The objectives are:

• To assist social enterprises to diversify and/or innovate their business

• To ensure that each enterprise maximises the marketing benefits of change.

The trainer will go through how to diversify:

• Method of service delivery

• Products and services offered

• Means of interacting with service users

• Moving aspects of the business online

• Changing and developing processes of marketing

The outcomes of this 1:1 clinic include:

• Being able to make informed decisions on diversifying their business for the market.

• Decide on how to innovate their services, offerings and delivery to further engage with their target audience.

• The trainer will discuss anything financial that the boards or members of the Social Enterprise may have concerns about.

• The trainer will also be discussing your existing revenue streams and how COVID impacted this.

• They will also be looking at how to generate additional income based on your current activity.

• The trainer will also help you with any applications that you may need for funding.

• The trainer has suggested that you bring the last audited accounts and current management accounts to the clinic as they may work from this.

Covid/design thinking offers creative and innovative solutions to challenging problem. It supports the development and implementation of solution prototypes through a process of inspiration ideation and implementation. The clinic will cover:

• The background of design thinking- empathy, optimism and brain storming.

• Understand the difference between design thinking and decision making.

• How to use and implement design thinking in your social enterprise to overcome difficult challenges.

• Why empathy is crucial when it comes to marketing and communicating with your target audience.

The workshop will cover:

• To define customer service

• Identify good elements of good customer practice

• Differentiate between verbal and nonverbal communication

• Respond to customer complaints according to the policy of the organisation

• How is quality of service measured

• The importance of good communication with customers

• Outline current equal status legislation

• Identify provisions that may be needed to satisfy different customer needs

• Discuss how to avoid using practice that discriminate against an individual

• Learn the benefits of having an organisation that caters to a diversity of customer needs

• Developing a strategic plan: Strategic plan is an organizational activity that is used to set priorities and new goals. This is to ensure that the employees and stakeholder are working towards a common goal to adjust the direction of the Social Enterprise.

The clinic will cover:

• Go through mile stones and how to implement the strategy plan

• Go through what steps to put into the plan

• Consolation process- How to work together when part of the plan goes wrong.

• SWOT Analysis/Goals & Objectives

• Draft & Final Versions

• Launch of the plan

The workshop will upskill the attendees in the following areas:

• Introduction to the latest trends in consumer buyer behaviour

• Decision making theories and influences on individual buyers

• The effects advertising have on a business

• Word of the mouth and social media communication

• Pricing tactics and price promotion

Every community has local groups and individuals who have skills and talents. Every community also has facilities such as community halls/centres, libraries, valued businesses, as well as open spaces and sports grounds. All of these things can be mapped to create a picture of the community which shows its current resources and its potential.

The workshop will include:

• What is community mapping

• The importance of establishing a working group

• The role, value and potential of data collection and analysis

• Community consultation strategies and methodologies

Outcomes Include:

• Creating a new system to look at new products and services you can bring to your organisation.

• Review your desired outcome and understand why you want to grow your business.

• Understand the meaning and process behind coming up with innovative ideas.

• Testing your ideas and learning how to cope with failure.

Outcomes Include:

• How to measure the impact and outcomes of a business using research and evaluation methods.

• Define what outputs will be measured and how to translate that into impact

• Utilise the Theory of Change Model to identify short, medium and long term outcomes

Train Social Enterprises on how to correctly and successfully brand their business, products and services.

Outcomes include:

• To learn the background behind branding and why it is important

• Realise that a name and logo aren’t the only things that make up a brand.

• Learn how to research, to see what people think of their business

The workshop will include:

• Identifying key steps to a sustainable funding model for your organisation

• Examine how to get ahead on application preparation

• Explore a range of new approaches to fundraising

• Consider your funding plan for the future

By the end of the workshop participants should be able to:

• Decide what their online objectives should be

• Engage with a web designer to begin the process of moving income generation online via an e – commerce website

• Make key decisions regarding the optimisation of important webpages and communicate these to web designers

• Competently run a Facebook and Instagram post and be able to link both of them

• Shoot and edit short promotional and communication videos for their organisation

This workshop focuses on innovation, creativity and generating ideas for the social enterprise; as well as providing the skills necessary to carry out a needs assessment to prioritise the ideas

Main impacts of employment legislation on social enterprises.

Recruitment of employees, employment contract.

Using contracts in conjunction with a Staff Handbook.

Best practice guidelines on disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Financial procedures and returns required as part of the operation of the social enterprise.

Matching capital and operational costs with the right source of finance.

Dealing with operational costs and traded income in the business plan financial projections.

Introduction to the funding application process.

What is public procurement and when does it apply?

The threshold requirements.

Applying for public funded contracts and the key steps of SMART bid writing/tendering.

Explore E-Tenders & Active Link websites.

Developing an effective digital presence.

Creating Smart videos to promote your social enterprise using your smartphone.

Learn to use a low-cost video editing software to create professional videos.

Delivering services online including an introduction to ecommerce software

These workshops are designed to first ground the participants in a theoretical understanding of CSR, providing clear context as to why Corporate Social Responsibility is an essential consideration for many social enterprises.

This is then built upon by an introduction to the practical application of defining a social enterprise's CSR value proposition, developing an effective pitch and establishing meaningful relationships with corporate stakeholders.