Sainsbury’s

The challenge

Sainsbury’s Sustainability team leads the supermarket’s partnerships for social impact, focusing on tackling food insecurity. Sainsbury’s Sustainability team approached NPC for support prioritising their giving and establishing a clear plan and narrative for their impact.

The approach

Over the last year, NPC supported Sainsbury’s in achieving these objectives by:

• Conducting a landscape review and systems map: NPC began by building a strong understanding of the organisational context at Sainsbury’s, and the current issues and trends affecting food insecurity across the UK. NPC interviewed key internal and external stakeholders and conducted a literature review. This allowed us to understand the drivers of food insecurity and the where charities were active in this space. We used this to create a systems map, with which we could identify opportunity areas for Sainsbury’s to maximise its impact. .
• Facilitating workshops and deliberations: Using the systems map as a basis for conversation, NPC then facilitated two workshops for Sainsbury’s. The first workshop convened diverse internal and external stakeholders to understand the full range of opportunities for impact, and define the criteria for Sainsbury’s to consider when prioritising partnership focus areas. In the second workshop, NPC convened Sainsbury’s Sustainability team for a meaningful conversation to discuss the implications of the first workshop and what it meant for strategic giving decisions and next steps.
• Developing a theory of change: Using the input from the workshops and our research, NPC developed a high-level theory of change in collaboration with Sainsbury’s Sustainability team. The theory of change showed how Sainsbury’s could amplify its impact in tackling food insecurity using a three-pronged approach: allocating targeted funding, developing strategic partnerships internally, and partnering with external stakeholders. We then shared the theory of change with key partners.

The result

NPC’s bespoke approach supported Sainsbury’s in enhancing their understanding of the drivers of food insecurity in the UK and where they as a business are well placed to act. This ultimately helped them advance more impactful charitable giving and community activities.

The theory of change will be used by Sainsbury’s Sustainability team to drive stakeholder engagement, prioritise charitable partnerships and impactful giving, and inform their measurement and evaluation approach.