Cec Richards

For the third module in the Funders In Good Social Venture Academy, I will be sharing some key tools and experiences on how to scale up the impact of a venture. ⚖ ☝ I believe the charity sector has much to benefit from a product development approach to delivery. With the support of Shabeer Sheffa, we will use tools like user journeys, user profiles and other methodologies to answer the questions central increasing the breadth of impact including: - How can we generate more impact with the same resources? 📈 - What enhancements can we make to our service offering? 🔥 - How do we develop a filter for new opportunities? ↗ ↙ - How do we grow our team so we have the right mix of skills and experience? 👷‍♀️ We'll follow up the workshop with a 1:1 consultation for each venture leader. To learn more about the Social Venture Academy, please check out our website: https://lnkd.in/eWzjN9N4 Deadline for applications is midnight this Sunday (21st). ⌛

40

2 Comments

Why Is the VCSE sector key to optimising Social Value? As CEO of Social Value UK, I witness the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector's crucial role in driving meaningful change on a daily basis. Organisations like whatimpact.com, led by Tiia Sammallahti, and an organisational member of Social Value UK, illustrate this in the work that they do, connecting the VCSE sector with the private sector to optimise social value in a meaningful way via: Community Connection - VCSE organisations, deeply embedded in their communities, understand local challenges and design effective, tailored solutions. Innovation and Flexibility - Without large organisational constraints, VCSE entities innovate and adapt quickly, optimising their impact. Collaborative Partnerships - Collaboration within the VCSE sector amplifies social value, leveraging resources and expertise efficiently. Holistic Approach - Addressing social issues holistically, VCSE organisations create substantial and sustainable social value. Trust and Accountability - With transparency and accountability, VCSE organisations build community trust, enhancing engagement and support. Advocacy - VCSE organisations ensure inclusive, equitable social value creation by advocating for the marginalised. What are your thoughts on the role of the VCSE sector in optimising social value? How have you seen VCSE organisations make a difference in your community? #SocialValue #VCSE #CommunityImpact #SocialValueUK #Innovation #Collaboration #Equity #SocialGood

21

10 Comments

Charities and Government Excellent Research from Pro Bono Economics who have published a very useful free resource for charities https://lnkd.in/e_a8ybFN . This says "The 2024 General Election brought 335 new MPs into the House of Commons. For the many charities that seek to influence parliamentarians, this creates a significant challenge. That’s 335 new MPs to research and sift through to try and understand if they might be inclined to support a charity’s cause. "Many small charities cannot afford parliamentary monitoring systems or expensive agencies to do that sifting for them. If hundreds of organisations all undertake the same research into those MPs’ backgrounds, it means massive amounts of duplication and wasted time for already time-starved organisations. Also see https://lnkd.in/ebSvCG_Y which explains that "Experience in the charity sector has accelerated the most dramatically of all with this new Cabinet. #Starmer has appointed eight #Cabinet members who have previously worked within the charity sector. That is a quadrupling of charity experience at the top of government." CFG : Charity Finance Group Charity News Association of Charitable Foundations Association of Chairs The Resource Alliance Charity Excellence - a FREE one-stop-shop for everything a non-profit needs.

15

3 Comments

Whatever your sector, if you work with young people your insights can help power our work to drive strengthened collaboration. Let us know what you think 💭💡

11

Today is Black Leaders Awareness Day! A day to celebrate the incredible contribution of Black leaders in business and to commit to dismantling barriers to progress for emerging Black leaders in business. Last week at the Empower launch event we were lucky enough to hear from three of this year’s Black Empower Role Models Tom Shropshire, Afua Kyei and Jo Ogunleye. They shared their personal stories with a room full of business leaders and advocates and their practical tips for driving inclusion for people of colour in business. I’m so grateful for leaders like Tom, Afua and Jo and want to use this day to give them a shoutout for being amazing business leaders and paving the way forward for others too! Some wisdom that they shared last week include: Tom: “Leadership is a choice.” Which is so important, as is choosing the way you lead. Are you inclusive in your leadership? Afua discussed the importance of self-belief in sustaining success and how believing strongly in her own capabilities and passion was crucial to her career progress. Jo expressed her commitment to visibility for members of her own community. Leveraging the platform and influence she has earned in her career to send the elevator back down for others. Black employees in business still face systemic barriers when it comes to attaining success in business. Allies, it’s vital that you use your platform and influence to enable Black employees to succeed. Some things that you can do: Sponsorship. Sponsorship is an effective intervention for advancing Black talent, but according to research by McKinsey, only 5% of up-and-coming Black employees succeed in winning sponsorship. Allies – promote equity in business my sponsoring your organisation’s emerging Black future leaders. Eradicate biases Do you know what your biases are and are you actively correcting these so that they don’t hold Black employees back? Whether it’s affinity bias or harmful stereotyping leaders must be questioning, unlearning and eradicating biases that hold Black leaders back. Education Are you clued up on the barriers that Black employees can face? Educate your organisation’s allies through trainings and workshops so that they build a base knowledge on the histories, local contexts and challenges Black communities can face to strength allyship within your workplace. What would you add? Leave your tips in the comments! If you’re not sure where to start, our teams at The Black British Business Awards, TNON - The Network of Networks, INvolve - The Inclusion People and Audeliss can enable your organisation to become a place where with Black leaders can thrive. 🖤 #BlackLeadersAwarenessDay #Black #race #ethnicity #inclusion

116

8 Comments

FareShare UK has launched our pre election Manifesto shaped by business, third sector and academics. The outcome is for a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable UK but also promises tangible benefits. If implemented, it would significantly reduce food waste, support communities in need, and foster a more sustainable food system.  The manifesto has been shaped by business, third sector and academics. https://lnkd.in/euTJ_eWC

32

3 Comments

👋 Hello funders in my network! This post is for you. Last week we launched the 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report, which had 635 responses.I want to share a few highlights from what charities told us about inclusion and digital funding. - 41% of black led charities are struggling to find funding for digital projects. We were concerned to see that it is almost  twice as hard for this group to find digital funding compared to our main sample (21%). - 87%  of d/Deaf disabled led charities:see digital as a top organisational priority, but are struggling with squeezed finances (72%) and need funding for capacity (62%) - 51% of neurodivergent led charities are overwhelmingly small and yet are much further ahead with digital in comparison to other small charities. Funding for digital costs and capacity would enable this group to expand and develop more digital services. Overall, what did charities say they want most from funders right now? Time. Three quarters of charities (73%)  need funding to create capacity and time to work on organisational development and digital strategy. With the cost of living crisis squeezing most charities’ digital progress they need space to think, and plan. We know there are funders who are working on developing a more inclusive approach.We also know there are funders who are considering how they can better support charities through the cost of living crisis. Our report contains additional data on inclusion and the digital support and funding needs of charities, including those led by specific marginalised groups. We'd love to talk to you about this. Thanks to Catalyst Network's support, Nissa R. (my report co-author) and I have funding to offer outreach sessions to funders, where we can discuss our findings and recommendations in more detail with you. Keen to learn more? Drop me a line to arrange a briefing on the report's findings for your team. PS If you’re not a funder I would be grateful if you could share this with any funders you know. #Charities #Funding #Digital

69

8 Comments