcade, here we have been working closely with Lambeth council and the local business owners to bring much-needed business support and to raise awareness of the venue. There is a lot of sensitivity around these projects, so we will respect the privacy of those we have been working with but it has been a challenging yet highly rewarding experience. Using the Doppler gift economy we have provided temporary marketing support to the Meanwhile Space organisation across all of their sites and Meanwhile Space Foundation. We have also placed one of our creators into employment and have begun working on a new business support programme to help grow businesses that use Meanwhile. We continue to work together into 2023 and will share the progress of these projects in next year’s reports.
Doppler has also become a member of the Meanwhile Space Foundation which gives us the option in future to open ‘Doppler House’ a little idea in the making for incubating climate tech and impact tech startups in London while also opening up the space for creative communities.
The Kuumba Centre
Part-owned by the Rastafarian community and part-owned by the council, Kummba is the heart and soul of the backstreets of Stokes Croft in Bristol, providing a safe haven and entertainment to many locals. This community centre has been through all sorts of transformations and has seen the area change and gentrify. We support Kummba by helping the community fundraise, connect with other organisations and offer sage advice and comfort during the trying times of lockdown and beyond.
Climate tech, Impact Tech & Green Tech
We took on two new clients this year in the climate tech and impact tech space, tem. , a renewable energy company looking to democratise energy markets and make savings from traceable renewable energy and Carma, the carbon removals platform that is working with veterans to plant trees and restore our planet while creating green jobs.
Founder of Doppler, Danielle Morgan, having spent her career helping tech startups scale was called upon to use her skills and niche experience to support these two pre-seed businesses through funding rounds and build the foundations of their brands. A combined total of just under £3 million has been raised for these two companies which have gone on to expand their teams.
This has given us first-hand experience of seeing what can happen when we invest in climate and social impact.
“I know you're tired but come, this is the way.”
— Rumi
EMPOWERING WOMEN AND OTHER COMMUNITIES
At the end of 2022, we made the decision to invest £1,500 of Doppler profits into a sponsorship with Let’s Dream Limitlessly, Patrice Edwards who founded and runs the CIC that creates a safe space for women to learn, unlearn, love and be loved and develop through interaction with professional speakers, counsellors, coaches and peers. Our investment would directly fund 12 spaces for women who are underserved to attend the annual conference in March 2023. We will report the results and findings of this sponsorship in the 2023 impact report.
In March 2022, we ran a month-long campaign celebrating women and providing a platform across our social channels to champion the women around us who we admire and who have supported us. It was a well-received campaign with 4,675 impressions. We also ran Writers Hour throughout the year which is a free online writers’ group and Creators Hour that promotes friendly collaboration and support for content creation.
We also supported a number of individuals with business coaching and wellness - 90% of these sessions are heavily subsidised.
About Doppler Effect
WHAT DO WE DO?
We empower more businesses and people in the world to create an impact, an impact that genuinely helps us as a human family and makes a positive difference to the world as well as a profit.
WHO DO WE WORK WITH?
We work with B Corps, CICs, social enterprises, creative entrepreneurs and start-ups who want to make a difference.
HOW DO WE DO THAT?
We have experienced in-house business coaches and consultants who have built tools, workshops, online courses, and 121 coaching membership programmes to help you make a big impact from mindful marketing, and coaching to funding. Using the Doppler Gift Economy, you get to pick your own pricing. That means we can help more people who otherwise couldn't afford our experience and expertise. We also reinvest your money to fund others in the community just starting out. Working with other organisations to be a force for good.
Looking forward: our plans for 2023 and beyond
What we will do better in 2023
Accountability, the advisory board has been a lifeline for Doppler we took a much more formalised approach in 2022 and it worked wonders. We have agreed to go further with this in 2023 and also introduce sign-off on all investments and sponsorships over a certain threshold
Looking at an ‘Earth as a shareholder’ ownership model - pretty much copying Patagonia but we have been inspired by this approach
Sickness policies, pay and wages increase - we are no longer a startup and we need to act accordingly for Doppler to be sustainable
Price changes - introducing a rate card for businesses that are flourishing so we can continue the gift economy for those who need it most
Keeping the magic alive
Things to look out for
Case studies from tem., Carma, Meanwhile Space
An update on our Bcorp Journey now we are certified - 1 year on
More free content and online workshops
Partnership with health tech and mental wellness platform Minderful
Let's Dream Limitlessly - Meet the people who have been impacted by the sponsorship so far
Doppler House - A space to cultivate climate and impact tech startups, CICs and BCorps as well as creative studios and community gardens - all powered by renewable energy 💚🌱✨🤞
Get involved
If there’s one thing we have learned the hard way is that you can’t do it alone. It’s only together can we make the huge shifts that we need to make in environmental and social impact. If you love what we are doing, perhaps you would like to contribute or collaborate with us?
Please get in touch and sign up for our newsletter we are open to all ideas and we love hearing from you.