Funding can be a big issue for charities, so it’s not surprising that more and more are moving towards becoming social enterprises to enable them to earn their own income.

Several of the ambassadors work for social enterprises that started off as, or still are, charities. Martin Kinsella, for example, who works for social exclusion charity P3 believes becoming a social enterprise has been invaluable to his organisation.

Martin, top right, runs a charity which is also a social enterprise.

He explains: “For me, there is no conflict between being a social enterprise and a charity, both can support each other. Any surplus or profit we have at the end of the year is put back into the organisation.
 

“We are currently in the process of developing a trading arm - where we will run profit making businesses that are aligned to our core objectives as an organisation. We will offer jobs and training places to socially excluded people and put the profit back into P3 to do more of the same. If that isn't win, win, I don't know what is,” he says cheerfully.

Switching

Many organisations keep their charitable status when making the switch, and there can be tax advantages in doing so. There are legalities to consider when becoming a social enterprise – such as setting up a trading arm - but those that have done it rarely look back.

Jean Jarvis, another of the ambassadors, who works for re-use project, South Shropshire Furniture Scheme, is also a firm advocate of charities making the change. She explains: “I want to inspire charities to become social enterprises, as we have. I want to show them that it is possible to continue to provide their valuable services by generating income streams and moving away from grant dependency.”

See the links below for ideas on how tobecome a social enterprise:

SENScot’s Business Planning Guide to Developing a Social Enterprise

The Cabinet Office’s guide to becoming a social enterprise for voluntary and charity groups

Volunteers and professionals

Many more of us are volunteering, or thinking about volunteering, with socially minded organisations because we’re not happy about just working all day to fill the pockets of big, sometimes unethical, companies.

If this is you, have you thought about using your skills in a new day job at a social enterprise? There are thousands of them in the UK doing amazing, dynamic stuff in communities and they’re keen for people with good skills in all sorts of areas to join them.

Could this be an option? You could find yourself with more free time, more fulfillment and a stronger work ethic by going for a ‘day job’ at a social enterprise. Check out the links below to see what jobs are out there, or take a look at the list of social enterprises here and contact the ones you think you’d like to work for, with a letter introducing yourself.

You could search for social enterprise jobs on www.justmeans.com, at the Third Sector website or on the Guardian’s website, here http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/. Also try, the Social Enterprise London website .