The Channel Community is going through the final checks to become a community interest company (CIC) as it kickstarts the “next stage” of its evolution.
Founded in 2021 by former CDW exec Yvonne Matzk, The Channel Community operates a buddy-mentee system which pairs experienced leaders with those who are newer to the industry, or who lack a mentoring network.
It will become a CIC – a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders – as soon as late March or early April, Matzk confirmed.
“When we created The Channel Community, it was with some friends I’d rounded up,” she told IT Channel Oxygen.
“Everything we’ve done so far has been very sporadic, and there’s been no real focus and thought as to the direction.
“As it’s grown and evolved, that made us realise this has got legs.”
CIC the place to be
The Channel Community isn’t the first industry movement to become a CIC in recent months, with the Tech Channel Ambassadors recently doing the same. It is seeking to raise awareness of career opportunities across the channel.
Matzk said: “It has to stand on its own two feet and having spoken to a couple of friends of mine in the industry who are doing something similar, a CIC seemed to be the best route.”
The new status will mean its directors, who include Matzk, CAE’s Aggrey Lutta, Sapphire’s Chris Gabriel, Ideal’s Julia Elliott, SCC’s Kate Auchterlonie, Distology’s Dan Evans, Mark Collins and Olivia Jaskolka, are not able to draw a salary, she stressed.
“Because it’s not-for profit it has some tax benefits for organisations that want to support us financially and help operationalise it,” she said.
The Channel Community will later this week “put a stake in the ground” when it unveils its chosen charity partner, Matzk promised.
This will be in the area of social mobility, she revealed (see video, top, for more).
“One of the amazing things we really loved about CICs is that if you do make a profit at the end of the year, it has to then go to a designated charity,” Matzk said.
“The channel is already doing an amazing job on ethnicity with things like TC4RE [Technology Community for Racial Equality], and Tech Channel Ambassadors is doing a great job of raising awareness to get people in. But there’s nobody really focusing on social mobility.
“We thought there was a massive opportunity for us to say ‘this is what we want to be known for’.”
Searching for mentee a-plenty
As part of the next phase of its evolution, The Channel Community is adding a series of virtual events and webinars (alongside at least three physical events), Matzk said.
The first of these will offer attendees advice on how to take ownership of their career.
Matzk repeated her goal to get 100 mentors and mentees on board, but conceded this could take up to two years as The Channel Community builds awareness.
An ideal mentee will either be new to the industry or occupy a solitary role within their organisation, Matzk said.
“We don’t seem to have any problems gaining channel buddies. There are a lot of people that want to give back,” Matzk said.
“It’s the mentees we struggle with the most. Part of that is perception and understanding. We’ve got two amazing individuals – Kate [Auchterlonie] and Dan [Evans] – who are fantastic mentee matchmakers, but we need more support and help to drive the mentee side of things. That is going to be our main focus.”
Matzk concluded: “We’ve built some great foundations, but to get it to that next stage it needs a proper focus, as opposed to making it up as you go along – which is pretty much where we’d got to.
“This year is all about setting up the CIC, getting everyone bedded in and making sure everything is fully operational.”
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
