Social Economy West's impact on purpose-led organisations
Social Economy West has supported over 220 organisations in the West of England since 2024. Learn more about the impact this support had on the organisations involved and the sector as a whole.
Since 2024 Social Economy West has supported over 220 purpose-led organisations in the West of England, through specialist mentoring, interactive workshops, action planning, one-to-one support and investment-readiness advice.
The programme, funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and delivered by Business West, alongside 3SG, Voscur, CVS South Gloucestershire, BBRC and School for Social Entrepreneurs, has made an impact across the region, helping organisations that have a core social offering.
Douglas Ure, CEO at Business West commented, "Over the last two and a half years, Social Economy West has aided organisations in the third sector to take a step back, evaluate their organisations and receive support where needed most. This has resulted in the creation of 316 jobs, 61 new products or services being introduced and 83 organisations reporting increased turnover not attributable to grant funding. Nine of those supported are also now receiving investment into their organisations, whilst 92 had help to develop a carbon action plan."
Throughout the programme, organisations benefitted from up to 12 hours of fully funded support, from help with strategy and investment, to advice on diversifying income streams and managing risk more effectively. Charities, social enterprises, community interest companies (CICs), and more, had access to 55 workshops throughout the project on topics such as funding, future planning, volunteer strategy, collaborations and mergers.
42 organisations also took part in the Accelerator Programme, led by School for Social Entrepreneurs. Participants received intensive support incorporating workshops, action learning, expert input and peer collaboration. Kelsey Booy from Mamas Bristol, a community-support organisation that helps families, parents and children said, "Mamas Bristol has gained the confidence and insight into the future to permit us to push forward with progressive actions.”
From evaluation of Social Economy West’s impact, mentoring and personalised one-to-one advice were consistently identified as the most valuable parts of the programme. Organisations valued access to knowledgeable specialists who understood the pressures facing purpose-led organisations and could function as independent sounding boards.
Roz Lambert from First Steps Bath, a charity supporting young children and their families, especially those facing poverty, disadvantage or additional needs, commented, “The support through Social Economy West has been essential in helping us gather factual evidence to make strategic changes and explore realistic options to generate a surplus, ultimately increasing our impact.”
LoveWell UK said, "Social Economy West supported us through several diagnostic and action plan meetings, as part of our package of support. Securing social investment and getting investment ready was a key focus of these meetings, and the support we received was brilliant.”
The mentor we worked with was very experienced in the voluntary sector and offered various suggestions and solutions to address the issues we were facing as an organisation. They also helped us to clarify the direction we wanted to go in and how to make this happen.
Lynda Williams, CEO Paul's Place commented, "“Having an experienced mentor helped us make informed decisions. It was beneficial having someone who was knowledgeable about the different legal entities for community cafes who could help us decide which approach was right for our organisation.”
54% of organisations that responded to a post support survey reported improved leadership or governance, whilst 43% reported improved business planning. Without the support from Social Economy West, 43% or respondents believed they would have achieved outcomes more slowly with 11% believing they would not have achieved desired outcomes at all.
95% of organisations said this type of specialist support for the Voluntary, Social and Community Enterprise (VCSE) sector remained necessary.
Antony Merritt, Head of Business Growth at West of England Mayoral Combined Authority said, “It’s clear to see the impact that the Social Economy West programme has had on the VCSE sector across the region. Supporting and investing in organisations that give back to the community strengthens the place in which we live, including the creation of jobs, products and services.”
The VCSE sector contributes greatly to our economy and community. Structured investment and expert support yield great results and we are keen that the government recognises this need in the form of further support in the coming months.
