Could we be more social enterprising? 5 questions to ask yourself. 

The idea of becoming entrepreneurial as well as charitable is something that some of our member organisations are already thinking about, rather than this being an uncomfortable pairing- let’s look at it more as a cheese and wine type of union- where we sip a few wines and taste a few cheeses (of course enjoying the experience along the way) to help us to become more informed about what works. 

When we ran the good-to-know session’ Unlocking the potential of social enterprise’ Deb Lee, CEO of Home – Social Enterprise East of England % (seee.co.uk) gave us a informative and inspiring overview of the social enterprise ‘movement’, demonstrating how this sits between traditional charity and business models and numerous examples of how this happens. 

We also heard about how forthcoming courses run by Home | Allia Org on starting your own business and grow your own business   Start Your Business – to help you get started and bring your impact idea to life  Grow Your Business – to help existing organisations on their growth journey. 

Some of our member organisations have already done these courses finding them useful to make that bridge between a charity mindset and an enterprise one. Networking with different organisations and accessing business coaching has also been invaluable. The next courses are due to start in late January, so sign up quickly, sessions are 2 hours per week and are hybrid, sign up as an individual or an organisation. 

5 Questions to ask to explore social enterprise potential? 

  1. What do we do that could be ‘sold’? For example, you may have expert knowledge and experience built up from supporting specific issues that transcend income levels, where people outside your normal target will pay for your knowledge and services. 
  2. What does your governing document allow you to do? What sort of structure would you need to be more enterprising, can you do it within your existing structure? 
  3. Are you a part of a group/community with a potential skill/service they could provide to another organisation, such as a cleaning service to a local housing provider? 
  4. If you are part of a place-based community, what is the potential for collectively running a community hall, shop or service? 
  5. Do you work with people who are not employed but with support could benefit from being employed, for example, running a café?