Ordered List

Tuesday 29 September 2009

This is more for social enterprises and charities that are raising funds in order to continue to operate and/or grow rather than for startups.

The trick is to do these in parallel. Start your research and network to build relationships with potential funders, while simultaneously putting the platforms in place. This means that by the time you've built your relationships with the people interested in your work, you've also got all your messaging sorted out and ready to go.

Strategic Fundraising

Additional notes:
  • Networking = emails and conversations (phone and face-to-face meetings)
  • Recognition = not just for brand but also methodology in terms of getting accepted as experts in the type of work being done
  • Shareability = having the technical ability to share your content in social media, as well as creating and chunking it so that it is valuable and motivates people to pass it on.

Tuesday 22 September 2009

I put together the following presentation for the UnLtd Network Plus training and networking day for the social entrepreneurs they fund. It provides an overview of all the different elements of managing projects. I've kept it a very high level with just one or two key points to remember for each area. If you want the notes for each slide, either view it on the slideshare.net website or download it and view it on your computer.

I hope you find it useful. Feel free to comment with feedback or questions below.


Saturday 12 September 2009

Here's a quick snapshot of how brand awareness impacts the different audiences for Social Enterprises, NGOs and Non-Profits.


If you ever wondered why your organisation should be devoting time to building mass recognition, this should clue you in.


Why Brand Awareness Matters for Social Enterprises


* HNWI = High Net-Worth Individuals (Philanthropists, Investors)

Monday 7 September 2009


Having problems loading? View this presentation on Slideshare

Here's the jist of it...

A brand is what your audience feels , thinks , and remembers about your enterprise.

Brand used to be ‘ offline ’ and ‘ online ’ Now it is seamless , and primarily driven by how you are perceived via the web.

And now that organisations can create their own profiles , brands can effectively function as ‘ people ’ i.e. In the interactive web 2.0 world, your brand has a personality.

So… Brand used to just be about image, but now its about image AND personality!

Before the web, niche brands could only engage niche audiences. They relied on costly traditional PR and push marketing, which meant that their audiences were tiny and their budgets high. Now niche brands can engage mass audiences at low cost.

Social organisations sit in a niche that typically does not sell product. They are competing for attention. And when you're competing for attention, your competition is everything. You have to stand out to be noticed.

A strong brand is a core factor in being noticed, and therefore heard, which is why it critical for social organisations to get their branding right.

Thursday 3 September 2009

On 12:19 by RT in ,
(This post was written by Imtiaz Kaderbhoy - a friend and ex-colleague of mine, who does a lot of pro-bono work with social enterprises and charities in an advisory capacity.)

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Tim Cornah last week, whose latest social project, a community interest company called “Third Way” generates funds and provides accommodation for a rural youth project called PYC youth services and is based in Parbold, Wigan. PYC youth services is aimed at empowering young people to improve their communities through entrepreneurship and partnerships. Whilst speaking with Tim at length about PYC youth services, Tim explained his key criteria to ensure success with social enterprises.

Success Criteria





Discover the Need
  • There are groups of people in need everywhere
  • Identify who they are and what they need
  • Tim discovered a masked social need in what initially looked like a wealthy rural village called Parbold, and through identifying the opportunity, is developing a compelling social proposition that can be packaged and replicated.
  • Rural communities generally hide their social needs quite well as many are “dormitory villages” with the highest earners merely using them as “lodgings” at the expense of the locals.
Simplicity
  • Don’t overcomplicate the idea
  • Deliver what is required
  • The benefits will flow
  • Then expand and grow if required
  • Lead project is the development of a community centre to address a specific community need

Financial Sustainability

  • It is very important to establish an independent revenue stream as early as possible Sponsors, partners, and fundraising activities will be more successful as a result
  • Third Way are building a fair trade coffee shop to support PYC. The idea is simple, and will provide a constant revenue stream.
  • They want to branch into training as soon as possible and link into real employment or create businesses for their trainees.
Ownership
  • Your target audience should own the project, not the founder, the board or the consultants
  • They should be involved from day 1
  • And given real responsibilities in all areas including budgets, strategy, decision making, and management.
  • Coach and mentor individuals to enable them to achieve their passions
  • PYC has given young adults real responsibilities of a facility that provides employment, training and generates finance to help others
Opportunity
  • Provide lifetime support value
  • Offer real opportunity once the individual has benefited and maximised their opportunity from the project
  • This level of engagement will prove to become a key component for long term survival and success
  • PYC will be providing real hope and opportunity for young adults in the public and private sector
Repeatability/Scalability
  • Ensure the project can be scaled, adding products and services will aid success
  • Ensure the project can be repeated, this will enable more groups/people to benefit.
  • Once Third Way and PYC have successfully launched and run this project, the concept should be scalable to include new opportunities and repeatable to launch similar projects across the UK.