Will ‘for-profit’ firms change social enterprise for better or worse? The Mile-High-City of Denver, Colorado has a rarified atmosphere and a reputation for doing things differently. Originally a mining outpost during the Colorado Gold Rush, it has always attracted pioneers, including social entrepreneurs. Denver’s SAME (So That All May Eat) Cafe with its ‘pay-what-you-can’ policy […]
Creative Industries fuelling Social Enterprise
Mt Auburn Associates were commissioned to do an evaluation of the cultural economy of Louisiana. A fantastic job, looking at a place with a strong culture, sense of place, and minority language, but a job that brought all sorts of challenges regarding definitions. The company came up with the following definition of the creative economy: “The people, […]
First nations group establish the first Social Enterprise in Canada!
A short history of Social Enterprise in Canada’s Rural & Aboriginal Communities by David LePage, Chair, Social Enterprise Council of Canada Most histories of North America and Canada begin when the Europeans landed and immigrated in the 16th through 19th centuries. But the Indigenous communities lived across the continent for many centuries prior to then. […]
Struggling with pricing your services?
In Scotland, Third Sector organisations predominantly trade in services, rather than products and this creates challenges for many who do not apply an adequate costing system to their services. If we do not know the full cost of our services how can we possibly set a price for them? A robust costing system does not […]
Are you in information heaven or hell? [Market research courses for Third Sector]
From primary to secondary, population to preferences or qualitative to quantitative; the thought of undertaking market research can be overwhelming. However, the benefits to providing a good grounding for business planning are well documented. Market research is a key component in ensuring your organisation is headed in the right direction and vital to the success […]
Twitter versus Facebook – Part 3
Is Facebook right for my Social Enterprise? In our series “Is Social Media relevant to Social Enterprise?” we turn our attention to Facebook to discuss where it develops brand awareness and improves income streams. What can Facebook do for me? Facebook now claims 1.35 billion active monthly users, fractionally under the population of China (1.37 billion), […]
Remaining ahead of the game [tender writing support]
So your contact at the Council phoned you 6 months ago and told you that the service your social enterprise has been delivering for the last 5 years through service level agreement is going to be competitively tendered. “Ok” you thought “nothing will change for a few months, I’ve got plenty of time and anyway […]
3 easy ways to build your social enterprise
Traditional marketing is increasingly ineffective Marketing can be intrusive: TV adverts when you’re watching your favourite game show, cold-calls from kitchen and PPI sales staff; and spurious hard copy mail when you’ve been working on your green credentials. Time is precious. People ruthlessly block interruptions through Caller ID; employ gatekeepers at work, and develop an […]
Market research: Where to begin?!
Tony leaned back in the Committee Room chair and dunked a Rich Tea biscuit in his tea. According to research*, he’d have at least 20 seconds before it crumbled. Enough time for a deep sigh but not to ponder his problem. Or should that be “opportunity.” The Borough Council had been in touch to offer […]
Strengthening relationships [Social impact and Housing Associations in Scotland]
I’m a lodger in the social enterprise sector at the moment, and it’s interesting to observe how similar it is to the housing sector. There is room for different views on the best or the right way to achieve our aims and it’s quite a small world when you get to know it. Best of […]