Fw: Social Enterprise Business Support Update: Issue 6: May 2011

my buzz & my blog "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington Carver What is Social Entrepreneurship? Statement of Faith You can find other "Market with Meaning" but you definitely want to see "Profit with Purpose". I personally "Believe in Kingdom Transformation" because I know there is only ONE "Life for Significant". my facebook  &  my twitter  &  my linkedin --- 2011年5月26日 星期四，Social Enterprise Coalition <newsletter@socialenterprise.org.uk> 寫道﹕ 寄件人: Social Enterprise Coalition <newsletter@socialenterprise.org.uk> 主題: Social Enterprise Business Support Update: Issue 6: May 2011 收件人: "Social Enterprise Coalition" <newsletter@socialenterprise.org.uk> 日期: 2011年5月26日,星期四,下午8:06   The Social Enterprise Business Support Update Issue 6: May 2011 Inside this issue Welcome Latest Developments: The Business Support Landscape The Social Franchising Manual Social Enterprise Leadership Development Programme SEC latest publications Business Support provider profile Social enterprise models in the children and young people's sector Training and development opportunities Resources Welcome  Welcome to the sixth issue of the Social Enterprise Business Support Programme Newsletter. We are pleased to be sending you the first of our regular updates – shorter than the quarterly newsletters, these updates will cover the latest news in the Business Support landscape, highlights of what the SEC team and partners have been up to, as well as upcoming events, publications, and other news on the horizon. May marks the end of the first Social Enterprise Emerging Leaders programme, and work is now underway on the second programme, this time for Senior Leaders. More information on the course and how to apply can be found below. Thank you for the feedback on our Business Support newsletter. We hope you find these updates practical and informative. - The Social Enterprise Business Support Team Latest Developments: The Business Support Landscape       Big Society Bank ‘welcomed but mainstream investment still needed’ Big Society Bank a start, but capital available minimal Social enterprise leaders must be involved in governance of Bank Earlier this month, the government endorsed outline proposals for the development of the Big Society Bank, which will eventually be capitalised with an estimated £400million from unclaimed assets in dormant bank accounts and £200million from the UK’s four largest banks. The Big Society Bank will act as a wholesale investor. It will put capital into intermediaries so that they are able to invest in frontline social enterprises. It will not give grants.  The Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, Peter Holbrook, responded to the news by commenting: “We’re another step closer to having a fully operational Bank that will help grow the social investment market.  The capital available will be minimal, but it’s a start and the Bank has lots of potential to benefit communities. It is vital that social enterprise leaders and advisors are involved in the governance of this Bank.  Their expertise is crucial to its long-term success.  It needs to be a permanent fixture on the UK’s financial landscape and a shining beacon to other countries to show what can be done.” But only with mainstream investment will social enterprise have a noticeable effect in the UK, tackling social and environmental problems on a large scale.  Holbrook commented: “While the Big Society Bank will help, it won’t lead to social enterprise breaking new ground. For the social enterprise movement to grow and achieve change on a significant scale, we need to work hard to funnel in mainstream investment. Social enterprises are businesses that need that capital to tackle the country’s social and environmental problems. “Mainstream investors have a lot to gain from investing in social enterprise. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the knock on effects of their spending decisions, and with whom they save and invest their money.  Research shows that since the economic downturn people are seeking out businesses that do more than simply grow the balance sheets of the already wealthy. Ordinary people want their money to make a positive difference and so for mainstream investors, putting into social enterprise could be good for business.” Green Investment Bank Also in banking and finance news, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg gave more detail this week on the Green Investment Bank, announcing that investments will be made from April 2012. Possible early priorities for the Bank are offshore wind, waste, and non-domestic energy efficiency. The bank is intended to bridge the gap between venture capital and the green economy, providing the finance for low carbon infrastructure. The Deputy Prime Minister’s speech at the Climate Change Capital in London can be read here. Regional Growth Fund The second round of the Regional Growth Fund opened to bids on April 12 and will close at midday on July 1. The second round will aim to allocate around £950m – the bulk of the £1.4bn fund. The Regional Growth Fund is operating for three years between 2011 and 2014 “to encourage private sector enterprise, including social enterprise, and capacity, and in doing so create opportunities for people and places to adjust to reductions in public spending...” In particular, it will help those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector make the transition to sustainable private sector-led growth and prosperity. Find out more details about the Regional Growth Fund, submitting a bid and future road shows. The Social Franchising Manual SEC have produced The Social Franchising Manual, a how-to guide which includes a general introduction to social franchising, as well as practical tools and resources to assist social enterprises in assessing how, why, and when to franchise. The manual includes a simple readiness tool, a template franchise agreement, FAQs, further information on support and training, and six social franchising case studies. The manual is primarily aimed at potential franchisors but will be of use and relevance to a broader audience, including individuals who want to set up a franchise of an existing, successful social enterprise, and is available from the Social Enterprise Coalition’s Business Support webpages. Over the coming year more information and business support for potential franchisors and franchisees will be made available via the SEC website and in the form of practical training. SEC Emerging Leadership Programme Recognising that leadership development plays a fundamental part in the future success of the social enterprise movement, a Social Enterprise Leadership Development course has been developed by the Social Enterprise Coalition and delivered by Real Partners CIC. The course is being delivered in two parts, the first focuses on emerging social enterprise leaders, and the latter on existing senior leaders.  Social Enterprise Senior Leaders course Applications are still open for the Senior Leadership course, which will take place over five days from September to November. The dates have now been confirmed as: Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th September - Two Day Enterprise Workshop - social enterprise venue, HighPoint Conference Centre, Leicester Week commencing 3rd October - social enterprise visit (day and location to be confirmed) Thursday 3rd November - One Day Roundtable Leadership Excellence - HighPoints Conference Centre, Leicester Thurs 24th Nov - Peer-to-Peer Learning Event - social enterprise venue, The Buszy, Milton Keynes To register your interest for the course and request an application form, contact leadership@socialenterprise.org.uk. This second round of applications will close on Wednesday 15th May. Social Enterprise Emerging Leaders course The Emerging Leaders course has now finished, and below is a write-up from one of the cohort of the second social enterprise visit, used to cement learning from the Development Days: "Day Four of SEC’s Social Enterprise Emerging Leaders course saw the cohort visit Green-Works and their warehouse based near Wembley, North London.  The day started with an enlightening talk from founding CEO Colin Crooks charting the journey from ‘just a man with a van’ to having 5 franchises across the country and an established export business. To date they have diverted 40,000 tonnes away from landfill, recycling and reusing to maximize its potential value, also gaining the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2008 – Sustainable Development. For more information on Green-Works and what they do, please check out www.green-works.co.uk For existing social enterprise leaders and for those leaders setting up social enterprises on the course, Colin highlighted a number of key leadership skills required that were essential to Green-Works own development - ·       Having clear purpose/mission – and always checking back to it – works on a core mission ·       Client management – Building capability (scaling up) to meet customer need – takes risks ·       Supply Chain – knows where the value exists in his business end-to-end ·       Financials – having the big picture numbers – always know these ·       Leadership Authenticity - Brand & reputation  Focus turned to what had been learnt along the journey to building a successful business model - ·      To take risks – follow the energy, even if you do not have all the solutions or processes worked out ·      To be open and flex the business model to suit the economic/culture changes ·      It is an iterative process and don’t be afraid to change as you go along – keep moving ·       You don’t know what you don’t know – ask good questions!! On a personal note, apart from the leadership skills, I found it really useful exploring the franchise model used and how this hybrid is managed in terms of central corporate contracts. It was also good to see a social enterprise working alongside and providing quality services to the private sector. Finally and importantly, how as an organisation despite temptation you should always stick to your core values and mission."  For more on the Social Enterprise Leadership Programme, visit www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/leadership.html Social Enterprise Coalition latest publications Working with the Public Sector: Busting the Myths  This free guide seeks to support the increasing number of social enterprises moving into public services, equipping them with a sound understanding of the procurement rules, practices and processes, helping them to tackle the myths that prevent them from winning contracts. Download your copy here. The Right to Run  This practical how-to guide has been developed by the Social Enterprise Coalition for public sector staff who may be interested in setting up a mutual or social enterprise. This guide aims to support the social enterprise groups and provide practical advice to navigate this journey. This guide will be available shortly. For further details email charlotte.chung@socialenterprise.org.uk  Business support provider profile   Intentionality CIC is a social enterprise and well-being consultancy. Its social mission is to support people, projects and enterprises which were set up to improve the well-being of individuals, communities and society. As a result they like to work with audacious people, projects and enterprises – those that are working with and for the most disadvantaged, the most deprived or the most distressed – in order to help them achieve their aims. The services Intentionality offers include consultancy, mentoring, project and interim management, and social impact measurement. These services can greatly enhance service provision, increase the sustainability of finances, resources and personnel, and give greater clarity of expectations, vision and strategy. www.intentionality.co.uk Social enterprise models in the children and young people’s sector The Social Enterprise Coalition has started a new programme of work focussed on sharing and supporting best practice social enterprise models in the children and young people’s sector.  Funded by the Department for Education, SEC’s programme is part of a strategic partnership led by Children England and delivered in partnership with Community Matters, NAVCA, NCVYS, and The Race Equality Foundation. As part of this programme, SEC will be delivering business support guidance, events and surgeries for social enterprises and voluntary and community organisations serving children, young people and families.  We want to make sure this support is tailored to the needs of the sector, so we’ve put together a short survey to help us gauge where and how to focus our activities. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CDML2LV If you think your organisation could benefit from our work, we’d be really grateful if you could let us know what would be most useful to you.  We’ll also be entering the email addresses of all respondents into a draw to win a food hamper from John Lewis! For more information, please contact Ólöf Jónsdóttir at olof.jonsdottir@socialenterprise.org.uk  Training and development opportunities Big Venture Challenge The Big Venture Challenge is looking for the 25 most ambitious social entrepreneurs in England. We are looking for exceptional people with radical ideas who have got what it takes to deliver social impact at scale.  Winners of the Big Venture Challenge will each get a £25K grant and the chance to apply for an additional £150K of co-investment finance. In addition to the funding, winners also get access to an intensive programme of first class venture support, mentoring and connections designed to keep pace with the fastest growing social entrepreneurs. You can find out more about how to apply at www.bigventurechallenge.com. Full applications close on 30 June 2011.  Clore Social Leadership Programme: The Clore Social Leadership Programme is now looking for its third cohort of Fellows, who will be recruited through an open application process. To be eligible, applicants must be working in or closely with the wider social sector and will have demonstrated leadership potential in some of the work they have already undertaken. Social entrepreneurs are very welcome! Each Fellow benefits from a personalised programme which provides challenging opportunities for development, and is tailored to meet their individual needs.  For more details about how to apply, and to find out more about the current Fellows, visit: www.cloresocialleadership.org.uk. The deadline for completed applications is midday on 2 June 2011. Skills South East - Leadership & Management Funding   Through the Leadership and Management Advisory Service, owner managers and senior leaders of businesses and social enterprises with plans and potential to achieve high growth have a great opportunity to develop their leadership and management skills, with up to £1,000 in grant funding available to help you pay for the training you need to help your business grow. To find out more, visit www.skillssoutheast.co.uk Resources Big Lottery 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 Social Enterprise Coalition    Unsubscribe from this email newsletter