BUNDLE: Social entrepreneurship
Tools & Resources
Worth £60bn and comprising more than 100,000 businesses, the social enterprise sector is showing no sign of slowing down and so here's some advice and support for those who are developing businesses that use commercial methods to influence positive social change.
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What is social entrepreneurship?
UMi’s Social Entrepreneur Index has been created to celebrate and inspire the incredible individuals who invest their time, energy and passion into driving social change. But who are these social entrepreneurs? What makes the way they do business different? Here, we take a look at this growing sector and answer some of the burning questions.
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INTERVIEW: Taking the fight to event ticketing platforms
Taking on established event ticketing giants and giving away half of your revenue in the process isn’t for the faint-hearted, but Rodrigo Bautista is determined to set an example. We caught up with the Founder and CEO of Ticketpass.org, an ethical ticketing platform, at an exciting time as the company prepares for its official launch into the secondary market.
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How to set solid foundations for your purpose-led business
Beginning her journey as a social entrepreneur with a petition that garnered more than 126,500 signatures to help a family seeking asylum, Anj Handa has since become a pivotal figure in the not-for-profit sector. Here, the Founder of Inspiring Women Changemakers shares her advice on uncovering your purpose, setting your organisation up for success, and overcoming common challenges.
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Setting up as a community interest company
A community interest company (CIC) is a limited company that operates to provide a benefit to the community it serves. Since being introduced in 2005, CICs have grown in popularity and diversity, from small-scale local projects to multi-million-pound health services. CICs can deliver transformational change for their communities while also providing returns to investors. In this article, we discuss the benefits of setting up a CIC, some of the regulatory benchmarks that must be met and what further support is available.
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PODCAST: Heidi Fisher on building a world run by social entreprenuers
Heidi Fisher is an award-winning social enterprise consultant, public speaker, author and change advocate who wants to build a world run by social entrepreneurs. She began her career in accounting and finance working at multinational professional services firm, PwC, but soon realised that she wanted to strike out on her own and set up a purpose-led business. Over the last 20 years, Heidi has helped over 2100 social enterprises, CICs and charities through her business, Make an Impact CIC, and in 2020, she was awarded an MBE for Services to Innovation in Impact Measurement & Social Enterprise. In this podcast, we speak to the author of ‘Impact First: The Social Entrepreneur’s Guide to Measuring, Managing and Growing your Impact’ to find out exactly what it takes to start and run a purpose-led business.
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Investing in impact to deliver a new economy
Funding and investment are foundational to any business and the same is true for social enterprises. Whether you’re trying to turn the clock back on climate change, support vulnerable communities or revolutionise the education system, you need money to make the changes you want to see. Impact investment is an important source of funding for purpose-led businesses and here, Duncan Thorp, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Social Enterprise Scotland, explains how social enterprises can attract it.
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Developing and communicating your social enterprise brand
As a social entrepreneur, you are driven to make a positive difference, but how do you get your vision out there so that you can impact those who need it most? Here, we ask Executive Leadership Coach and Consultant Louise Graham, and creative communications specialist and Founder of O.agency Kari Owers, to share their own knowledge and experience when it comes to building strong foundations for compelling communications.
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WATCH: Social Entrepreneur Index 2022 - Inspiration Sessions
The Social Entrepreneur Index 2022 launched at an online event with inspiring talks, networking, and lively Q&A sessions. In this article, we've rounded up the day’s sessions from those involved in the index as they share invaluable tips and personal journeys into social entrepreneurship including Anj Handu who talked about how to start a social enterprise, Rhea Fotana who discussed attracting investment for your purpose led business and Sara Osterholzer who give hints and tips about managing your mental health.
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Award-writing tips for social entrepreneurs
Louise Graham shares her top tips for preparing a compelling entry to capture a judge’s attention when you apply for an awards campaign.
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Useful resources for Social Entrepreneurs
As part of our UK Social Entrepreneur Index campaign, we compiled a list of the great resources and sources of information recommended by the successful social entrepreneurs who have been involved so far.