Resources Area

There are a number of free resources that have been listed below under key headings. We endeavour not to reinvent the wheel and therefore will link through to other sites which have some great information, and hopefully save you some time searching.

For our course members, we provide additional resources specifically to support the course that they are attending. If you are a course member, you will be entitled to a login and password to access this information.

LIST OF RESOURCES

 

Social Enterprises – Background

 

Survive and Thrive:

 

The Survive and Thrive Network have a programme of training, knowlege and skills exchange to help people who are running or thinking of running rural social and community enterprises in the South West. Please visit their website, for a wealth of useful tips, links and resources, detailed below:

  • Trade Secrets - attend a 'learning event' with other rural social and community enterprises. Recent events include inspirational speakers such as Satish Kumar, Tim 'Mac' McCartney and Tim Smit, plus practical targeted workshops and master classes to help you improve your enterprise's performance.

  • Trading Places - visit other organisations that are using social enterprise as a means of tackling the issues faced by rural communities. There are a mixture of themed visits which we organise or we a re happy to arrange a tailored visit if you know where you would like to go.

  • Get Connected - and get involved in our collaborative learning sets, bringing together oragnisations that are developing their enterprise and sharing their skills and experience with others.

  • Promote your organisation - and the work you do through The Market Place - offering rural community enterprises in the South West the opportunity  to make important connections and strengthen your network of skills and support.

  • Use the resources that have been used throughout the programme. amixture of presentations, case studies and useful tools and tips from the training days. This section will be added to on an ongoing basis so check back occasionally.

http://www.thrivingenterprises.net/

 

 

Co-operatives

  • Starting a Co-operative This is a new guide recently published  by Co-operatives UK and is a great overview of co-operatives, the types of co-operatives, areas of acticity and legal structures that may be adopted.
  • Worker Co-operative Code of Governance A new guide from Co-peratives UK which helps worker co-operatives understand how to run the business and govern the co-op successfully.

Business Planning

  • No Nonsense Guide to starting a Business. This is a publication produced by Business Link and is a useful tool when initially thinking of your business idea and needing the first steps on what to do next.
  • Business Planning. This is a guide produced by Forth Sector specifically for setting up a social enterprise (click to pdf document

Governance

Legal Structures

Access to Finance 

Employing People

Two excellent sources of information which cover all the key aspects that you need to know are Business Link and ACAS. Both sites are updated to reflect changes in legislation.

  • Employing People. -  This links to a comprehensive document you need to know for your business
  • Employing People – Business Link site map. This link takes you to the page that has all the headings and information which you are likely to need in employing people within your business
  • Employment – Practical information and Advice.This link takes you to the ACAS website where they also provide all the up to date information plus there is a helpline for both employers and employees that is free of charge.

Quality and Impact

The following websites cover a range of information about impact measurements and performance improvement. One of the tools that we use is Social Accounting and Audit which is the first listed.

  • Social Accounting and Audit. The site of Social Audit Network (UK), ideal for both organisations considering quality and impact tools and individuals interested in becoming social auditors
  • NEF Toolkit. For organisations looking to 'prove and improve'. This gives details of a range of tools and the nef website is a great source of information
  • Nef website. Lots of interesting information
  • Really Telling Accounts.  New research by Social Audit Network Ltd. Views from organisations, funders and investors on the future of social accounting.  
  • Developing Monitoring and Evaluation in the Third Sector.  Undertaken by the Charities Evaluation Services, the largest ever research study exploring monitoring and evaluation demands and practice in the third sector.  It contains substantial recommendations for a wide range of organisations.

 

Resource Pack from the Department of Health "Creating Healthier Communities" available for £5.00 Standard Parcel Postage or £7.50 1st Class Postage.
Please email to ceu@ceultd.co.uk or ring 01392 666281.
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