He’s known for his quirky bow-tie and incredibly sweet manner when savagely cutting down people who have issues managing their money (it’s ok, he also transforms their lives for good).
Yep, Alvin Hall, one of our most loved TV business personalities is back, and this time, he’s presenting a series on Social Enterprise, Alvin’s Guide to Good Business, currently being aired on the BBC World Service.
The premise is this: Alvin travels the world meeting eight inspiring social enterprises, and helps them with their businesses. He’ll return 6 months later to see how they get on…. Hopefully with fewer tears than the likes of Hell’s Kitchen. Here’s the trailer:
In promoting his show, there are a couple of things Alvin has said that really chime with us. First on fundraising:
“The recent worldwide economic downturn has made fundraising a challenge for most social enterprises, especially those with less data showing the effectiveness of their enterprise. Funders are undoubtedly moved by the emotions underlying the organisation, but they also want proof (or close to it) of its effectiveness.”
Though it’s not the most immediately enjoyable topic, every year people ask for more and more content on evaluation and impact measurement from SHINE. Nick Temple, who runs 1-to-1 consultancies one this topic, gets inundated! We all know that in order to raise money you need to make the case for what you’re achieving.
But the problem when starting up is this: how to even know which kind of impact you should be aiming for. Or what ‘impact’ means in the first place. It’s the fundamental questions that need to be answered before diving in to statistics, so we’ll be making sure all these questions are answered for you this year.
What we’ll also explore is how good evaluation can bring benefits to all aspects of your social enterprise, from business planning through to your marketing, and even recruiting the team.
Another interesting point made by Alvin:
“Often, the enterprise is heavily associated with its founder, who is also the primary fundraiser. Finding or designating the person who can continue the organisation’s work and raise the needed funding is an issue that is often sidestepped – especially if the person has a forceful personality and is doing a remarkable job.”
This comes back to the crux of SHINE, an event and movement to support social entrepreneurs. So many people are starting their businesses on their own, and it’s largely your personalities, drive and persistence that take you through to success. But starting-up when initially one person is tough. It’s tiring, hard-work, and lonely. Sometimes you’re not sure if your judgement is right and whether you’re making sound decisions.
This is where SHINE comes in. By bringing social entrepreneurs together with eachother, we aim to create a supportive environment where you can get practical help, and also feel a part of something bigger, even if day-to-day you’re working on your own. And even more than this, the event helps you work out where you should be focusing your energies, and where you could hand-over to someone else, even when so much hinges on you.
Filed under: Uncategorized, evaluation, funding, impact, media
