In Good Company Co-founder Sarah Kingston talks about her journey through the charity sector into social enterprise and why she believes in ethical business.

I spent over a decade in London’s charity sector as a high-value fundraiser. It was inspiring, educational and, sometimes, demoralising.

Ask any fundraiser how they became one and I almost guarantee that they’ll give you some version of ‘I fell into it.’ For me, grant and major donor fundraising was a way to use my writing skills and American gift of the gab to raise money for good causes. I’ve always been driven to ‘do something good’ and ‘useful’ in the world and using my skills in that way felt like the right fit. I found a great home in London’s charity world with kind, idealistic people and organisations with wonderful, if not always perfectly executed, plans to change things for the better. 

The desire for lasting change

I learned a lot about how - and how not - to run organisations. About the crises caused by limited funding in an oversubscribed space and how frustrating it can be for people who want to change the world and do not have the funds, infrastructure and time to do it. As a fundraiser who sometimes loved what she did, I inherently believed that my job should not exist. The unnecessary competition caused by similar, great causes going for too small, limited pots of funding was so frustrating when really, we could and should have all been working together. 

I wanted to find more sustainable solutions that led to lasting positive change. 

Joining Year Here

Whilst I did and still do believe charities have a meaningful part to play, I started looking outside the charity world at other models for driving positive social and environmental impact. I became interested in how purpose-driven business could be a force for good which led me into becoming a year here Social Innovation Fellow in 2020.  

There, I met Alex who was also interested in the power of good businesses and how to help them thrive. We connected over a desire to create something that would accelerate a bigger, more collaborative impact in the world. Also, and slightly less lofty, we wanted to find an easier way to find great, mission-driven businesses to support when we wanted a coffee or a piece of cake (we really like cake). How could we seek to support great businesses doing good in the world as part of our daily lives? Alex had a great idea to platform social enterprises and after some time and a few iterations, In Good Company was born. 

On a mission to support ethical businesses

At In Good Company, our mission is to help champion and grow companies where doing good is central to their business model. Good for us means protecting the planet and/or supporting people and communities - and making a profit - not actually a dirty word it turns out. 

We believe that by connecting these great companies to the customers they need to scale and thrive, they can do more and more good in the world. It’s as simple as that. 

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Read co-founder Alex's blog on why she decided to co-founded In Good Company.

And here's our guide to the perfect eco-conscious and ethical day out in Peckham, London, Sarah's home neighbourhood.