Growth challenges | SEs | SEs’ advisors | SEs’ partners |
---|---|---|---|
Not enough expertise on how to grow the business | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Not enough personnel with the requisite skills and experience | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Not enough money for investment in growth | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Not enough demand for services/products | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Not enough active commitment from board members | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Country | SEs | SEs’ advisors | SEs’ partners |
---|---|---|---|
Greece | 25 | 5 | 5 |
Ireland | 25 | 5 | 4 |
Italy | 25 | 5 | 4 |
Slovenia | 19 | 5 | 7 |
Total | 94 | 20 | 20 |
Modules | Learning Units |
---|---|
1. Introduction to SE | Unit 1 – History and evolution of SE in Europe |
2. Project Design and Management | Unit 5 – EU projects – EU opportunities for the development and funding of SEs |
3. Human resources | Unit 9 – The role of human resource management |
4. Social impact assessment | Unit 13 – Introduction to Social Impact Assessment |
5. Financial and Sustainability for SE | Unit 17 – Strategic planning and the life cycle of SEs |
6. Growth Strategies, Marketing and Fundraising for SE | Unit 21 – Growth strategies and long-term profitability of SE projects |
SEs’ growth areas |
---|
Employing more paid staff |
Generating more income through securing grants/government funding |
Expanding new products and services to the existing customer base |
Growth of geographic spread of the organisation’s services/goods |
Generating more income through the trading of goods/services |
Including new target groups and widening our customer base |
Using resources innovatively to expand services/product range |
Franchising strategy and/or operational partnerships |
Operational aspects of SEs’ management function |
---|
Insufficient paid staff resources & funding to recruit required staff |
Meeting/responding to increased demand for services/goods they provide |
Unsustainability due to low level of income generated for services/goods we provide |
Lack of marketing expertise, to connect with customers/target group |
Over-reliance on statutory funding (grants, state funding programmes, etc.) |
Availability of appropriate, accessible training for staff |
Lack of skills and experience within the organisation to develop and expand services and income |
Lack of opportunities for networking with critical stakeholders and other SE organisations that share the same social vision |
Limited involvement in the development of future direction and planning |
Lack of market knowledge and competitiveness |
Quality management procedures |
Speed of decision-making |
Over-reliance on volunteers |
Training and learning methods |
---|
In-class Training (face-to-face) |
Work-based Learning |
Online Training – own time |
Online Training – class |
Blended learning |
Seminars – guest SEs |
Shadowing SE staff |
One-to-one Mentoring & Homework |
Barriers to training participation |
Lack of accessible/available training courses on relevant subjects |
Lack of basic skills, training and knowledge in relevant subjects |
Lack of staff capacity |
Unavailability of funding to pay for further training |
Lack of available time |
Lack of learning culture |
Skills and expertise needs | Priority 1 Skills Needs | Priority 2 Skills Needs | Priority 3 Skills Needs |
---|---|---|---|
Expertise in how to maintain sustainability and growth | √ | ||
Financial planning and management, including risk management, internal auditing, etc. | √ | ||
Communication, sales & marketing skills | √ | ||
Soft skills, e.g. interpersonal skills, listening, etc. | √ | ||
Developing and motivating staff | √ | ||
Fundraising and funding from different resources | √ | ||
Business & Strategic Planning | √ | ||
Project Management skills | √ | ||
Procurement and how to win contracts | √ | ||
Skills to monitor & assess Social Impact | √ | ||
IT and online communications technology (ICT) | √ | ||
Governance and leadership for SEs | √ | ||
Networking with stakeholders, collaborative partnerships, and alliances | √ | ||
Gaining and sustaining community buy-in and market acceptance | √ | ||
Managing multiple bottom lines | √ |
Phases | Goals |
---|---|
Phase 1 (desk research: existing data collection) | Compile data about the respondents’ organisations, board structure, operational structure, and training needs |
Phase 2 (qualitative: semi-structured interviews) | Identify key challenges in the SE field of management, growth and sustainability |
Phase 3 (quantitative: quastionnaire) | Identify appropriate learning and training needs and associated access pathways for SEs relating to management, growth and sustainability issues |
Skill areas |
---|
Expertise in how to maintain sustainability and growth |
Financial planning and management, including risk management, internal auditing, etc. |
Communication, sales & marketing skills |
Soft skills, e.g. interpersonal skills, listening, etc. |
Developing and motivating staff |
Fundraising and funding from different resources |
Business & Strategic Planning |
Project Management skills |
Procurement and how to win contracts |
Skills to monitor & assess Social Impact |
IT and online communications technology (ICT) |
Governance and leadership for social enterprises |
Networking with stakeholders, collaborative partnerships, and alliances |
Gaining and sustaining community buy-in and market acceptance |
Managing multiple bottom lines |
Survey’s key issues |
---|
1. Challenges in SEs’ Management Function |
2. Perceptions in SEs’ Sustainability |
3. Perceptions in SEs’ Growth |
4. Perceptions in SEs’ Skills and Expertise Areas |
5. SEs’ Training Preferences and Challenges |
Growth areas | SEs | SEs’ advisors | SEs’ partners |
---|---|---|---|
Employing more paid staff | 6 | 3 | 4 |
Generating more income through securing grants/government funding | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Expanding new products and services to the existing customer base | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Growth of geographic spread of the organisation’s services/goods | 5 | 5 | 7 |
Generating more income through the trading of goods/ services | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Including new target groups and widening our customer base | 4 | 6 | 5 |
Using resources innovatively to expand services/ product range | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Franchising strategy and/or operational partnerships | 8 | 8 | 8 |
SEs’ sustainability |
---|
Definitions (SEs are sustainable when they […]) |
Can be financially viable and serve their social objectives |
Make a profit, or break even, at a minimum, without support from external funding and grants |
Retain ongoing support from the community for their mission |
Do no harm to the environment |
Challenges |
Not enough strategic expertise on how to become sustainable |
Not enough personnel with the right skills |
Not enough demand for our services/products |
The costs of running our organisation are too high |
Over-reliance on statutory funding - grants, state funding programmes, etc. |
Other |
Challenges for SEs’ Management Function | Priority | |
---|---|---|
SEs | SEs’ advisors & partners |
|
Insufficient paid staff resources & funding to recruit required staff | 1 | 1 |
Meeting/responding to increased demand for services/ goods they provide | 2 | 6 |
Unsustainability due to low level of income generated for services/goods they provide | 3 | 4 |
Lack of marketing expertise to connect with customers/target group | 4 | 5 |
Over-reliance on statutory funding (grants, state funding programmes, etc.) | 5 | 8 |
Availability of appropriate, accessible training for staff | 6 | 10 |
Lack of skills and experience within the organisation to develop and expand services and income | 7 | 2 |
Lack of opportunities for networking with critical stakeholders and other SE organisations that share the same social vision | 8 | 9 |
Limited involvement in the development of future direction and planning | 9 | 3 |
Lack of market knowledge and competitiveness | 10 | 7 |