Presentation given to the "Fostering Community Enterprise Resilience in Roscommon" conference, March 2013. An overview on the role of business techniques in social and community organisation's sustainability.

1. Simple Strategies for Social & Community
Enterprise Sustainability
Marketing & The Business “Stuff”
Olwen Dawe | Irish Business Intelligence
www.olwendawe.com

2. What’s this presentation about?
• Sustainability: Showing you – the people behind
community organisations and social enterprises –
how you can equip your organisations for
sustainability;
• Simple Strategies: The role and application of
business techniques in sustaining your social
enterprise;
• Straightforward Next Steps: Providing you with a
very straightforward set of steps to apply from
today to your organisation for better outcomes.

3. But first… a few definitions…
• “Just as entrepreneurs change the face of business, social entrepreneurs are the change
agents for society, seizing overlooked opportunities by improving systems, inventing new
approaches and creating sustainable solutions to transform society for the better. ...”
Skoll Foundation
• “Social enterprises are part of what is termed the Third Sector or Social Economy. The Third
Sector is comprised of organisations that are independent of the State, but may receive
funding from the State, and may also contribute to the delivery of public services. They have
primarily social objectives and reinvest any surpluses they generate in pursuing these
objectives.”
‘Exploring Social Enterprise’, A. Clarke & A. Eustace, Eustace Patterson Ltd. FINAL REPORT,
September 2009
• ‘that part of the economy, between the private and public sectors, which engages in
economic activity in order to meet social objectives’.
FÁS

4. Social & Community Enterprise –
Ireland
• Strong history of collective action:
– GAA
– Agricultural Co-Operative Movement
– Credit Union [being the world’s largest [per capita]
financial cooperative]
• The concept of social enterprise has gained attention in
recent years and increasingly is seen as one viable
response to the economic trauma Ireland has
experienced.
Social Enterprise in Ireland: A People’s Economy?
Doyle & Lawlor, 2012

5. Tangible Benefits to the Irish Economy
• Providing affordable services/products to
communities 79%
• Bringing people together 76%
• Creating local jobs 75%
• Providing goods/services previously not available
locally 74%
• Putting money into the local economy 56%
• Buying from local suppliers 48%
• Helping the environment 30%
‘Exploring Social Enterprise’, A. Clarke & A. Eustace, Eustace Patterson Ltd.
FINAL REPORT, September 2009

6. The trends overseas…
UK
• “Big Society”
• Employs 800,000 +
• Contributes £24Bn+ to economy
• New laws and funding, impetus given by austerity will
help produce a £50Bn sector
• “What we are creating in 2012 is a more fertile
environment and 2013 should be good year for
significant change”
Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK (SEUK)

7. The trends overseas…
Europe - Mainland
• 2 million enterprises (= 10% of all European
businesses)
• Employ over 11 million paid employees (= 6%
of working population of Europe)
• EU policy aims at creating a favourable
regulatory environment for social economy
enterprises

8. … and what are the challenges?
• Funding/Finance 69%
• Sustainability 23%
• Strategic Planning 6%
• Premises/space 2%
‘Exploring Social Enterprise’, A. Clarke & A.
Eustace, Eustace Patterson Ltd.
FINAL REPORT, September 2009

9. How do we deal with the challenges?
• Proper ‘foundations’ – clarity [planning]
• Building networks – collaborative solutions
• Utilising shared challenges as a means to
brainstorm and problem-solve – share
resources
• Applying some business ‘techniques’ to
enhance our sustainability

10. Using straightforward business
techniques…
Provide social and community organisations with
a strong foundation to work off…

11. How can business tools help?
They provide –
• Structure;
• Focus - outcomes;
• Identification of funding
needs;
• Engagement - stakeholders;
• Promotion / marketing.

12. The Key: Sustainability

13. Breaking Down the Business Jargon!
Buzzword #1: Strategy
Buzzword #2: Plan
Buzzword #3: Marketing
Understand what they mean to
YOUR organisation.

14. #1 STRATEGY
Why you’re doing what you’re doing
What are our goals?
What is the ultimate aim of the organisation?
Who needs to be ‘onboard’?
What actions do we need to undertake?
Why?
What do we need to engage – resource-wise to
achieve our goals?
Timing.

15. #2 PLAN
How are we going to implement the
strategy?
Picking apart the strategy…
… and putting it back together, block-by-
block…
Who’s on the bus?
Who’s driving the bus?

16. #3 MARKETING
• Nuances of social enterprise…
• It’s not about marketing in the
traditional sense… but engaging the
right people.
• Communicating your story effectively
to the right people and why they
need to hear it.

17. #3 MARKETING
• WHY?
–Users
–Funding
–Referral / engagement & support
–Publicity

18. #3 MARKETING
• Understand the channels that work for you
and why…
– Social Media
– PR
– Traditional Media
– Relationship Building
– Advertising
– Mailshots /e-shots
– Networking

19. #3 MARKETING
Ultimately…
• All actions should be underpinned by
your strategy and plan.
• And focus 100% on goals of the
organisation.

20. Back to this guy again…
• … you need to review regularly
against:
–Targets;
–Goals;
–Progress.

21. WHY?
• To keep you on-track;
• To understand if and why things aren’t
happening according to plan;
• To maintain consistency.

22. Next Steps
• Start with one page and get as much clarity as
possible regarding your aims and objectives;
• Workshop it with others [test your thinking];
• Understand where you are versus where you’d
like things ‘to be’;
• Get a handle on your strengths and
weaknesses…

23. Next Steps
• Look at:
– Financial / funding needs;
– Other resources;
– Marketing / communications.
• Health check? Where do we need
attention?

24. That’s enough homework for now…
…. Any questions?

25. Thank you for your
time and attention.
Thanks also to our
conference
facilitators: