WHO ARE WE?
We believe in hope. We believe in optimism. We believe small actions can make a big impact.
Smiley Movement is a platform for change with a vision: to inspire positive change in society by highlighting the people – and organisations – doing good in our world.
We exist to recognise people making a difference, and empower others to start volunteering, donating, fundraising or setting up initiatives with the potential to transform the world. Our survey showed 92% of the public want to do good in the world but are unsure how to – so we’re here to inspire them.
Ultimately, we want to help the third sector – non-governmental and nonprofit organisations, such as charities, voluntary and community groups – better engage with the public, to create a ripple effect of positive change.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
In 1971, France Soir newspaper editor, Franklin Loufrani, created the Smiley to highlight the positive and fun news in the newspaper.
It was a few decades later, in 2018, when Franklin’s son Nicolas – Smiley’s CEO – came up with the idea of launching Smiley Movement: a nonprofit that aimed to give people the information and tools they needed to engage with changemakers in their community.
Smiley Movement modernises Franklin’s original concept of positive journalism for a new generation. We want to give a platform to forward-thinking go-getters who are passionate about making our world a better place to live – and we want to better inform the public about the charity sector. Why? Because 82% of our survey respondents said they’d volunteer more if they knew more about it.
Through our four content pillars – Equality, Planet, Wellbeing and Culture – we align all our work with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We believe change starts with a positive mindset. Our movement is an antidote to the negative narratives portrayed in mainstream media. We hope to inspire people to re-imagine the world they want to live in, feel optimistic about the future and empowered to be part of the solution.
We do this through Smiley News: positive news, inspirational features, and eye-catching videos about inspirational individuals, and organisations on a mission to achieve a better world.
We organise Smiley Talks: thought-provoking panel talks with third sector leaders, campaigners, and experts, to discuss how we can work together to make our world a better place to live.
We host the Charity Film Awards: the world’s largest cause-based film festival, which puts charity films on a platform and gives recognition to the causes that we should support.
And we also have a Matchmaking for Good service, where we add purpose to Smiley’s commercial partnerships by connecting CSR initiatives to charitable projects to generate social impact.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE?
We exist to ensure that all the work we do – the news we write, the videos we create, and the events we organise – elevates charities and helps them communicate their work and mission to the world. Marketing is an important and necessary cost for charities so, by creating content to help them engage with the public, we aim to service them and our communities.
As a Community Interest Company (CIC), we have a very clear and strong mission:
➡️ To engage the public in charity work.
➡️ To give charities a platform to promote their work.
➡️ To uplift people against the negative news bias.
➡️ To inspire people to set up their own charities, social enterprises or community groups that support people and our planet.
We’d love you to be a part of it. If you’d like to share your story, get involved, or nominate a charity to feature, email [email protected].
