The Inspire2Enterprise Service
Background
The UK marketplace presents a number of opportunities open to exploitation by social enterprises through trading for a social purpose, and with these comes the challenge of competing alongside commercial enterprises in the delivery of products and services.
Recently, opportunities for the Social Enterprise Sector have broadened as Central Government, Local Authorities and the wider public sector look to social enterprises for new ways to address social challenges, deliver social value and achieve greater economic return.
An example of this is The University of Northampton's £1bn University Challenge, designed to ensure that Higher Education procurement strategies include opportunities for social enterprise service delivery - an initiative that will provide social enterprises with high value, long-term contracts, ultimately leading to greater levels of sector investment, sustainability and growth.
Increasingly, the private sector is recognising the benefits associated with social enterprise, with many organisations looking to influence or make social change. This includes investment in social enterprises as a mean of contributing or 'giving back' to society, thereby deriving a demonstrable social, along with financial, return on corporate investment.
In order to meet future challenges and capitalise on opportunities, a social enterprise, like any other enterprise, must be able to respond to the needs of the market. Therefore the ability to access affordable, qualified and practical support, particularly during key phases of start-up and growth, becomes essential.
Inspire2Enterprise
Inspire2Enterprise provides that crucial support, with a free-to-access service designed for the UK's Social Enterprise Sector.
Predominantly telephone-based, our centralised service provides information, advice, coaching and mentoring both to individuals considering starting-up a social enterprise and to established social enterprises. In addition, it provides resource support by way of graduate placements, and subsidised specialist, qualified support including: legal, financial, investment readiness and procurement, training workshops and research. Our service is complemented by face-to-face support, provided by an evolving network of regional service delivery partners.
Our service has three fundamental objectives, designed to meet the needs of the UK's Social Enterprise Sector:
- Providing a national information, advice and specialist social enterprise support service including mentoring, coaching and training, with a focus on sustainability, growth and social impact
- Working with key decision makers, commissioners, stakeholders, other delivery organisations and corporate sponsors seeking to deliver outsourced services or social change
- Developing solution-driven products, services and partnerships to support enterprise development and success, and to facilitate strategic market breakthroughs