What began as a neighborhood initiative to encourage vulnerable people in the Utrecht Overvecht district during the first lockdown, grew into a social enterprise that has already provided more than 20,000 meals to people who can use them well in the year and a half of its existence. BuurtMaaltijden was allowed to receive the Utrecht Volunteer Trophy last year, later she also received the National Volunteer Prize from Minister Hugo de Jonge. How did this neighborhood initiative that thought it would only exist for a week develop into the company it is today?
'We have indeed grown very fast in a short time,' Erwin van Asselt agrees. He is the initiator, promoter and the face of BuurtMaaltijden.
In order to continue our social mission, we have started to pursue a more commercial strategy.
'We received a lot of positive responses and the applications poured in. Until the moment came when we said: we will continue professionally. As a volunteer organization, you depend on donations, grants and funds. In order to continue our social mission, we have decided to pursue a more commercial strategy.'
“I have been given the tools to shape our vision and implement our chosen strategy in daily practice.”
From Vision to Practice
‘During the programme, I gained the theoretical foundation we needed to turn our vision for the direction of the company into concrete material. You can enthusiastically tell your team about your plans, but how do you make sure everyone focuses on the same things? And how does everything filter through to the smallest details and reach all levels of the organisation?
During the programme, I was given the practical tools to shape our vision and implement our chosen strategy in daily practice. For example, we started working with quarterly themes, using internal posters to remind everyone what the theme is and how we are putting it into practice during that quarter.’
‘Personally, this year has given me peace and structure. Or perhaps better: peace through structure. I have been given the tools to deal with the challenges of everyday practice, so that I am not constantly rushing from one thing to another trying to arrange everything, but can manage things more easily.
Through hard work, knowing where your strengths lie and where you are needed, and having the ability to turn a vision into concrete plans, we were able to grow into the organisation we are today over the past year and a half.
During the programme, I also built the confidence to conquer the whole of the Netherlands with our social enterprise.’
Social Entrepreneurship
‘In December, I signed up for the Social Entrepreneurship Programme. I started with the question of how you turn the vision you have into a plan that everyone can support. I came out of it with some very valuable lessons.’
‘I had the advantage of not being the most experienced entrepreneur in the group. During the training days, I was immersed in the experiences of the veterans, hearing about obstacles and how you can overcome them, the challenges, the mistakes beginners make and the pitfalls you can fall into as an experienced entrepreneur. Above all, I learned that having a large network of like minded people with the same ambitions as you is extremely valuable.’
In addition to theoretical knowledge, I also gained more knowledge about myself during the programme. This came through the personal leadership training, but also through the peer learning sessions. Now that I know more about my own motivations, I am more aware of my pitfalls and can work better with all the different people within our organisation.’