Agnes Thunell - Program and Impact Manager at Reach for Change - gave an introduction into how to develop a Theory of Change to the members of the Baltic Sea Impact Network. She shared tools and examples for impact measurement and management:

1. Analysing the social problem - using the Problem Tree Method it’s easy to map the difference between the root causes of the problem, the core problem we're trying to solve and its consequences.

2. Mapping the target group and developing an initial solution description - good and effective solutions should focus on solving one or more of the root causes of the core problem.

3. Developing an Impact Result Chain that maps the outputs and outcomes of our activities - or the change that we want to create for our target audience. Mapping this in advance and following whether this change is happening in reality is important, because it allows us to understand whether we’re investing our efforts and resources in the right direction.

Find more information and tools in the Resource Center of Reach for Change: toolkits.reachforchange.org

We hosted an expert workshop for the members of the Baltic Sea Impact network on attracting investors. Here are the key advice that came out:

1) Get your problem clear

Define what are you solving and for whom, as customer + problem = business case.

2) Gather a team of experienced professionals 

Make sure to bring on board team members with know-how, experience and a passion for the topic. Investors value a strong team with the right mix of skills and a successful track record.

3) Build a network and make yourself seen

If you don't have a wide personal network yet, go build one - go to places where investors meet startups. Any personal contact, even for only 3 minutes, eats cold (even perfect) emails for breakfast! If you get even one investor committed, ask for warm intros.

4) Make sure you have a strong pitch

Practice your pitch and polish your deck, and also create a one-pager - always take the chance to send materials, but realize that investors get several of these in a day. Don't take silence and "no"s personally, move on.

5) Look for investors that are the right fit for you

Don't go after big VCs in the beginning, they are probably not your match for the pre-seed round. But if they happen to contact you, try to build a relationship for the future. Rather check out early-stage investors, angels, venture philanthropists, who are already passionate about the topic you're working on, and might have a higher tolerance for lower initial profitability and greater risk tolerance, if a solid impact case is present.

Find more information in the article we created here.

The Baltic Sea Impact Network's members participated in a workshop on how to increase their revenues from the Sales & Business expert Guntars Logins from Alpha Partners Latvia. Here are 4 key takeaways anyone should consider in order to boost their sales:

1. Talk with your clients, and get to know their situation well. What problem do they need to solve? Who takes the final decision for the purchase - especially important for B2B models? What are their timeline and budget?

2. Value > Cost, so think about ways how you could increase the value of your product or ask your customer if there’s another product/service you could provide

3. Third Party validation, such as mentioning other clients’ experience and feedback, brings additional trust to purchase your product

4. Remember to educate yourself! Books, such as “The Charisma Myth” by Olivia Fox Cabane, can be a powerful start

Human interaction is at the core of developing any idea and creating social change. Having good networking skills allow us to build connections easily and to grow contacts into professional relationships.

To help the social entrepreneurs part of the Baltic Sea Impact Network bring their networking skills to the next level, we organised an expert workshop, led by Kotryna Stankute. Check out the 3 key principles of networking sustainably that she shared:

1. You have more networks than you think you do: We all have our “strong ties” - our family and closest friends whom we trust the most. But we shouldn’t underestimate the potential of our “weak ties” - the friends of our friends - or our “dormant ties” - like old colleagues from university. They can give us original ideas and valuable advice.

2. Make your network work for your network: You become more successful by helping others reach their goals. Ask questions, listen carefully, offer support and contacts.The more you give, the more you get.

3. It is not about who you know, it’s about who knows you: If you make yourself valuable and memorable, others will want to make you part of their network. But it has to come from the ability to share, not from your ego.