Social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations have the capacity to act like stewards or gardeners of communities. Transforming barren, decaying communities into thriving, vibrant places. Cultivating and growing communities through ‘bottom-up’ social change. They bring together people with a sense of purpose to create social projects that create social value that results in social impact and improve society. Through social enterprise & not-for-profits role of creating social value at a community level, they are uniquely positioned to create a virtuous circle. Enabling both these organisations and their communities to flourish.
Social enterprises & not-for-profit organisations can revive communities, through creating a virtuous circle of growth. Planting skills knowledge and belief in a community empowering them to thrive.
Social enterprise & not-for-profits? But fixing our communities is the government’s job!
People expect governments and local authorities to solve community problems and inequalities. The truth is that from their soaring birds eye view, whilst this can be excellent in understanding the big picture. At the same time these institutions often can’t see, know or understand the variation and uniqueness of the communities they serve.
Real people get lost in the little red-amber-green boxes of averages that shape high level decisions. People’s differences are aggregated together such as the concept of BAME. Like the pixelated gardens you see on Google Maps. Also like Google Maps the images are often months or years old. Even the most dedicated well meaning of decision makers cannot possibly have the level of information to understand the problems, or know what to do about the inequalities in communities.
Community is the weak part on the Hierarchy of Social Intervention.
As we can see from the Hierarchy of Social Intervention. As we reduce our community layer. We put ever more pressure on individuals and friends and families. As when they need help it is often blocked by services that don’t understand their needs. Where those needs could have been managed at a community level those needs escalate requiring more urgent interventions. At the same time, it also means that the state spends much more money on costly interventions that are ever more time limited. e.g. social care visits.
Lack of community – resulting in a real crisis.
We have seen this in reality the UK with the current failure of the Health and Care System because of a lack of frontline community support. With 1 in 4 people self-treating after not getting a GP appointment. Whilst a further 19% go straight to A&E for the same reason. (Guardian) As well as a record 7 million people waiting for treatment. Resulting in both stressed families patients and carers.
At the same time there are expensive and blunt interventions from the state. Such as the £700million emergency funding for the NHS this year. At the same time community services are the ones most likely to be cut. Because senior decision makers ‘don’t see’ them as “they are not linked to high-profile national targets.” (Kings Fund)
Social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations can grow a social impact virtuous circle.
The real power of social enterprise & not-for-profit & not-for-profit organisations as stewards of change is that they can work at a grassroots level to create a virtuous circle of growth through social impact in communities. The key is for these organisations to link their income, at least in part, directly to its cultivation of social impact, then it can use its income to further propagate social impact. Just as you do not see many plants until they flower. The blooms of social growth will attract attention and highlight progress to decision-makers and attract further investment and support.
Social enterprises & not-for-profit organisations tending community needs
Just as gardeners respond to the individual needs of flora, so that each has the space and support to grow and flourish. By empowering frontline leaders who are at the heart of social problems, we can nurture social change in communities. Recognising and adapting to the changing needs of communities. Building skills expertise and confidence in the community, enabling further investment to flow.
Build relationships through social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations
Community does not just happen. People need to come together with a purpose and build momentum behind that purpose. This in turn helps us build relationships. Just as a garden is a balanced set of relationships and synergies, a community needs to be too. Data tells us about stuff, but in the social world it is the relationships that matter far more than the stuff.
Social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations are perfectly placed to understand and give meaning to data. Collecting and responding to the numbers AND connecting them to the real life experience they represent. (What Nora Bateson calls Warm Data) Providing a platform for change that builds relationships at a community level. Building the immeasurables of trust, confidence and belief, that every community needs at its heart.
Social projects are the tools for the social impact garden.
Social projects can also act as a real lever to increase the impact of social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations. These projects are the practical, hands-on efforts of social enterprises & not-for-profits organisations. They allow them to engage directly with communities and address specific social issues. Think of them as tools for the gardener. Each with a different function, but used together to achieve a greater purpose. Just as a gardener will use tools to make their work easier. Social projects empower social enterprises & not-for-profit organisations to intervene in communities.
By magnifying the enterprise’s resources, skills and expertise, social projects can help seed these attributes into communities to thrive and grow. Social projects allow for experimentation, learning and refinement of approaches. Creating flexibility and resilience in achieving the organisation’s mission.
Social projects can also show the tangible impact that social enterprise & not-for-profits can have on communities. They can be small or large and help to attract investment and support, enabling the enterprise to scale, and impact even more lives. In this way, social projects are a vital component of the virtuous cycle of growth and improvement that social enterprise & not-for-profits can create.
The social enterprise growing chocolate for life
Divine Chocolate is a UK-based social enterprise. It combines fair trade principles with a co-operative business model. The company was founded in 1998 by a group of cocoa farmers in Ghana and the international development organisation Twin Trading. Divine Chocolate aims to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers. Giving them a voice in the global marketplace and a share of the profits from the chocolate they produce.
Through prioritising fair trade, the company is helping to create a fairer and more sustainable chocolate industry. By empowering farmers, it’s helping to build stronger, more resilient communities. Divine Chocolate is a powerful example of a social enterprise acting as a driver of social change. It has created a social impact virtuous circle of growth through aligning its impact with its business model.
Social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations need to be cared for too!
Social enterprise & not-for-profit organisations are proving to be cultivators of change, nurturing progress and rebuilding communities in meaningful and sustainable ways. It is vital that we continue to support and invest in these organisations so that they can have the greatest possible impact. By embracing the potential of social enterprise & not-for-profits, we can build stronger, more vibrant communities and tackle some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges
Conclusion
Social enterprise & not-for-profits play an important role in addressing the complex issues facing communities. By working at the grassroots level, they are able to tailor their efforts to the specific needs of local communities. Through their efforts, social enterprise & not-for-profits can create a social impact virtuous circle of growth. Meaning the more they benefit society, the more they grow and gain the resources so that they and their communities flourish. Through cultivating social progress and rebuilding communities in meaningful and sustainable ways. It is vital that we continue to support and invest and help these organisations thrive so that they can have the greatest possible impact.
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Other relevant articles:
Social Projects: A Complete Guide.
Your Complete Guide to Project Funding Proposal Success.
Survival of the Fittest is the Wrong Route to Growth & Social Change.