HIE Guide to Managing Community Funds

HIE have published a Guide to Managing Community Funds:

"...the new guide contains advice and guidance on how communities can manage the distribution of the income. Currently, communities are choosing areas such as investing in jobs, housing, new business starts, investing in energy efficient measures or addressing fuel poverty. 

Many communities use their own organisations to manage income from energy projects and some which are planning or already investing income back into the community have provided case studies within the guide....."

You can find out more  - and download the guide  - by following this Link

Advancing Your Social Enterprise, Helmsdale, 30 October

A message from HISEZ about a networking event being held in in Helmsdale on the 30th October 2012:

"This event, which includes lunch, digs into the details of everything you need to consider when developing your Social Enterprise, whether that is writing a business plan; working out your legal structure; expressing the vision clearly. 

Do you have a social enterprise challenge? 

Find out how Interface – The knowledge connection for business can help you. Interface provide a free and impartial service matching organisations across all sectors with Scotland’s Universities and Research Institutions making available world class knowledge, expertise and research facilities to help with your business challenge. 

 It’s aimed at those who already started a Social Enterprise and are at the next stages of development - where do you take it, financial planning and where can you get help. You will have the chance to sign up for one 2 one time with HISEZ advisers and find out what support is available to help you advance your Social Enterprise.

For more information: Link

"Marketing Your Social Enterprise", Lairg

The Social Enterprise Academy (SEA)is running a 2-day Workshop in Lairg on "Marketing Your Social Enterprise"

From SEA: "MYSE is for anyone interested in developing a new social enterprise idea whether this is a start up social enterprise, a new trading arm for your organisation, or a new product or service."

For details, follow this Link

Just Enterprise - For All your Social Enterprise Needs

Just Enterprise is a new access portal for all enquiries regarding support for Social Enterprises.  In addition to plenty of online information, the site will link clients to the most appropriate form of assistance, funding, training etc. and help guide them through the often confusing support network. 

"Just Enterprise is a new consortium bringing together Scotland's key social enterprise support agencies to provide business support and development services to Enterprising Third Sector Organisations across Scotland. Its principal role is to deliver the Scottish Government's contract for Business Support to the Enterprising Third Sector. In doing so, the focus of the consortium is to ensure an enterprising third sector can grow sustainably in the challenging economic conditions expected in coming years.

The Just Enterprise consortium consists of CEiS, HISEZ, Firstport, the Social Enterprise Academy, Forth Sector Development, Community Enterprise Ltd, CEMVO Scotland, Lanarkshire Enterprise Services, Ready for Business and Inspiralba."

Here's the link:   Just Enterprise

Innovation Opportunity for Social Entrepreneurs

Here's a message from Iain Hamilton at Highlands & Islands Enterprise about  the Social Innovation Camp:

Opportunity to work with UK's leading software developers to create a

business/social start-up.

 

NESTA (National Endowment Science Technology and the Arts) run an annual

event called the Social Innovation Camp. This is for anyone who has an

idea to deal with a social issue, or health and wellbeing, and offers

the opportunity to work with some of the UK's leading software

developers to turn 6 back of the envelope ideas into business/social

start-ups in under 48 hours, complete with working software.

Technical skills are not a requirement for this process.

The Social Innovation Camp will run from 17th - 19th June, in Edinburgh

(Some expenses will be paid). Ideas that use the web to create social

change need to be submitted for consideration by NESTA by Friday 20th

May 2011.  If selected, you will be invited to attend the Edinburgh

workshop to try and make the idea a reality.

To get a better idea of what is involved and how you can participate,

NESTA will deliver two short workshops, lasting approximately 1 hour, on

10th May at 4.30pm and 7.30pm in:

The Ironworks

122b Academy Street

Inverness

IV1 1LX

If you would be interested in attending on 10th May, could you please

e-mail:  iain.hamilton@hient.co.uk

Full details of the programme are available here (Link) -  where

you can also find examples of successful ideas from past years.

"Preparing to Sell" - Selling Skills for Social Enterprises - 14 October 2010

HISEZ have arranged a Selling Skills Workshop to be held from 12noon to 3pm on 14 October at 81A Castle Street, Inverness:

"With many organisations starting to think about selling to the Christmas market, why not come along to this free networking lunch to discuss ideas about how best to display produce and how to engage with the public.

Aimed at Social Enterprises preparing for the Social Enterprise Day market in the Eastgate centre, but open to any organisation planning on selling products in the run up to Christmas. It will be an opportunity to hear experiences, try out new ideas and hear from Cathie Way, Managing Director of Affirmints, who was recently at a Trade Show in New York. Cathie will share her experiences and techniques with the group.

Lunch will be provided and you should leave feeling prepared to sell!"

 For more info, follow this link

Business Idea Competition - now with added Social Enterprise

Well, it's that time of year again.  Here's a message from our friends at UHI and Create.

"To encourage enterprise and innovation in the region, UHI is launching the 2010 Business Idea Competition for commercial or social enterprise ideas. Last year this competition was extremely successful, with high quality ideas coming forward. Since the competition we have actually seen a number of entrants commence trading.

We think there are many people in the region with interesting and innovative commercial business or social enterprise ideas and we want to encourage them. This competition is simple and straightforward to enter, with only five questions to answer. All the entrants will be given advice on how to take their ideas forward and can win money at the same time.

The competition is open to everyone living in the Highlands and Islands, Perth-shire or Moray aged 16 or over who has a great idea for a business, this includes Social Enterprise concepts. Ideas should be submitted to our expert panel of judges by Wednesday 27th October 2010 to be eligible to win a share of our £3,800 prize fund."

For more details and to download a copy of the ridiculously simple Application Form, follow this link

Lochinver Mission Project

Possibly everyone knows, by now, the success of the Big Lottery/Village SOS application by the Lochinver Mission project.   What isn't always acknowledged is the phenomenal amount of voluntary effort which goes into this success.

The commitment and drive of the Mission team was awe-inspiring.  Preparing a bid to develop a potential eyesore into an income-generating community asset in relatively short-time is not easy, even if you can work at it on a full-time basis.  To achieve so much as a team of volunteers is amazing.


Gateway merely helped to put some figures together but working with this enterprise was particularly  rewarding because of the infectious enthusiasm it generated.  The project certainly deserves its £400k and I look forward to fish & chips in the new Mission when it opens in 2011.

   
You can get the full story from the  Lochinver Mission website.
(Celebratory Photos: Roger Glover)