Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Monday, 12 April 2010
Labour election manifesto: Commitments to social enterprise
Included in Labour's general election manifesto, which was launched today, is a small section on social enterprise. These are the party's commitments:
What do you think of the plans?
- The Social Investment Bank will make additional capital available to social enterprises with an initial endowment of £75 million funded by dormant accounts alongside existing funding streams.
- Promote the creation of more social enterprise hubs in every community – helping more to get off the ground.
- Extend the right of public-sector workers to request that they deliver frontline services through a social enterprise. Public-sector workers in the NHS currently enjoy this right.
- More local organisations run on cooperative principles with an expansion of Community Interest Companies and third sector mutual organisations that reinvest profits for the public good.
- British Waterways will be turned into a mutually owned co-operative
- Promote the use of community shares that support investment in football clubs, pubs, renewable energy and shops.
- A National Youth Community Service, with the goal that all young people contribute at least 50 hours to their communities by the age of 19
What do you think of the plans?
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Twestival: A lesson in real-time and transparent fundraising
Anyone with an interest in charities and social media is likely to be aware of Twestival. Something that started in 2008 as one tweet and a small gathering in London has grown into a worldwide phenomenon which I'm delighted to be part of. I'm organising the Bristol Twestival, one of more than 175 parties due to take place around the world on 25 March. We're all raising money for one cause; Concern Worldwide, which uses education to help the world's most marginalised and poorest children.
I wrote last year how Twitter and other social media tools are changing the way charities fundraise by putting greater power into the hands of supporters. Well, this year Twestival has gone one step further.
Twestival parties haven't even taken place yet but in a secton on the global blog supporters can access details of exactly how much money has been raised and exactly where that money will be spent - in real time.
Too often charitable fundraising lacks this kind of transparency and interactivity but given where the Twestival idea was born it was inevitable that it would be good at it!
Charities - and indeed social enterprises - have a lot to learn. The social media generation craves information. They don't want to wait until an annual report is published many months after a charitable event has taken place to find out where their money has been spent; they want to know now.
Equipping supporters with the kind of information Twestival is providing - even before the event has even actually taken place - not only pleases though converted to the cause but creates cause champions which is turn attracts new backers.
So whatever your cause, think real-time!
I wrote last year how Twitter and other social media tools are changing the way charities fundraise by putting greater power into the hands of supporters. Well, this year Twestival has gone one step further.
Twestival parties haven't even taken place yet but in a secton on the global blog supporters can access details of exactly how much money has been raised and exactly where that money will be spent - in real time.
Too often charitable fundraising lacks this kind of transparency and interactivity but given where the Twestival idea was born it was inevitable that it would be good at it!
Charities - and indeed social enterprises - have a lot to learn. The social media generation craves information. They don't want to wait until an annual report is published many months after a charitable event has taken place to find out where their money has been spent; they want to know now.
Equipping supporters with the kind of information Twestival is providing - even before the event has even actually taken place - not only pleases though converted to the cause but creates cause champions which is turn attracts new backers.
So whatever your cause, think real-time!
Saturday, 13 February 2010
UPDATED: Is The Phone Co-op’s Social Enterprise Mark award an attempt to quell the critics?
I spotted a tweet this afternoon with a link to the announcement that The Phone Co-op has been awarded the recently launched Social Enterprise Mark. This is a high profile development given that the successful telecoms company was named social enterprise of the year by the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) in 2008 and its founder Vivian Woodell is a regular attendee and speaker at the sector’s big events.
What is intriguing however is that at Voice10, SEC’s annual conference in Cardiff, Woodell was asked whether he had applied for the Mark. He said he had but had been rejected because his co-operative didn’t fit the criteria. The comment was made during one of the workshops at Voice10, not during one of the main plenaries, but I was in the room when he said it.
The Social Enterprise Mark’s blog post makes reference to the “concern” over The Phone Co-op being rejected but does not say whether the criteria has been adapted or whether Vivian was mistaken when he made his comment in Cardiff.
Since its high profile launch at Voice10, the Mark has been met with some criticism from social entrepreneurs and other interested parties. Most have focused on Clause E of the criteria which calls for at least 50% of profits to be committed to a social or environmental cause. Those running co-ops have also expressed
concern that they are excluded.
The cynic in me would say that today’s development is a publicity stunt and an attempt to quell the doubters but at the moment I can’t confirm that. What is clear though is that the Mark does not yet have the support of the entire social enterprise sector and issues such as this won’t help.
I will do some digging and see what I can find out but in the meantime I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
UPDATED (16/02/10)
Yesterday, the following quote from Vivian Woodell was published on the Social Enterprise Mark blog in response to my post above:
“It is absolutely clear that we were not rejected at any stage, and I never said that we were. What I said was that when we read the criteria initially, it looked as if we (along with other co-ops) might not qualify, because of what appeared to be rather rigid rules about profit distribution. They did not change their rules to accommodate us, and what Lucy Findlay said is correct – the application was still in process when I spoke at Voice. We heard that we had been awarded the Mark soon afterwards.”
Fair enough. However, my confusion does perhaps reflect the general confusion about how the rules apply. Woodell thought the criteria ruled him out but it turns out it doesn't. Why?
What is intriguing however is that at Voice10, SEC’s annual conference in Cardiff, Woodell was asked whether he had applied for the Mark. He said he had but had been rejected because his co-operative didn’t fit the criteria. The comment was made during one of the workshops at Voice10, not during one of the main plenaries, but I was in the room when he said it.
The Social Enterprise Mark’s blog post makes reference to the “concern” over The Phone Co-op being rejected but does not say whether the criteria has been adapted or whether Vivian was mistaken when he made his comment in Cardiff.
Since its high profile launch at Voice10, the Mark has been met with some criticism from social entrepreneurs and other interested parties. Most have focused on Clause E of the criteria which calls for at least 50% of profits to be committed to a social or environmental cause. Those running co-ops have also expressed
concern that they are excluded.
The cynic in me would say that today’s development is a publicity stunt and an attempt to quell the doubters but at the moment I can’t confirm that. What is clear though is that the Mark does not yet have the support of the entire social enterprise sector and issues such as this won’t help.
I will do some digging and see what I can find out but in the meantime I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
UPDATED (16/02/10)
Yesterday, the following quote from Vivian Woodell was published on the Social Enterprise Mark blog in response to my post above:
“It is absolutely clear that we were not rejected at any stage, and I never said that we were. What I said was that when we read the criteria initially, it looked as if we (along with other co-ops) might not qualify, because of what appeared to be rather rigid rules about profit distribution. They did not change their rules to accommodate us, and what Lucy Findlay said is correct – the application was still in process when I spoke at Voice. We heard that we had been awarded the Mark soon afterwards.”
Fair enough. However, my confusion does perhaps reflect the general confusion about how the rules apply. Woodell thought the criteria ruled him out but it turns out it doesn't. Why?
Friday, 5 February 2010
Poll: Does your social enterprise qualify for the Social Enterprise Mark?
The long awaited Social Enterprise Mark was launched at the Social Enterprise Coalition's Voice10 on Monday evening with indoor fireworks and spectacular circus performances.
After a trial in the South West, the team behind the Mark claim it is a watershed moment for the UK social enterprise sector but does your organisation qualify?
Bloggers like Rob Greenland have expressed concern about the Mark as have some social enterpreneurs on Twitter:
After a trial in the South West, the team behind the Mark claim it is a watershed moment for the UK social enterprise sector but does your organisation qualify?
Many social entrepreneurs have criticised the application criteria for excluding some businesses whose owners consider them to be social enterprises. Much of the criticism focuses on the fact that to be awarded the Mark organisations must put at least 50% of profits into a social or environmental cause.
Bloggers like Rob Greenland have expressed concern about the Mark as have some social enterpreneurs on Twitter:
What do you think? Do you qualify for the Mark according to the criteria? Take part in the quick poll below. I'd also be interested to hear why you think you do or don't qualify.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Live video and blog: Voice10, the Social Enterprise Coalition's annual conference
Live video: Voice10 day two
Live blog:
Video replay: Day one of Voice10
Live blog:
Video replay: Day one of Voice10
Friday, 29 January 2010
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