Working with Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent (VAST), (https://www.vast.org.uk/) SAN delivered 2 free information events to VAST members on Building Effective Organisations – Are you making a difference and can you show it?
The first was on November 14th in Stoke which 16 people attended and the second in Stafford on January 28th 2019, attended by 18 people.
The sessions were aimed at voluntary/community groups, social enterprises and Small & Medium Enterprises wanting to develop purposeful businesses and demonstrating the value of the work they provide in their communities.
They focused on organisations being clearer about their purpose – what they are doing, how and for whom – and understanding how they can, very simply, demonstrate the Value and the Impact of their work.
The sessions were intended to provide a basic introduction to social accounting and audit with some practical resources for participants to take away and put into practice.
They covered:
- Examining and reviewing the organisation’s purpose and what it wants to achieve through their Vision, Mission, Values, Objectives and Activities
- Identifying who their Key Stakeholders and Beneficiaries are through stakeholder mapping
- Exploring ways to obtain feedback from stakeholders on the organisation’s work with questionnaires and surveys
- Creating simple social reports on the value of their work based on stakeholders’ feedback and,
- Using this information for organisational planning, promotion/publicity and preparing funding applications
The events were designed to improve organisations’ business practices, reporting on their social value and being accountable to clients, investors, funders and commissioners.
This is what some people said about the session in Stoke:
- I liked the logical approach to strategic planning and the importance of consulting stakeholders.
- The simplicity of the information provided – easy to understand.
- Getting a structure to use to refresh organisational strategy.
- Good to step away from the day job and think about longer-term planning.
- The pace – lots of time to reflect and discuss. The content was well explained.
…and in Stafford, some people said:
- Social mapping & having clear mission & vision statements
- Inspired to revisit our business plan. Short and to the point.
- It was easy to understand.
- Helped with where we need to go. How we can achieve this.
- Gave focus. Strategic planning.
- Reviewing our plan. Stakeholder consultation.
If you are interested in arranging a similar event in your area contact your Regional Coordinator http://bit.ly/SANRegionalCoordinators
Sean Smith
Social Audit Network SAN 