De Voorhoede: good software, better world
De Voorhoede is a web development agency based in Amsterdam and Delft. Or, as they describe themselves: "Development experts with a passion for the web and the world." They have been at the forefront of their field for years and decided to extend the same impact to their team, clients, and the rest of the world.
No Dodos guided us in becoming an impactful company from our mission all the way into the detailing of our impact strategy
Collaboration with No Dodos
No Dodos guided De Voorhoede in shaping their impact strategy and integrating it into their operations, from personnel management to sales and the digital products they create for clients. Assistance in the B Corp Impact Assessment (BIA) and the development of Impact Business Models led to De Voorhoede obtaining a B Corp certification with an impressive B Impact Score of 99.4 points.
Nena de Clercq, Head of Operations at De Voorhoede, on collaborating with No Dodos:
"After a long period of trying it ourselves, No Dodos guided us in becoming an impactful company from our mission all the way into the detailing of our impact strategy, in just a couple of months. During that time it felt like Jozien was an integral part of our team. She organised workshops and made both managers and our developers active participants in the journey. We're very pleased with the result which included our B Corp application with almost double the points we had before No Dodos showed us the way. "
Making an Impact with digital products
At the core of De Voorhoede's work is the development of new digital products for their clients. Ranging from regular websites to the interface for Ziggo's digital television, the Life Terra platform for planting and monitoring 500 million trees in Europe, and online editors for quantum computers at QuTech.
In these diverse projects, De Voorhoede sought a shared strategy to create a positive impact with digital products. No Dodos facilitated a working group to define six measurable impact focus areas:
Purposeful Organisations and Products. When you take stakeholders into account, your digital product can create a positive impact on people, society and the environment.
Accessible for Everyone. A digital product is accessible when it’s usable by everyone, regardless of any disability they may have. That's good for your users and your business.
Privacy by Design. Data is the blood of digital products. We should handle that data with care by being transparent, asking for consent and using non-intrusive tracking.
Energy Conscious. A digital product leaves a footprint in the real world. By using green infrastructure and optimising web pages you can minimise their emissions.
Open source. Open source software powers the web. By participating in the community you can contribute back, strengthen your brand and improve your digital products.
Responsible AI. Using artificial intelligence in digital products has both high potentials and risks. By minding data, bias, accountability and oversight you can use AI for good.
To make a greater difference for impactful organisations and products, De Voorhoede provides customers with an impact discount, which increases as more of the focus areas are addressed. This way, business and impact go hand in hand.
Tangible impact with the whole team
It is crucial that an impact strategy goes beyond mere words or something exclusive to the management, not felt or embraced by the rest of the team. While working towards B Corp certification, achieving points can almost feel like a goal in itself.
No Dodos assisted De Voorhoede in making their impact strategy more than just a policy, making it tangible and an integral part of the entire team. Working groups were formed with the participation of all employees. Everyone was given weekly time to formulate impact objectives and work towards them. This resulted in the aforementioned impact focus areas and impact discount. The working group focused on diversity and inclusion led to improvements in working conditions, such as special leave for parents not covered by legal regulations, flexibility for conditions like chronic illness, menstruation, and migraines. Other working groups mapped the carbon footprint and implemented improvements around health. This way, everyone in the organization is involved.
Measurable impact
To track the progress of the impact strategy, we developed several impact metrics. These metrics include monitoring how at least 2% of the annual company profits are dedicated to charitable causes, specifying the form of contribution (volunteer work, pro bono work, and donations). HR metrics encompass employee satisfaction, staff turnover, sick leave, and diversity. Talent development, including study time, coaching, code classes, and code talks, is also monitored. For client projects, we keep track of the number of mission-driven clients and assess projects based on the previously described impact focus areas.
To keep the organisation sharp and provide external input, De Voorhoede has established an impact advisory board that convenes several times a year. Annually, an assessment is conducted and publicly shared in the Voorhoede Impact Report.
Follow De Voorhoede in their mission to make a positive impact on the web and the world.