Impact Gamers is a social enterprise based in Bradford that inspires and helps young people who are interested in coding and gaming to grow in confidence and build their own non-violent and rewarding games, using art, design, maths, creativity and problem-solving skills along the way.
They particularly work with children from deprived backgrounds that can’t afford after school clubs and extra training, tutoring and mentoring. In 2018 they won a BAFTA for their mentoring work.
Adam Syrop, Team Leader said, ‘We are about changing lives and not numbers. We want to have a deep impact on individuals and believe in bettering people not income. Being able to make a positive difference and have that as a paid job is a win-win.’
They chose to become a Community Interest Company (CIC) because, ‘It’s all about purpose – lives changed is our product, which makes no money and costs a lot. So as a private business – that’s cash and staff driven – we’d fail.’
They generate an income from a mixture of grants, donations and commercial work including consultancy, training and creating games and apps for other people. They aim to generate a profit of a 30-50% that they can use to fund their social aims.
They employ 6 people and have 5 volunteers and 4 people on long-term work placements.
They needed help to:
- Bring in more money and increase their reach and impact
The help they received was:
- 5 months of one-to-one support from a BFGWY Enterprise Coach that helped them find work in new settings and increase their reach and impact
- An organisation diagnostic that identified a need to focus on developing an income generation strategy and find new opportunities
- Help to apply for a BFGWY Growth and Resilience Grant that will allow them to work with specialist consultants to create a marketing strategy and better impact measurement
Adam’s Top Tips
- The local community is the reason we exist and is our thermometer – if we’re not generating enough ‘warmth’ we reflect and adjust our activities to suit.
- Check each job and grant carefully against your mission and vision to make sure that clients and users get the best experience they can
- Do set up an alternative business – but do it with supportive friends around you that can advise and give time and practical support – and don’t forget to promote yourself and network.
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