Anywise recently launched its new service Anywise AIDE, as part of our commitment as a Certified B-Corporation to give back to the communities we operate in.
We set aside 20% of our profits for philanthropic pursuits, which can take a monetary form but Anywise AIDE involves lending our skills to help community organisations and charities.
Earlier this year, Anywise piloted this AIDE service with a Community Centre in Launceston, Tasmania.
Together with the centre, Anywise consultants worked to help them with grant applications for ongoing funding for two of their grassroots programs in IT and dance.
The idea behind Anywise AIDE isn’t simply to perform some tasks for these organisations but to teach them skills that Anywise consultants use in project management that those who work for community organisations can take away and apply these skills in their workplace.
It’s about taking the organisation on a journey to give them the right tools and skills they need to be able to use long-term.
The old saying ‘Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime’ is the logic behind Anywise AIDE.
Anywise Principal Consultant Catherine Jong said that it’s not just about changing the way organisations do projects but also their work culture.
Rather than the traditional waterfall approach to projects, Anywise believes in an agile approach which is iterative and divided into short sprints.
“This way you get to see little bits and pieces and you get to have that feedback loop developed. So your final product could be better than what you originally imagined and it’s a much more collaborative process,” CJ said.
Anywise wants to build long-lasting relationships with these community organisations, not just help them once and leave them to their own devices. Anywise is currently helping an industry peak body to digitise its membership management and marketing functions.
Senior Consultant Chris McKellar said that “we want to leave a bit of a legacy”.
“Once an organisation has gone through the process with us, they’ll be able to go back, utilise the system and engage with Anywise. As they keep going, they might need us less and less, but we want them to know that we’re there if they need assistance.”
Anywise is still yet to hear as to whether the centre has successfully won those ongoing grants but we’re happy to have helped them through the process.
If you are a charity or community organisation that is interested in accessing Anywise AIDE, head to our website to find out more or get in contact with us.