From Dot Dot Dot founder, Katharine Hibbert
“Could you model the contract without the volunteering part as well, just so that we can get a sense of the difference?”
We get asked this every now and then by potential Dot Dot Dot clients, and it always makes me think of Monty Python’s ‘spam’ sketch*. It’s set in a café where the menu is made up of egg and spam; egg, bacon and spam; egg, bacon, sausage and spam; spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam; spam, spam, spam, eggs and spam.
One of the Pythons asks: “Could you do the egg, bacon, spam and sausage without the spam?”, and the waitress replies: “Urgh! You can’t have egg, bacon, spam and sausage without the spam.” “Why not?” “Well then it wouldn’t be egg, bacon, spam and sausage, would it.”
It’s the same with Dot Dot Dot – you can have property security with social impact; excellent guardians with social impact; and industry-leading health and safety standards with social impact. Can you have our service without social impact? No, because then it wouldn’t be Dot Dot Dot, would it.
Jokes aside, the question gets to the heart of our business model. Our focus on social impact isn’t an afterthought we add on to our property guardian service. It’s fundamental to how we deliver our work, and we wouldn’t exist without it.
Why it works for property owners
Property owners can’t opt out of our focus on housing volunteers because it is the very thing that allows us to consistently deliver a high-quality security service. That’s the case for two reasons.
First, it acts as a filter. The fundamental insight that underpins our model is that people who are motivated to give up their time to help others are highly likely to be conscientious and community minded. They are exactly the kinds of people you want as a neighbour or looking after a significant asset. They make responsible guardians, which translates directly into a lower-hassle, higher-quality security solution for property owners.
Second, it provides a framework for better management. Because our guardians are committed to volunteering each month, we have a natural reason to be in regular, positive contact with them. Our relationship isn’t just about collecting fees and responding to maintenance issues; it’s an ongoing dialogue about the positive contributions they’re making. This gives us a much clearer sense of how things are going on the ground, building communication and trust. This allows for proactive, cooperative problem-solving, not just reaction when things have already gone wrong.
Why it works for guardians
While many of our guardians are first drawn to us for well-managed, inexpensive housing, the support we provide for their volunteering is also a key part of the appeal. If you’re already volunteering or want to start, getting support to help a cause you care about – and encouragement to stick with it – can be an attractive offer, especially when it comes along with a big saving on private-sector renting, an opportunity to live among like-minded people, and the knowledge that your home is managed by people who share your commitment to making a difference.
Why it works for us
The final reason social impact is essential to our model is that it’s what gets me and the rest of the Dot Dot Dot team out of bed in the morning. I’m proud of the high-quality property guardian service we deliver, but what makes it worthwhile in the end is the knowledge that as a team we’re doing what we can to make a positive difference. Our purpose-driven approach helps us to attract smart, motivated and thoughtful people to work here. That makes the work infinitely more enjoyable for me personally, and is also key to delivering a consistently excellent service to all our stakeholders.
The result – social impact that’s baked in, not sprinkled on
The upshot is that while property owners come to us for security and guardians for housing, our model unlocks significant social value. No one writes a separate cheque for it, because it’s baked into our model.
And the difference made is significant. Last year, our guardians volunteered for 43,000 hours. That’s worth more than £700,000 to the charitable sector if paid at the living wage, and is the equivalent of one person working full time for 22 years.
This volunteering isn’t a garnish, it’s an essential ingredient. So social impact – like spam – is staying on the menu.
*This sketch is also the reason why we call email spam ‘spam’, thanks to the Vikings in the background who keep drowning out the dialogue by singing “Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!”
