INFLUENCING POLICY

1
INFLUENCING POLICY

• The Experience of the Social Enterprise Coalition
• George Leahy

2
PURPOSE

• The purpose of this presentation is to
• Give some history and background to the Coalition
• Explain our mission
• Identify some of our successes
• Look at the challenges for the future
• And assess why we have been successful

3
HISTORY

• Social Enterprise London formed in 1997
• (Jonathan Bland Chief Executive)
• Increasing political interest
• New Labour/The 3rd Way
• Recognition that there were many voicesBUT... a
  single, national VOICE needed
• Coalition formed in 2002an alliance of social
  enterprises in the UK
• Baroness Glenys Thornton is Chair

4
WHO WE ARE

• We are a Coalition of interests
• We are made up of
• National support organisations (eg Co-ops-UK)
• Regional SE support bodies (eg London)
• national social enterprises (eg Cafedirect)
• This includes 46 membership networks
• Have a reach of up to 10,000 social enterprises

5
OUR MISSION

• VISION
• Our vision is for social enterprise to be widely
  recognised and accepted as a successful business
  model, leading to a thriving and entrepreneurial
  social enterprise sector trading in order to
  fulfil social purposes.
•  

• MISSION
• Our mission is to be the voice of social
  enterprise, through being a progressive,
  authoritative body that brings together all types
  of social enterprises in the UK.

6
WHAT WE BELIEVE

• Social Enterprise is great
• Could improve with more enablers and less
  barriers from government
• Movement can exert pressure on government
• You get to do even greater things

7
HOW WE DO IT
8
WHAT WE DO (1)

• Consult our membership and other experts
• Develop an evidence base
• Showcase the benefits of social enterprise
• Develop policy positions and asks

9
WHAT WE DO (2)

• Work with government, think tanks, policy makers
  and influencers
• Lobby parliament and parties

10
What we cover
11
SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE.

• Multi-Party support(though differential
  understanding)
• Specific investment funds for social enterprise
• Department of Health 100m
• Capital Risk Investment Fund 10m
• Social Enterprise Units within Govt departments
• Office of Third Sector
• Health
• Communities Local Government (being set up

• 1st new specific legal form for over a century
• the Community Interest Company (CIC)
• Rapid take-up
• Over 2,000 CICs formed since 2003
• VOICE
• Our annual conference of over 1,000 people
• Attracts govt support and Ministers
• GCSE Curriculum
• Social enterprise now on the business curriculum

12
FUTURE CHALLENGES

• Keeping SE on all political parties agendas
• Manifestos and the General Election
• Brand development
• Brand values
• Brand marketing

• A Social Investment Bank
• Using unclaimed assets
• Improving the CIC model
• Eg Taxation
• Development of the evidence-base

13
REASONS FOR SUCCESS??

• Key individuals
• The time was right 1997 and 2002
• The strength of the collective voice
• SE is a good product to sell
• Powerful and compelling stories
• Multi-party appeal
• Improving public services a key political concern
• Knowledge and expertise
• Excellent and able staff

14
MAINTAINING SUCCESS

• 6 years on.
• New Chair Claire Dove
• Need to review successes and keep mission
  relevant
• Compelling stories are important
• But we now need data
• Must build up the evidence base
• State of Social Enterprise Survey
• Third Sector Research Centre
• Social enterprise identity
• In UK clarity of brand is needed