JGP News

Social enterprises will play a crucial part in the future of Britain.

Liam Byrne, cabinet office minister, claims that as the economic crisis rumbles on, those operating in such a third sector role will be vital in helping the nation get back on its feet, not only in an economic sense, but also with regards to wider society.

"We”ll explore ways for social enterprises to play a greater role in fighting the downturn, rebalancing our economy and society and shaping post-recession Britain," he states, something that could interest those looking to boost their skills framework.

Mr Byrne’’s comments come ahead of the Social Enterprise Summit taking place on May 12th, which he - alongside business secretary Lord Mandelson - will co-host, an event that will see a number of workshops covering the role of such organisations both during and after the recession.

Earlier this month, Ben Kernighan, deputy chief executive for the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, called for Alistair Darling to plough £50 million into the proposed Social Investment Bank, a move which would provide social enterprises and charities with access to funds with which to develop their services as the downturn continues.

More skills framework information.

Charities need financial assistance to help monitor the effectiveness of their work.

The recently-published How Are You Getting On? report from New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) reveals that although many grant providers for those operating in the third sector ask for information on their performance, more than a third do not provide funding to allow them to do this.

Gustaf Lofgren, author of the report and research analyst at NPC, states: "Charities are getting better at collecting data, but they need to move on to analysing and using it.

"If they can show they are learning from their data and improving, we believe funders will reward them."

Furthermore, the research indicated that although grant givers and charities are generally satisfied with the information exchanged when applying for money, there remains significant room for improvement, something that could interest charity leaders looking to boost the skills framework of their organisation.

Meanwhile, a recent ThirdSector.co.uk article revealed that charities are increasingly making use of experimental investment models - such as mission-connected investments, where money is put into assets that actively further an organisation’’s cause into addition to providing a return on investment.

More skills framework information.

Futurebuilders England has announced details of a service targeting charities.

Moves by the firm will see it post a page on its website where those third sector organisations considering merging with other bodies can leave their contact details on a forum for interested network partners to get in touch.

Gill Nunn, market development director for Futurebuilders England, tells ThirdSector.co.uk: "Part of our mentoring fund is about offering charities the funds they need to merge or collaborate.

"We would potentially be able to offer funds to charities that are interested in merging as well."

Pointing out that the initiative is an experimental service, Ms Nunn claims that the page would be extremely straightforward to set up and would only be launched once enough charities had registered their interest in the scheme.

Two charities that have joined forces in recent days are Action for Blind People and RNIB, which have entered a formal partnership seeing the former manage local services for blind people, while the latter will be in charge of nationwide service provision.

More about network partners.

A number of local infrastructure organisations have received funding with which to improve their services.

The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (Navca) has revealed the 12 bodies that will benefit from a share of Capacitybuilders” £25,000 Network Support Grants, aimed at helping support those working in the third sector as the downturn continues.

Among those receiving the cash are Learning South West, which is set to organise a conference for a local network of voluntary youth organisations, ThirdSector.co.uk reports.

"Local infrastructure organisations across the country are coming together to help their local organisations through the recession," Bill Freeman, director of development for Navca, states.

He adds that the investment will help such bodies to share ideas and develop solutions of how to work through the crisis, those looking to improve their skills framework may be interested to hear.

Earlier this week, Ian Leggett, director of People & Planet, told ThirdSector.co.uk that a £750,000 investment by the government would be effective in helping charities to campaign for marginalised communities.

More skills framework information.

Alistair Darling should use the Budget to give further assistance to the third sector.

Such is the assertion of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), which claims that the chancellor of the Exchequer should plough some £50 million into the proposed Social Investment Bank.

And in making such an investment, the council states that those working for charities will be able to continue to deliver services to those affected by the ongoing economic crisis.

Ben Kernighan, deputy chief executive for the NCVO, said: "The chancellor could throw a lifeline to the sector by showing its commitment to developing the Social Investment Bank.

"This would give social enterprises and charities much-needed access to capital to help develop their services."

Furthermore, the NCVO claims that the creation of an opt-out Gift Aid scheme could help to boost the third sector’’s income, as charities would be able to claim tax back on all donations they receive, unless donors explicitly request otherwise.

Such comments could interest those looking to maintain sustainable efficiencies in the months ahead.

Meanwhile, Professor John Mohan from the University of Southampton recently claimed that, although some charities will struggle more than others, predictions that the entire third sector will experience major problems as the economic downturn continues could be exaggerated.

More about sustainable efficiencies.