This year we were delighted to receive funding from The Mathew Trust which will allow us to provide seven individuals to participate in the next intake of The Circle Academy. Through this funding there are four free spaces on the Full Circle package and three on the Semi Circle package.
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Demonstrating the impact and value of your organisation essential, especially nowadays for the continued success of your organisation.
Organisations are accountable to their funders in terms of evidencing how they have spent any grants they receive and the outcomes of the projects these have funded. And increasingly, consumers are considering a companies social impact when making purchasing decisions, and in an era of greenwashing and virtue signaling, consumers want proof of what their money is going to support.
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Cohort 3 of The Circle Academy commenced on the 17th of September 2020 after 6 months of what can only be described as COVID-related chaos. It was an immense victory for us to be able to pilot the first ever fully digital Academy programme, with a brand new Academy Manager, a purpose built online learning platform and eight existing or aspiring social business leaders along for the ride.
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Last Wednesday, on the 4 year anniversary of the founding of The Circle, and one year on from the last, we released our Social Impact report for 2019/20.
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November 25th this year will mark our 4th anniversary since launching. Every year we mark this occasion by publishing our Social Impact Report at a launch event. This year our celebrations will be slightly different, but we will be celebrating nonetheless! Instead of hosting the launch at our premises on Staffa Place as usual, this year we will be hosting an online event on Wednesday 25th November from 3.30pm to 5pm.
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We are offering a webinar on governance with former Alliance Trust Company Secretary, Donald McPherson. The session will be running on Thursday 15th October from 10am to 11.30am.
Donald McPherson has worked in legal and governance roles in listed companies for 30 years, including his role at Alliance Trust PLC, where he was responsible for setting up and chairing the Alliance Trust Foundation. He is currently the Chair of The Circle, a corporate governance consultant and non-executive Director.
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The Semi Circle is a programme we have launched under The Circle Academy. 2020 has seen huge changes to the way we do things and brought our plans for a digital version of our in-person Academy programme right to the forefront. We’ve created a specialised digital learning platform to host our programme and populated it with new and improved content.
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From pay it forward schemes to eco friendly products, to cafes that employ individuals with additional needs, chances are you’ve know of a social enterprise or interacted with one in some way.
It was around 10 years ago that Toms, the shoe brand, hit high streets with their promise to give a pair of shoes for each one that was purchased. and it was the first time in my memory at least that a big brand had social impact built into their business model.
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The Circle Academy is an intensive learning programme that provides a mixture of expert led sessions, exclusive online content including The Academy Manual, one to one practical learning and expert consultancy time to help you deliver a well researched and credible business plan, cash flow and marketing plan worthy of investment.
Over 12 weeks, it covers 12 key elements of running a More Than Profit business including entrepreneurial mindset, business planning, legal structure, governance, finance, marketing, sales and selling, teams and culture, social impact, funding and pitching.
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A man walks into a bank, pulls out a gun and says to the clerk, “Give me all your money. I need to set myself up in new social enterprise. I need initial investment until my cash flow is established.”
The manager turns to the clerk and says, “You’d better do what he says, I think he means business.”
How right our robber is, any social enterprise, no matter the size or how long it has been established, needs to have a robust cash flow. Like any other business, lack of cash is one of the biggest reasons for small business failure.
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