Welcome Welcome to the 5th issue of the Social Enterprise Business Support Programme Newsletter. Since our last issue, it has been a very busy time at SEC, gearing up for Voice11 – the UK’s biggest social enterprise event, and our biggest Voice yet! Voice11 is happening at the 02 arena, London, next Wednesday 30th March, and is about doing business, bringing new business into the social enterprise sector, and making the external business environment truly supportive and successful for social enterprises. There will be 20 practical business support workshops, networking and investment opportunities . Book your tickets now to take advantage of a special rate for Business Support Newsletter subscribers. Also in this issue are the final updates from the National Learning Projects under the Capacitybuilders funded National Knowledge Management Programme. This three year programme to develop effective sector products, services and knowledge-sharing networks has now come to a close in March 2011. We have been developing some Knowledge Management tools and resources as part of this, as well as reviewing all of the work done over the programme. Over the next couple of months there will be more follow up to the final evaluation by Rocket Science, as well as discussions on legacy progress. Thanks to all of those who completed the questionnaire on our newsletter – changes will be made to the Business Support Newsletter over the next couple of months. We look forward to seeing you at Voice11! - The Social Enterprise Business Support Team 
Latest Developments: The Business Support Landscape Growing the social investment market – a vision and strategy In February, Government published Growing the social investment market – a vision and strategy, which sets out its vision for the social investment market and outlines the enabling actions that will allow social investment to flourish. It acknowledges that social ventures (including social enterprises) need support to improve their investment readiness and their business capability. Further it states that they can, in theory at least, access support services including: mainstream business support (particularly the Business Link website), local business support (for example through local enterprise agencies), mainstream professional services, public and private pro bono corporate support, support bodies specifically for social ventures, and finance intermediaries. In practice, many social ventures struggle to access the support they need. Government says that there is more that can be done: - In the short term it can make the support services that are available easier to find and better connected
- There is a need to improve the sustainability of business capability services
- Every Business Commits calls on businesses to go beyond corporate social responsibility
- More pro bono support from the commercial and public sectors
- Social enterprises can apply for the Regional Growth Fund, a £1.4 billion fund that aims to encourage enterprise and jobs in places that are heavily reliant on the public sector
- BIS is working with the UK trade bodies, mentoring organisations and the British Bankers’ Association to build a network of 40,000 mentors
- Government is looking at its broader support for VCSE organisations
A full strategy summary from SEC can be found here: http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/whats-new.html The Co-operative Group Ethical Operating Plan “Leading the Way” Last month, The Co-operative Group published “Leading The Way– a revolutionary approach to corporate social responsibility”. SEC’s Peter Holbrook has called the Ethical Operating Plan a “leading light” for the UK’s social enterprise movement; saying, “This strategy demonstrates a commitment to ethical, sustainable business practice. The plans will no doubt capitalise on the current public mood - research tells us that there has been a shift in consumer thinking following the financial crisis. People do not want businesses to damage communities – they want businesses to help solve our social and environmental problems”. The Ethical Operating Plan (2011 – 2013) can be read here: http://www.co-operative.coop/Documents/1/CoopEthicalOperatingPlan160211.pdf Business Link launches Contracts Finder Contracts Finder is a free new service from Business Link for businesses, government buyers and the public. Social enterprises can use the service to find contract opportunities, closed tender documentation, as well as contract awards and contract documents. On February 11th, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that a number of measures are being put in place to make sure 25% of government business goes to SMEs, and the Contracts Finder is part of the government’s transparency commitment, to enable businesses to see where government money is spent. Peter Holbrook, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition, commented “We have been waiting a long time for this sort of very practical step to make public spending work better for the economy. SMEs are the engine room of the UK economy and must be supported if we want sustainable growth. While this announcement can be welcomed by the social enterprise community, we want to see 25% of government business, and more, go to SMEs that are social enterprises. This would help ensure that public spending was truly providing wider social value. The Contracts Finder is on the Business Link website here: http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
Events - Voice11, the UK's biggest social enterprise event! 
Voice11 is brought to you by the Social Enterprise Coalition and this year will be the biggest yet with 130 exhibitors and an expected 1,000+ delegates, including social enterprises, third sector and public sector organisations, as well as private sector companies supportive of social enterprise PLUS senior cabinet ministers, MPs and social enterprise policymakers, investors and funders. The focus of Voice11 is on doing business, bringing new business into the social enterprise sector, and making the external business environment truly supportive and truly fertile to social enterprise. At a time when social enterprises face big challenges as well as so many opportunities, we know that bringing business opportunities to working social enterprises is the most practical thing we can do. What's happening at Voice11 - Keynotes and participation from senior government ministers and MPs including:
- Rt. Hon. Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills - Rt. Hon. Andrew Lansley MP, Secretary of State for Health - Rt. Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office - Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society - Rt. Hon Hazel Blears MP (Salford and Eccles) - Debates and workshops with high profile speakers from the RSA, Big Issue Invest, Co-operatives UK, Circle Health, HCT Group, P3, UNISON, School for Social Entrepreneurs, Google, The Guardian, NatWest and O2
- 20+ practical workshops on how to turn ideas into business plans, pitch for investment, win new business, leadership development, marketing, IT solutions, commissioning, and grow your social enterprise
- Dedicated exhibition zones – Start Your Social Enterprise, Grow Your Social Enterprise plus Move to Social Enterprise for those interested in spinning out public services
- Extensive networking opportunities to meet prospective investors, partners, customers and employers
Plus Opportunities to access Funding & Business Support: - UnLtd are announcing a programme in which the 25 most enterprising social enterprises will get the chance to access up to £175K of seed investment plus first class business support and mentoring
- RSM Tenon are offering 10 social enterprise start-ups the chance to secure £100,000 of bespoke consultancy to develop their social enterprises
Download the programme What’s happening at the Social Enterprise Awards
The Social Enterprise Awards will celebrate the best of social enterprise across the UK. Hosted by comedian Alexander Armstrong with keynote from Leader of the Opposition, Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband MP, the Awards ceremony will be held at the O2 Indigo from 7pm on 30th March. Voice11 Visitors get discounted tickets. BUSINESS SUPPORT NEWSLETTER DISCOUNT OFFER
Voice11 Visitor Tickets £108+VAT Promo Code: VTU Exhibitor Stands £250+VAT Promo Code: ETU Book online or call 01323 637 714 We look forward to seeing you at Voice11!
The Social Enterprise Business Support Programme The Social Enterprise Business Support Programme brings together the work of two existing business support programmes: the Capacitybuilders funded National Knowledge Management Programme and the Big Lottery funded Investing in Social Enterprise Expansion Programme. The aim is to work in partnership for the creation of effective sector products, services and knowledge-sharing networks, which stimulate and encourage the growth, development and sustainability of social enterprises in England. Project updates can be found below and previous updates are available in the newsletter archive.
National Knowledge Management Programme: National Learning Project Updates THE OUTCOME ASSESSMENT FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISES (OASES) PROJECT
Delivered by: Social Enterprise London (SEL)
Thematic project area: Impact Assessment
Region: London 
The OASES project was managed by Social Enterprise London (SEL), and aimed to help social enterprises decide which impact assessment tool was most suitable for their business, through the production of a decision-making framework. The diagnostic tool and accompanying training programme has been tried and tested, with 100 social enterprises participants attending the course so far. The OASES training is continuing under SEL, with the training very popular with social enterprises, as well as business advisors. Discussions are in place about the expansion of the tool and training, with future partnerships between SEL and other national and international organizations in progress. For more information please contact Joyce Francis, Acting Project Manager, Social Enterprise London.
MULTIPLYING SOCIAL CHANGE
Delivered by: Social Enterprise East Midlands (SEEM)
Thematic project area: Scaling-up and Sustainability  Through the Multiplying Social Change project, Social Enterprise East Midlands, SEEM, aimed to establish a model and process for regional infrastructure bodies looking to play a profitable role in taking social enterprises to the marketplace, as well as creating more sustainable business for themselves. The project saw tools generated to support the process for identifying viable business opportunities, and these are being developed so that they are transferrable and able to be used by other support organisations and regional infrastructure bodies looking to move into different arenas and away from a reliance on grant funding. The future climate will require support organizations to be more enterprising themselves, analyzing new ideas and moving into different arenas, and this project helped to clarify such thinking and create opportunities for Social Enterprise East Midlands. A case study on the Multiplying Social Change project can be found here. For more information please contact David Kelly, Director of Policy & Strategy, Social Enterprise East Midlands.
TRADING KNOW-HOW - delivered by Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM)
Thematic project area: Knowledge Management
Region: West Midlands 
The Trading Know-how project was managed by Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM) and aimed to gather and share good practice from around the region through five strands of work: by running a social enterprise Summer School, highlighting and supporting Flagship Social Enterprises, organizing Structured Study Visits, facilitating Good Practice Forums, and producing Online Resources, making available an extensive library of resources and materials to the social enterprise sector, wider stakeholders and partners. Since the project began, a total of 70 social enterprises have benefitted from the five strands of work; reporting improvements in skills, knowledge, collaborative working and business opportunities. SEWM are currently considering how the elements of the project can be included in their business activities, with the website and online resources remaining as the legacy of the project. For more information please contact Ranjit Bansal, Marketing & Operations Manager, Social Enterprise West Midlands.
THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE MARK - delivered by the Social Enterprise Mark CIC
Thematic project area: Business Development
Region: Nationwide 
Over the course of the Capacitybuilders funded project, the Social Enterprise Mark had developed into a national brand, with over 370 Mark holders, covering all the regions of the UK, with many more in the application process. SEMCO are now targeting the general public and private sector: they are starting to campaign wider to raise further awareness and help the mark truly succeed nationally, ensuring that the Mark Company remain the leading authority which owns, develops and constantly reviews the certification process for social enterprises in the UK and internationally. Social enterprises wanting to apply for the Mark can get more information and support via the helpline number (0845 504 6536) or website.
CATALYSING CONSORTIA - delivered by Social Enterprise North West (SENW) and SELNET (Social Enterprise Lancashire Network)
Thematic project area: Scaling-up & Procurement
Region: North West  
The Catalysing Consortia project involved a panel of five experts, known as the Consortia Advice Team (CAT), identifying, advising and supporting social enterprises through the various stages of consortium creation and contract tendering, from legal advice to sales and marketing. The project also enabled the creation of the Opportunities North West website; a valuable tool for emerging consortia and those looking to explore this concept, as it provides regular updates on tenders, opportunities to join existing partnerships and case studies on successful bids. Through the project, 19 North West social enterprise consortia were created and supported towards becoming sustainable, long-term partnerships. The project will not continue in its current format beyond the end of Capacitybuilders funding, although some of the CAT team will continue to meet with social enterprise consortia on a voluntary basis. Social Enterprise North West are taking over the Opportunities North West website, which will continue as the legacy of the project, and will be used in a self-directed way by social enterprises. For more information please contact Liz Tapner of SELNET.
SELLING ADDED VALUE TRAINING COURSE - delivered by the Social Enterprise Support Centre (SESC)
Thematic project area: Impact Assessment
Region: Yorkshire & Humber 
Over the project, SESC have run eight Selling Added Value courses, training over 70 organisations in SROI, as well as training three business coaches in the course and how to deliver it. The course improved understanding of the true value that organisations are creating through the delivery of their services and helped them quantify this in a simple impact map. Having the ability to convert these benefits into monetary value helps commissioners and funders understand the real value of the service being delivered. The Selling Added Value programme will be continuing as a training course, with some changes made to make it more sustainable, and it will aim to sharpen organisations contracting and tendering skills which can only improve their own sustainability in a difficult financial climate. A case study on the Selling Added Value training course project can be found here. For more information please contact Dave Smith, Project Manager, Social Enterprise Support Centre.
THE SEASON PROJECT - delivered by Co-operatives South East
Thematic project area: Networks
Region: South East 
A website (www.seasonadvisor.org.uk) is planned for launch soon which will host a directory of advisors across the region, and encourage interaction and partnerships between social enterprises, advisors, and support organisations, serving as the key communication tool for the network. There will also be a members-only section, where advisors can communicate with each other, upload resources and share information. A consultation is currently out with the network membership to map a vision for the future, with a view for the SEASON network to continue beyond the end of the project, aiming to become self-funded, led and maintained by the advisors themselves. A case study on the SEASON network project can be found here. For more information please contact Jo White, Executive Director, Cooperatives South East.
DEVELOPING SOCIAL ENTERPRISES - Delivered by the North East Social Enterprise Partnership (NESEP)
Thematic project area: Scaling-up & Procurement
Region: North East
The Developing Social Enterprises project is being managed by NESEP and bases its learning on opportunities for developing and growing social enterprises. There has been no further update since the last newsletter. For more information please contact Karen Wood, CEO of the North East Social Enterprise Partnership . The Social Enterprise Knowledge Exchange 
The Social Enterprise Knowledge Exchange (SEKE) is an important part of SEC’s National Knowledge Management Programme. Formed in 2008, it is a community of practice where the CEOs of the regional social enterprise networks meet on a quarterly basis to share information, expertise and good practice from their regions and projects. If you have any points that you’d like the SEKE group to discuss, please contact your regional social enterprise network.  Investing in Social Enterprise Expansion (I-SEE) Programme: Project Updates SOCIAL FRANCHISING SUPPORT - delivered by the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC)
Thematic project area: Scaling-up 
The first stage of the Social Franchising project is now nearly complete following on from the Growing social enterprise: research into social replication report, published in January 2011. This report from the Social Enterprise Coalition looks to answer the question: how can social enterprises successfully replicate their organisations? At the start of April there will be a number of practical resources made available on SEC’s website covering further information, case studies, articles and think pieces on the social franchising debate and organisations who have insightful experiences to share of their journey. We will be looking at the different forms of replication, provide some basic definitions, look at why and when you should be franchising, backed up with some tools to explore further and key elements of a franchise. Planning is underway for the second phase of the project taking into account the recommendations from the social replication report, and the evaluation of the recent ‘scaling to success’ programme run with School of Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) earlier this year and recent developments in the sector. The emphasis will be on moving from theory and discussion to practice. We are also running a workshop on social franchising at Voice 11 in the Grow your Social Enterprise Zone which will include some interesting insights from Alistair Wilson of the SSE, June O’Sullivan from London Early Years Foundation who is on her franchising journey, as well Dr Lidija Mavra from SEC. The session will focus on motivation for growth, when social franchising is the right option, how to find appropriate partners, what the critical factors for success are and some common pitfalls to avoid. There will be a chance to network at the end of the session and if you have thoughts for the next phase of the project, you can talk to Craig Carey from SEC on the day. For more information please contact Craig Carey, Projects Manager, Social Enterprise Coalition
EXPANSION OF THE SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS - delivered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE)
Thematic project area: Scaling-up 
Having now opened 3 schools in Hampshire, Yorkshire and Suffolk since the project began, SSE are now able to support social entrepreneurs in these areas that otherwise would have not been supported by schools. SSE launched its 10th school, SSE Suffolk based in Ipswich, in January 2011. The school has recruited heavily for students and has started its first programme delivery with 20 students. SSE has continued working to identify potential partners, and is in particular looking in the South East and North East. For more information please contact Ian Baker, School for Social Entrepreneurs.
STRENGTHENING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE RETAIL SKILLS IN RURAL AREAS - delivered by the Plunkett Foundation
Thematic project area: Business Development 
In January, Plunkett publised the 'Community Shops; A better form of Business’ report, based predominantly on the findings of its community retail reviews. The report has been widely circulated and well received being quoted on BBC's Countryfile, in the Co-operative Newsletter, and by the Rural Service Network and others. The dissemination of the Community Shop report has enabled established shops to benchmark their own development against the average performance of the community shop sector. It has also been a useful tool for new community shops setting up to help them understand the scope and potential for their enterprises. The Community Shop Network now hosts improved advice sheets and tools for community run shops, and it is hoped that more shops will contribute their own materials to this site to develop the toolkit further. For more information please contact James Alcock, Community Retail Manager, Plunkett Foundation or visit www.plunkett.uk.net
THIRD SECTOR CONSORTIA DEVELOPMENT - delivered by REalliance CIC
Thematic project area: Scaling-up & Procurement 
REalliance are currently focusing their work on partnership consortia in Cheshire and Surrey. In Surrey there are five organisations plus Surrey Reuse Network, and in Cheshire there are four organisations plus the network involved. In Cheshire, the focus has been on investigating the current tonnage being collected on the BW service including current relative re-usable/non re-usable proportions, investigating the capacity requirements of the two primary partners, and advising on and costing necessary infrastructure changes required to deliver the service across the whole area (Chester, Vale Royal, Ellesmere Port). In Surrey, additional funding was also secured for an interim manager to work to develop the Surrey Furniture Reuse Network to provide services to Surrey County Council. The interim manager has been focussing on work with the governance of the five organisations involved to ensure that there is full support for the approach they are taking. For more information please contact Emma Hallett, Programme Manager, REalliance CIC.
REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE TRAINING AND SUPPORT (SETAS) WEBSITE - delivered by Coin Street Community Builders
Thematic project area: Knowledge Management
 
The major project activity of this project has been the marketing of the SETAS website. Coin Street are working to ensure that those looking for and promoting support services within the social enterprise sector are aware of SETAS and actively involved with it, and a marketing plan and stakeholder plan have now been formalised. This has been led to increased outreach work, attendance at events and discussion with relevant networks and organisations, and promotional activities. Marketing materials have been produced to support this work, specifically leaflets and a banner for exhibition and event purposes. For further information please contact Harjinder Nijjar, Training & Business Advisor, Coin Street Community Builders or visit the SETAS site.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR NHS RIGHT TO REQUESTERS - delivered by the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC)
Thematic project area: Business Development
The Emerging Leaders Development Programme (developed by the Social Enterprise Coalition and delivered by Real Partners CIC) got under way on the 17th March at the Buszy, a social enterprise venue in central Milton Keynes. This was Day One out of six sessions on the programme spread out over the next two months. In the 20 strong delegate group, there was a varied selection of social enterprises from different sectors, sizes, as well as length of time on their social enterprise adventure – all able to give valuable insights to the world of leading an organisation. The day started off with a talk by Peter Holbrook, CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition, who discussed what leadership means for the sector and some reflection on his own time leading a social enterprise as CEO of Sunlight Development Trust in Kent. Peter was also joined by Craig Dearden-Phillips, a well known sector leader, former CEO of Speaking Up, and now of Stepping Out, who gave a very candid account of his experiences as a leader over the last 10 years, highlighting a number of the pitfalls to try and avoid. The rest of the day was devoted to exploring themes around developing and understanding yourself as a leader, a crucial step on the leadership journey before you can consider effective partnering and collaborative working, before moving onto building an sustainable and viable organisation. The second session on 28th March sees a visit to the Healthy Hub CIC in Lincoln to explore this business model and the work they do with their local community. There will be updates on the progress of this programme over the coming weeks and the Senior Leadership programme will start in September this year, with more details to follow in May. Real Partners CIC will be running a Leadership workshop in the Grow your Social Enterprise Zone at Voice 11 and will be joined by Karen Lowthrop CEO of Hill Holt Wood, and Richard Jacobs, an advisor who has trained over 100,000 people in the voluntary, public and private sectors. For more information please contact Craig Carey, Projects Manager, Social Enterprise Coalition, or email leadership@socialenterprise.org.uk
Roll-out of the Micro Coaches Programme - delivered by Social Enterprise East of England (SEEE)
Thematic project area: Peer Support
Programme Managers and Trainer guides have now been produced, with a Micro Coaches helpline for enquiries in place. The web site has been completed, and the online resources for the programme have also been to include a national focus - www.microcoaches.co.uk. The site enables a user to access information about Micro Coaches, the benefits of Micro Coaches and register either to become a Micro Coach or search for a Micro Coach. All Regional training programmes have now been completed, with the West Midlands training being the last to be completed in January 2011. Licensees and agreements have been set up with all regional organisations, and each region now has the tools to identify and recruit their own Micro Coaches. Marketing material and website will enable the regions to build and grow their regional Micro Coaches; the programme delivery manuals together with the training have achieved the target for the national role out of Micro Coaches. For more information please contact Michele Rigby, CEO, Social Enterprise East of England, or visit www.microcoaches.co.uk
New Programme Case Studies 
SELLING ADDED VALUE: training on Social Return on Investment (SROI) for social enterprises SEASON: Supporting Social Enterprise Advisors in the South East SOCIAL ENTERPRISE EAST MIDLANDS: Multiplying Social Change Project
Knowledge Management The Capacitybuilders funded National Knowledge Management Programme came to a close this month, marking the end of this three year programme. The final SEC review of the nine regional National Learning Projects (NLPs), including the project challenges, insights and key learning summaries, can be found here. Business Support Knowledge Cards have also be produced, to define and explain a number of key Business Support areas, summarising the challenges and insights from the NLPS, and detailing where to find more information: We have also completed the final Knowledge Management Tool: the Information Asset Register. Through working with TFPL, we have produced a number of tool templates you can now download and adapt as required for use in your organisation. The Information Asset Register is a process which helps organisations to organise the many pieces of information they hold which are important to business, by organising individual information assets; categorising them together in groups, making them easier to access, use and maintain. The Information Asset Register template can be found here.
Resources Big Lottery Capacitybuilders Capacitybuilders Improving Support website SETAS website Business Link
Additional events taking place in your region: London North East South East Yorkshire and Humber North West East Midlands South West West Midlands aaaa | 
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