O2, social enterprise, and hitting the mainstream

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Peter_Simon_Sam_VOICE10 Amongst all the hullabaloo and fall–out from the launch of the Social Enterprise Mark (see previous post for our take), most commentators missed what I think could be a much more important announcement made at Voice 10 last week: that O2 are committing to providing services and raising awareness of social enterprise to its customers and staff. Or, as they put it, "this is the age of social enterprise, and O2 is welcoming it with open arms". See the page on their website for more.

Obviously for this to be more than just standard CSR verbiage, O2 will need to follow through on that commitment, but I'm encouraged by what I've heard about the number of practical offers and initiatives to follow in the coming months, and the fact that the conversations are with the core business team, not the CSR department; the proof will be in the eating, as ever. The exciting thing is that, rather than looking inwardly at percentages of traded income and dividend levels, this is an example of getting the word out externally to a much bigger audience: through high street retail outlets, a website with reach far beyond any in this sector, and to staff (c. 30,000) and customers (nigh on 20 million) in huge numbers. A massive opportunity for the movement, potentially.

The Social Enterprise Ambassadors programme has often been criticised, sometimes rightly, sometimes (I've felt, admittedly as a partner in its delivery: disclaimer!) inaccurately. But its original brief was to get the word out and raise awareness to new audiences: young people, commissioners, and the commercial business sector. This is a great example, led by Sam Conniff of Livity, of just that kind of work. Alongside the job swaps being organised between ambassadors and leading corporate executives (working with organisations such as Google, Disney, Tribal, Coutts, Rok and more), and speaking engagements across the country, and the current mentoring competition, real progress is being made.

(Social enterprise) mark my words….

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One of the (many!) benefits of working at the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) is that we don’t have to spend too much of our time involved in the definition debates about “what is a social enterprise?” Social entrepreneurs start with a mission, a goal or social objective, and choose whichever activities, income streams, governance, business model and legal structure are best suited to achieving that initial aim. The challenge then becomes one of gaining legitimacy + credibility, through concentrating on financial sustainability, quality of delivery, measuring social impact, involving stakeholders, and communicating all of that transparently. As Aleksandr Orlov would say, “Simples”. 

Where the mark becomes of relevance is for SSE students and Fellows who have chosen a social enterprise model or structure, which is an increasing number: from Bikeworks to Catch 22 magazine to Patient Opinion (and countless others at an earlier stage). And the mark could potentially be useful in helping a social entrepreneur and their social enterprise establish that crucial credibility and legitimacy, given that the criteria cover social impact, trading (relating to financial sustainability), governance etc, and that the mark is all about communication. 

As a ‘learning-by-doing’ organization, ultimately the success of the mark will be judged not this week, or possibly even this year but in 5 or 10 years time. While the CIC structure has itself been a useful ‘identifier’ for the public sector (as I pointed out previously here), a mark that has recognition and value across sectors and markets would have real value. That recognition and value will only come through practice and usage, and whether it is perceived to be worth it on both sides (by practitioners, such as SSE students, starting up and by the markets they operate in). 

 So for all the rumours (is it a halo, is it a swoosh?….does the Guardian qualify for the mark? will Peter Holbrook be fired from a cannon across the stage at Voice 10 to launch it?) and the intense, inward-facing debates that have surrounded the mark to date, and for all the unanswered questions that remain (how will it be marketed, priced, assured, sustained?), the much more important times are ahead. Because now it’s about delivery, not debate; practice, not planning; marking territory, not marking time.

“So long for now” from an SSE intern

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And there it goes: my one month internship at the School for Social Entrepreneurs  – both physically and experientially a world away from home. 

What I was hoping to do in my last blog posting for the SSE was to cover a variety of the “yays” or “nays” of the past month. However, since I have been quizzed all morning about the internship and my experience, I am going to format this post like one of those clichéd chain-letters that we all instantly delete out of our inboxes.  Enjoy!

What was the most enjoyable aspect of the internship?
Being able to work with a variety of the staff at the SSE and undertaking a variety of tasks really made the internship a truly dynamic experience and introduced me to a variety of different angles that one must look at in order to organise successful organisation.

What was the most memorable moment of the internship? 
Catering for the Working with Young People learning event with Cynthia and Matt and organising the rest of the event. Seeing the positive response from the event itself was also incredibly fulfilling.

What was the best UK word or phrase learned?
“You takin’ a mickey outta me?”

What was the greatest experience of the internship?
Shadowing Chief Executive Alastair Wilson to his meeting at the British Library and observe how he worked conversation, initiated a potential partnership, and balanced professionalism and personality in a formal setting.

What was the greatest experience of London?
The PriceWaterhouseCoopers pantomime.  Although I am not the biggest fan of Disney’s Snow White, I thought the pantomime was the complete package tying together every aspect of my experience here in London into one evening. It included everything from a social experience of seeing influential members of charities and organisations come together for an informal meet, greet, and network session, to an entertainment experience of watching PWC staff (accountants, receptionists and everything in between) put on a brilliant play for children and adults, to a learning experience seeing the importance and impact of CSR (corporate social responsibility) from both a marketing and business perspective.

Which was better, the front office or back office?
This could possibly get me in trouble… they both have their own benefits and atmospheres making for an enjoyable experience in their own unique ways.

Was the internship worth it? 
Without a doubt.

To those who read my blog postings, thank you for your interest, comments, and support.

To the SSE, St. Olaf College, and those that supported this endeavour:  Thank you for all of your time, help, and support in making this opportunity possible.

As I depart, I wish you all the best with your social entrepreneurial ventures and remember (as Nick Temple once told me) “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Cheers

Nick Kang
SSE Intern

Intern Update: Last Week at the SSE

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So tomorrow will mark Nick Kang and my last day at the London School for Social Entrepreneurs and I don't think either one of us can really believe the month is over already.  This experience has been a great start to the new year and I am looking forward to tracking the development and growth of the SSE in the coming years. 

Probably one of the best parts of the experience would have to be meeting all of the great students in this year's programme.  They really are an impressive bunch whose enterprises range from money management courses to architectural services for youth centres.  Few times have I ever had the opportunity to meet a group that was so driven and focused to make a change in their community.  What's even more impressive was to sit in on last week's session with the London Weekly programme and to listen to them brainstorm ideas on how to stay together after they graduate from this year's SSE programme. If this fervor to hold regular meetings after graduating from the SSE is any indicator, clearly this is an organization has made an incredible impact on these people's lives. 

Other highlights of the past few weeks would have to include the ongoing intern education of British culture.  As a result of the past month I think it's fair to say the Brit's have a great sense of humour (if a bit dry), can put on a great pantomime, and know how to whip up some wicked scones at a moment's notice.

Thank you SSE staff for the great month. 

Working with Young People: a peer learning session

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YPedit2Just two days ago, the SSE was able to organise a learning session that not only transformed the way individuals thought about young people, but how to work with these young people to define and work towards common goals. This is how it went:
It began during my first week in the SSE office (January 4-9). One of my responsibilities was to ensure that we would have “at least 10 participants” for the event to be successful. Estimating that over half of those who RSVP would not show up, Cynthia advised me to confirm around or as close to 25 as I could.

Nervous at first, I became quite comfortable with the recruiting tasks and communicating with those interested in attending this event. Through countless inbound and outbound e-mails, I had an RSVP list of 34, with 6 more on a Wait List by 20 January, the end of the timeframe I was given. It was a success so far: some were not convinced and as YPedit1a challenge, Cynthia and my fellow intern Matt decided to put a “Full English Breakfast” on the line at a local greasy spoon for who could estimate how many of the 34 would attend. I suppose I knew more information than the others, but regardless, that full English breakfast was delightful. 

Returning to the event, we had twenty-eight participants (including myself and Rosie Ferguson’s young colleague) which packed the Michael Young room like a can of sardines. Prior to the start of the learning session, we had a glorious buffet of cold meats, cheeses, breads, salYPedit3ads, and vegetables catered by SSE’s very own CMN (Cynthia-Matt-Nick) Catering. The session then commenced and London Director of London Youth Rosie Ferguson took the floor and facilitated both the workshop through both large group and small group discussions about “how to engage young people once they’re on board.”

Within the discussions participants often tied working with youth with ideas of partnerships and sponsorships, stereotypes and generalisations, and the balance of professionalism and personality needed to build the bridge between young people and the entrepreneurial world. We were also able to do real-life case studies of each other’s projects and organisations in terms of how we meet the needs of our 6 P's (People, Place, Price, Promotion, Philosophy, and Product) and how our organisations are only as strong as the weakest of these elements.

Overall, the learning session was a huge success thanks to all of the recruiting work done by Cynthia, all of those who helped spread the word about the event, Capacity Builders for supporting the event, Rosie Ferguson for sharing her knowledge and experience, and all the participants for being extremely engaged in the discussions.