As a social enterprise, we generated 57% of our income from consultancy contracts last year. Clients range from small community groups of just one staff member, through medium sized enterprises and charities to large housing associations and statutory bodies.
The focus of our work is wide, from retail development to educational programmes and we have delivered this through a range of interventions, from research and product development to mentoring, training and business advice. We have delivered reports, feasibility studies and business plans in support of our work.
We offer a professional and empowering service tailored to clients needs which draws on our experience and knowledge of;
- business planning
- developing sustainable income streams
- organisational development and improvement
- feasibility studies
- training
- facilitation
- social impact measurement
Business planning
Our methodology for business planning aims to ensure that clients use the right type of plan and process to meet their needs and audience.
We can help you to pull the material together to write a plan or to establish and facilitate a process to involve staff members, board members and key stakeholders in the planning process to ensure that the resulting plan is a relevant, living document that supports the development and growth of the organisation.
Supporting voluntary organisations to generate income
We can provide mentoring support to help clients to use a number of tools to develop and market new products and services, research the market, calculate costs and price, understand capacity issues and set it out in a marketing plan. We encourage organisations to focus on the cultural and systems changes that starting to trade may require.
Example; Sustainable Business Development Project
We also carry out market research for clients as part of feasibility studies as described below.
Organisational development and improvement
Social Enterprise Works has accumulated significant experience of assessing performance and strategic options and developing action plans with groups of staff members/directors/trustees and volunteers.
We possess simple tools to review and improve strategy and performance. We use and promote an approach to continuous performance improvement using self-assessment and benchmarking tools.
Example; Developing performance improvement tools
Feasibility studies
We employ our knowledge of marketing products and services and good practice within social enterprise management to conduct feasibility studies into new projects and developments, proposed enterprise ideas and specific product development ideas. Clients include, social enterprises, housing associations and local authorities.
Example - Broadmead Employment and Enterprise Scheme (BEES)
Social Enterprise Development for National College
Research on Procurement and Commissioning
Facilitation
We offer strong and sensitive facilitation of performance and strategic reviews, partnership, merger and collaboration discussions and action planning sessions for a range of social enterprise clients and partnerships.
Training in action learning set facilitation, group process and techniques of participation have allowed staff to develop finely tuned facilitation skills and confidence and ability to provide a challenging yet safe environment to achieve consensus on plans for organisational development, even in conflictive environments.
Example; Volunteering Bristol Strategy Plan
Training
We have developed extensive training experience on a range of subjects and employ a dynamic, inclusive and experiential approaches to training.
Examples; Social Enterprise Works past training
Social Impact measurement
We consider that every social enterprise needs to measure its social impact. Whilst understanding impact improves staff and member confidence and satisfaction, the ability to demonstrate impact to existing and potential stakeholders boosts communication and helps to secure support and funding. We support clients to use a range of tools to demonstrate impact and embed this into organisational development. Tools include Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Local Multiplier 3 (LM3).
Example: Social Return on Investment contracts
