The Scottish Government funds a full range of business development support through the Enterprising Third Sector Action Plan for enterprising third sector organisations.
Firstport
Firstport supports social entrepreneurs and start-up social enterprises throughout Scotland. In doing this Firstport provides:
- On-line information, including tools and templates, to help organisations develop;
- Brokering support through the Exchange service to provide one-to-one support;
- Telephone response service for individual queries;
- Funding to new social entrepreneurs in Scotland through the Scottish Government's Social Entrepreneurs Fund.
Intermediary Organisations (including network of CVS's)
There are 57 CVSs throughout Scotland offering the following services either directly themselves or by signposting to appropriate support:
- Advice on company start up (including constitutions and company registration) and good governance
- Advice on financial & business planning,
- Advice on funding, tax and annual accounts,
- Advice on OSCR legislation,
- Advice on social enterprise development,
- Organisational Health Checks,
- Provision of back office services,
- Provision of training and workforce development.
CEMVO BME led Social Enterprise capacity Building Programme
CEMVO Scotland operates this programme to build the capacity of the country's minority ethnic-led enterprising third sector organisations. The programme works with new and established social enterprises, with the aim of creating successful, financially sustainable organisations and facilitate access to mainstream social enterprise support structures. Support through the programme includes:
- Establishing business plans to develop their social enterprise activities;
- Identifying learning needs at all levels of the organisation and devising innovative solutions;
- Supporting the development of income generation activities and exploring other funding opportunities;
- Supporting partnership working to develop complementary activities.
Aspire to Enterprise
This programme provides a range of business support services to social enterprises in Lowland Scotland, delivered by a consortium led by CEiS and Forth Sector. To be eligible for an average of 8 days tailored support, organisations must have a turnover of £60k-£200k, with the drive and potential to increase their trading and become more sustainable social enterprises. Aspire also provides a range of free seminars, available to all, which are designed to stimulate entrepreneurial activity for future development.
HISEZ
HISEZ has been contracted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, with input from the European Regional Development Fund and the Scottish Government, to provide support for social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands. HISEZ has a team of dedicated advisers who work with organisations to identify their primary support needs, producing a plan of action and referring organisations to the most appropriate support providers. HISEZ also offers a range of training events and courses for social enterprises, on key subjects such as procurement.
The support provided through Aspire to Enterprise and HISEZ is specifically aimed at helping social enterprises access mainstream business development support through Business Gateway, Scottish Enterprise (for lowland Scotland) or Highlands and Islands Enterprise (for the highlands and islands).
Business Gateway
Whether your are starting or growing your social enterprise, the Business Gateway offers free, impartial advice online and face to face. The Business Gateway provides the information, advice and support you need to start, maintain and grow a social business. It provides information and advice to help social entrepreneurs make the most of their opportunities. The Business Gateway service is a crucial part of the Scottish Government's campaign to promote enterprise and to make Scotland the best place to start and grow a business.
A comprehensive set of information packages suited to social entrepreneurs is available on the Business Gateway website. Advice is also available locally through quality assured services. Social entrepreneurs have access to face to face advice. They can also mix with other mainstream entrepreneurs to take part in workshops, and training events.
For more information visit the website or call 0845 609 6611.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) through its eight area offices, can provide both finance and advice to social enterprises with growth plans. Where a social enterprise can show that has the aspirations and the potential to grow its trading activity, HIE will consider entering into an account managed relationship, with access to a dedicated front; line member of staff and all the backup of HIE and its specialist partners such as HI Arts, HISEZ, Community Energy Scotland, Comunn na Gaidhlig, and the Community Land Unit.
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise is Scotland's main enterprise, innovation and investment agency. Its focus is to help businesses, including social enterprises, to grow, to encourage greater innovation and to create the right conditions for companies to access property, markets and finance to increase productivity and increase Scotland's ability to compete internationally.
Our Account Managers work directly with businesses - including social enterprises - that have the potential and capacity for significant growth, while our Priority Industry Teams work with a range of industry sectors that are considered to be of priority in relation to their potential to grow Scotland's economy.
Support is tailored to the specific requirements of those businesses and sectors.
To contact Scottish Enterprise, call 0845 607 8787.
Third Sector Mentoring Programme
The Scottish Government has funded The Realise Mentoring programme (run by a consortium of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), Edinburgh Business Development, Forth Sector and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce) offers you access to a mentor on a one-to-one basis wherever possible, once eligibility has been confirmed.
The mentors are successful, action-orientated people from a wide range of different sectors, who are willing to invest their time to enable others to benefit from their experience. Depending on your needs, the mentoring support can last for up to 12 months, with an option to continue longer if you and your mentor wish.
Access to the service is free for eligible organisations that submit a written application.
Through the Realise Mentoring programme, you can access experienced business mentors, who can help you to: · develop your enterprising ideas
· find solutions to the challenges that you face
· develop the long term sustainability of your organisation
· increase your trading income
· build your skills, knowledge and networks
· deliver a high quality service
The aim of the Realise Mentoring programme is to provide mentoring support to leaders of third sector organisations to help them improve their financial sustainability and make a step-change to become more enterprising.
Any leader or decision maker of a third sector organisation that has aspirations to grow, diversify income streams and become more sustainable can apply, irrespective of turnover, staffing level, location or sector. To be eligible, your organisation must have social aims, be governed by a voluntary management committee or board, be independent of government and be principally non-profit distributing.
The programme is available to enterprising third sector organisations across urban and rural Scotland. You should be able to show that you are actively looking to develop your organisation's long-term financial sustainability and diversify your income base. You will also need to be prepared to commit to the mentoring programme, at senior management level, for a period of up to a year.
You can access the Realise mentoring website via this link.
Business on Board
The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Council for Voluntary organisations (SCVO) to provide the Business on Board programme as part of a suite of programmes which aim to promote dialogue and exchange between the private and third sectors. The mutual benefits and opportunities this offers, at both an organisational and individual level, have already been well demonstrated through the Realise Mentoring and Business Know How programmes.
Third sector organisations - charities, voluntary organisations, social enterprises, community associations - benefit from the business knowledge of colleagues in the private sector. In return, the third sector can offer important insights to help better target valuable CSR initiatives. Cross-sectoral exchange offers exciting new challenges to individuals giving them opportunities for both personal and career development as they develop new insights and transferable skills.
The triple bottom line is about achieving social and environmental gains, underpinned by sound financial sustainability - every third sector organisation's dream. Third sector organisations are expert at the first two of these but many could do with support to improve their financial sustainability.
The Business on Board programme has been developed to help broker that support by encouraging and supporting people with business skills to join their Boards. This offers mutual benefits and opportunities at a business and individual level.
At an individual level it offers personal and career development opportunities and the opportunity to contribute to achieving significant social, environmental and cultural objectives that are really important to society, even more so during the current climate.
In business terms, it offers private sector organisations positive public relations and CSR opportunities and the opportunity to develop the leadership skills of employees.
Seminars
A series of seminars has been planned across Scotland to promote the initiative to third sector organisations and businesses. Five seminars will be delivered across Scotland, as follows:
- 21 October 2009, Raeburn Room, Mansfield Traquair Centre, Edinburgh.
- 22 October 2009, Woodlands Suite, The Albany, Glasgow
- 26 October 2009, Dundee Voluntary Action, Dundee
- 28 October 2009, Citadel, Aberdeen
- 29 October 2009, Fairways House, Inverness (Video conferencing facility will be used to encourage participation from the Islands)
You can access the Business on Board website using this link
Motivation for Staff with Reduced Hours
In the current economic downturn businesses are keen to hold on to their more talented people to ride out the storm, and are actively seeking ways to manage this. Often businesses are reducing their staff's hours or are employing people full time in an organization that is not operating at full capacity.
If an iemployee can continue to positively contribute to society they will be better prepared to step up to mark when the economy begins to grow again.
Scottish Business in the Community's (SBC) expertise lies in its business facing role, providing opportunities for business to maximize their community impact. SBC has been developing a range of tools to broker relationships with the third sector, matching business people with chief executives of voluntary organizations, social enterprises, schools and regeneration initiatives to ensure robust business planning and skills development.