Thought Leadership

Charity Bank, the loans and savings bank for social good, is inviting trustees, directors, CEOs and managers of charities, social enterprises and community organisations to attend a series of free regional events in September and October. Held in collaboration with local and national sector partners, the events will explore the critical role of sustainable finance in driving positive change and fostering thriving communities. The half-day events will be taking place in Liverpool, London, Wolverhampton, and Southampton, with an additional virtual event to ensure that content is accessible to all. Speakers will include national and regional experts including Locality, Community First, Crowe Accountants, Brabners Solicitors, SIB Network, Charity Intelligence, and others. Together they will discuss how sustainable finance can enable charities and social enterprises to unlock their potential, the state of the sector, local challenges, and explore innovative solutions. The events will also offer an opportunity for charities, social enterprises, and community organisations to connect with like-minded individuals, finance experts, and expand their networks. Each event will be hosted from 9:30am – 12:30pm at the following locations: Liverpool (The Bluecoat, L1 3BX): Thursday 28th September London (Museum of Brands, W11 1QT): Tuesday 3rd October Southampton (Ordnance Survey, SO16 OAS): Thursday 5th October Wolverhampton (ASAN, WV2 1EL): Tuesday 10th October Virtual event (Via Zoom): Tuesday 17th October To find out more and register visit charitybank.org/NavigatingChange About Charity Bank Charity Bank is the loans and savings bank for charities, social enterprises and people who want to make the world a better place. It uses its savers’ money to provide much needed loans to UK organisations working to drive positive social change – bringing benefits for people, communities and the environment. Since 2002, Charity Bank has made more than 1,200 loans totalling over £450m to housing, education, social care, community and other social purpose organisations. Charity Bank is owned by social purpose organisations and aims to use its expertise, commitment and flexible approach to lending, to help charities and social enterprises get the support and funding they need. charitybank.org

We’ve been running our Buy Social Corporate Challenge since 2016, supporting big companies across business sectors to bring social enterprises into their supply chains. Our latest annual report shows the Challenge had the most successful year ever, as our 30 corporate partners spent £99 million with social enterprise suppliers. In total, more than £350million has been spent with social enterprises in the seven years of the programme. The premise of the Challenge is simple: working with corporates to use their core business spend to create positive social and environmental impact. And that impact speaks for itself; supplying Challenge partners has enabled social enterprises to reinvest nearly £32m in their missions. Around 3,400 social enterprise jobs have been created thanks to contracts won through the Challenge, with 860 social enterprises supplying Challenge partners last year alone. The number of social enterprises involved in the Challenge rose 43 per cent in the last year, showing the rising interest in social procurement.   Peter Holbrook CBE, Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “The world of procurement is changing. Companies big and small need to consider how they impact people and planet, and make sure they actively work in a way that benefits communities and helps tackle environmental concerns. With nearly £100 million spent on businesses doing just that in the last year, this evidence shows the global cross-sector appetite for unlocking social value in everyday organisational spend is incredibly strong.” Click here to read the Buy Social Corporate Challenge Year 7 Impact Report The Buy Social Corporate Challenge partners are Amey, AstraZeneca, AXA, Barclays, CBRE, Co-op, Compass/Foodbuy, Deloitte, Equans, John Sisk & Son Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, Landmarc Support Services, Lendlease, Linklaters, LV=, Mitie, Motorola Solutions, Nationwide, Nestle, NFU Mutual, PwC, Robertson Group, SAP, Siemens, Sodexo, The Crown Estate, Wates Group, Willmott Dixon, and Zurich Insurance Group. Social Procurement Connect We aren’t currently recruiting partners for the Corporate Challenge, but our Social Procurement Connect service can support organisations of any size and sector to bring social enterprises into their supply chains. Find out more about Social Procurement Connect and get involved here.

The transaction is an offensive to unite two innovative social enterprises and global players in the IT industry; the deal unifies more than 465 autistic employees to become the largest autistic-majority company in the world. auticon and Unicus have entered into an agreement under which the two companies will unite. The deal was brokered by Ferd, an Oslo-based family-owned investment company and shareholder in both companies. The historic deal establishes a global model for an autistic-majority social enterprise and ESG company, addressing the inequalities in employment for neurodivergent adults.   By joining forces, auticon and Unicus increase potential for creating value for customers, employees, and society – in existing and new markets. The combination marks an important next step for our business and social mission. Our customers will get access to a broader range of IT, software and management services and a larger team with a global footprint, while our employees can continue to grow in the same supported work environment.   Under the terms of the deal:  The two combined companies will become the “largest autistic-majority company in the world,” with 81% (465) of its 575 employees on the autism spectrum.  Ferd, an investor in both companies, will become the lead impact investor in the combined company.  The two businesses come together under the umbrella of auticon GmbH as future joint holding company of the auticon and the Unicus shareholders. Lars Johansson-Kjellerød, CEO of the Unicus group will be joining auticon CFO Markus Weber and Group CEO Kurt Schöffer in the management board of auticon GmbH.  The unified company will operate in 14 countries, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, and France.  The company expects to achieve 50M EUR revenue and 600+ employees by the end of 2023. Investors include Ferd, Autism Impact Fund, Ananda Impact Ventures, KOIS, Felix Porsche, Sir Richard Branson, Ferst Capital Partners, and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.  A crisis of unemployment among autistic adults  It is estimated that less than 29% of autistic adults are in any form of meaningful employment (Office for National Statistics, UK, 2022). Many autistic adults possess cognitive strengths that make them particularly well-suited for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Despite this, they are faced with barriers such as an exclusionary recruitment process, poor autism awareness, and employers feeling unprepared to offer support.  With 15 years of experience and a solid track record, a global footprint of 14 countries, proprietary data, and technology platforms, the combined company will provide high-value IT services to clients, including data science, software development, cybersecurity, AI, and quality assurance and testing. Additionally, actionable neurodiversity training and advisory services will become available in Nordic markets.  On a mission to improve the lives of autistic adults  auticon and Unicus are improving the lives of autistic adults through employment. According to internal polling, both companies report significant quality of life improvements for employees, including increased self-esteem, quality of life, income, confidence, and improved well-being. To learn more, view the latest impact reports for Unicus and auticon.   auticon Group CEO Kurt Schöffer commented: “Imagine a company where the majority are autistic. Most could never conceive of such a thing, yet we come to work every day. This merger unites two high-profile IT consulting companies behind a unifying purpose – neurodiversity.”  auticon CFO Markus Weber commented: “This deal makes auticon even more interesting for the financial market. Under the guidance of Ferd, now our largest shareholder, auticon has unlimited possibilities and guidance for further growth.”  Unicus Founder and CEO Lars Johansson-Kjellerød commented: "By our marriage, we create the world's largest autistic-majority corporation. With the focus on neurodiversity, we will continue to create unique results for our customers and an increased quality of life for our employees. The joint companies have the same DNA and vision to create a more inclusive world, and when we combine Unicus and auticon's long experience, that is, in my opinion, the best prerequisites to successfully foster change and innovation and to create the leading Social company focusing on neurodiversity. I am looking forward to the journey ahead!" Ferd owner and Chair, Johan H. Andresen commented: "The combination of auticon and Unicus represents a major milestone for social impact investing. When Ferd started investing in social entrepreneurs in 2007 we had a vision that it would be possible to build and scale these organizations with their innovative solutions and that they could deliver both great social impact and strong financial performance.    Our journey with Unicus started in 2009, with a small grant to fund a pilot project, followed by an investment in auticon in 2018. Now we are witnessing the emergence of a multinational social entrepreneur, one of the very first of its kind. We are very excited and proud to support the new group in its ambitious plans going forward."  About auticon  auticon is an award-winning social innovation company. As an autistic-majority company, we're a resource for talent. We integrate our technology consultants into client organizations, performing as software developers, data analysts, QA engineers, and more. Clients experience our outstanding autistic professionals first-hand, opening minds and achieving diversity goals.  Our model improves the economic and social conditions of the autistic community with quality careers, unlocking opportunity, and empowering client organisations through actionable neurodiversity training and advisory services. Here, our employees build lifelong careers in technology, discovering personal autonomy and improved self-esteem.  Investors include Ferd, Autism Impact Fund, Ananda Impact Ventures, KOIS, Felix Porsche, Sir Richard Branson, Ferst Capital Partners and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. For more information, visit www.auticon.com. About Unicus  Unicus was founded in 2008 by Lars Johansson-Kjellerød, with the vision of a better and more inclusive world for people with autism built on the individual`s strengths. Unicus is an IT company specialized in services within Datascience, Software development, RPA and Software testing and today operates in Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and newly started in Poland, with many of the largest Nordic companies on their customer list. For more information, see www.unicus.com  About Ferd  Ferd is a Norwegian family-owned investment company owned by the fifth and sixth generations of the Andresen family. The investment company is called Ferd (‘journey’) because, in the true sense of the word, it represents ‘travel without an end’. The Ferd vision – to create enduring value and leave clear footprints – articulates a firm commitment to creating value that is not just financial. Ferd is an active, long-term investor in social innovative enterprises that generate measurable social impact using a sustainable business model. Ferd is the majority shareholder in Unicus, and has been a supporter of the company since inception in 2009. For more information, see www.ferd.no/en/ 

This month the Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) team attended Construction News magazine’s CN Meetup event at JW Marriot Grosvenor House in London. The event brought together professionals from across the construction industry to discuss key issues and trends affecting the sector. We were there to show the benefits of working with social enterprise suppliers and how businesses can unlock social value in their everyday spending. Our business relationship executive Francesca Maines spoke at a roundtable about embedding social value and sustainability in procurement processes, supporting the construction sector to engage more with social enterprises. We were also joined by SEUK members including Tarem Services and Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company. SEUK has a strong track record of working with big businesses in the construction sector. Our work has helped embed social procurement, where buying organisations actively choose to work with social enterprise suppliers, into their practices. Our flagship Buy Social Corporate Challenge has seen more than £255 million spent by 30 corporate partners with social enterprises, and our new Social Procurement Connect service helps to bring social enterprises into cross-sector supply chains. We were also instrumental in passing the Social Value Act in 2012, which has helped transform the procurement and commissioning landscape – placing an obligation on public bodies to consider how the services they procure might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the areas they operate in. The Act is also increasingly changing how the private sector operates, especially for businesses that work on public sector contracts. Commenting on the event and the benefits of working with social enterprises, Francesca said: “Working with social enterprise suppliers allows businesses to use their everyday procurement spend to create positive social and environmental impact. It’s using money that would be spent anyway to transform lives and protect the planet. We have seen construction companies use their procurement function to create jobs for marginalised groups, increase supplier diversity and embed sustainable practices into their work. What’s more, social enterprises deliver on quality while being competitive on price. It was great to meet an engaged audience of construction professionals, have meaningful conversations around social value and spread the word about social enterprise.” Other speakers at the table discussion included Syreeta Bayne from Muse, Heather Bryant from Galliford Try, Robbie Blackhurst from Procure Partnerships Framework and Liz Lee from Advance Social Value To find out more about bringing social enterprises into your supply chains visit our Social Procurement Page.

Ten years ago, the small parish of Alston Moor in Cumbria became the UK’s first ever Social Enterprise Place, formally recognising it as an area where mission-led business is thriving. Since 2013, Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) has been recognising these hotspots of social enterprise activity by awarding them with the Social Enterprise Place badge. There are now more than 30 Social Enterprise Places across the UK, ranging from towns and cities to entire counties and regions, but it all started in Alston Moor.   Social enterprises are at the heart of Alston Moor, operating across the economy – from community owned and run snow ploughs and gritters to craft fairs, a pre-school nursery, a gym, specialist wholefood retailing, and a village shop with a post office. The area's three main tourist attractions, a narrow gauge railway, a motor museum and even the visitor centre for the local Roman Fort are all social enterprises. A social enterprise, Cybermoor, was even instrumental in improving internet connectivity in the town, working to provide residents with computers and internet access. The latest evaluation of social enterprises in Alston Moor showed that they have supported create 50 jobs, worked with 200 volunteers and have a combined turnover of £1.5 million. Following Alston Moor’s example, Cumbria itself was declared a Social Enterprise County in 2018, recognising the contribution of social enterprises to the entire region. To commemorate ten years of Alston Moor gaining Social Enterprise Place status, two special events took place last week, bringing together social enterprises and supporters from across Cumbria and beyond. On Thursday 13 July, a day-long event was held at the Rheged arts centre to celebrate a decade of the community-driven businesses that have put Alston Moor on the social enterprise map. Guests heard from three inspiring social enterprises all of which operate in Alston Moor – Cybermoor, Charge my Street and Cumbria Health on Call. Charge my Street install and operate community electric vehicle charge points to ensure every home in the town is within five minutes from a charging point, making it easier to operate electrical vehicles. Cumbria Health and Call are a social enterprise addressing the difficulty in accessing health services in rural areas with their in and out of hours services helping residents get the primary healthcare they need. These businesses were joined on a panel discussion by Cllr Virginia Taylor from Westmorland and Furness Council, Martin Allman Social Enterprise Manager at Cumberland Council and Clive Hirst from Social Enterprise Solutions who originally came up with the idea of the Social Enterprise Places programme in 2013. The discussion was chaired by Rob Randell the lead on the Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership and also featured contributions from Peter Holbrook and Liz Minns from SEUK. The next day, guests took part in a Social Enterprise Safari around Alston Moor, which showcased the diversity of the town’s social enterprises. SEUK’s Chief Executive, Peter Holbrook said: “It was great to return to Alston Moor, ten years since it gained Social Enterprise Place status, to see how the town’s social enterprises have grown and developed. “Alston Moor shows how a town can use social enterprise to not only take on the challenges faced by many rural areas, such as isolation and digital connectivity - but also how social enterprises can bring a community together, creating shared spaces and a sense of pride. “Congratulations to Alston Moor, a true social enterprise trailblazer!” To find out more about the Social Enterprise Places programme click here. The events at Alston Moor are part of a series of events which will celebrate the ten year anniversary of the programme with other events being listed here.

Social Enterprise UK member Fair for You is a winner in the prestigious Global Good Awards for the second consecutive year. Fair for You was recognised in the Community Partnerships category for its pioneering Iceland Food Club scheme, which it operates for retailer Iceland Foods. The zero-interest loans scheme, which enables families to stock up ahead of school holidays, has been used by more than 26,000 households, meaning an estimated 50,000-plus children have been able to avoid going hungry. Evidence has shown that the scheme has helped parents to get control of their finances, reduce stress and anxiety, and avoid having to use dangerous illegal lenders. In 2022, Fair for You was awarded the 'One to Watch' prize in the Community Partnership category, not long after the scheme was rolled out nationally. In 2023, it took a step up and secured a Bronze award in what was again a highly-competitive category. Simon Dukes, CEO of Fair for You, said:  "The Iceland Food Club, our ground-breaking partnership with Iceland Foods, has helped remove the threat of food poverty from an estimated 50,000 children. "In turn it has helped their parents to get their finances under control, and avoid having to turn to dangerous illegal lenders. "Being recognised alongside other fantastic schemes by these prestigious awards is further validation of the power of affordable credit, and the impact retailers can have through such partnerships." Earlier this year, the Iceland Food Club was highlighted as an important measure by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ending the Need for Food Banks, supported by the Trussell Trust, in its report ‘Cash or food? Exploring effective responses to destitution’. The report highlighted the social impact of the Iceland Food Club, and the role of affordable credit schemes such as this in helping to “prevent people needing to turn to loan sharks or high-interest loan companies, which could make a bad situation turn worse”. Fair for You was created in 2015. It is owned by a charity, and reinvests all surpluses into its social mission of supporting financially-excluded households to buy essential items, avoid hardship and improve their financial resilience. It is backed by a range of leading charities and social investors, including Big Issue Invest, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Social Investment Scotland and the government-supported Fair4All Finance.

Bridgit Care, a social enterprise supporting unpaid carers across the UK, is providing services to help the approximately 5.7 million unpaid carers in the country who take care of their friends, family, and neighbours.   Due to the large number of carers and limited government resources, it is difficult for healthcare and social care teams to provide the level of support they would like to offer this community. Bridgit works in partnership with the NHS, Local Authorities, and Carer Charities to address this challenge. Their services identify carers, link them to appropriate support, and help them access the assistance they need. Bridgit use technology to scale up the support that can be provided. Designed by carers and care experts, Bridgit’s resources are specifically tailored to the busy and often stressful lives of people who regularly care for others. The platform is user-friendly with simple navigation and a clean layout, ensuring comfortable exploration even for those with limited digital skills. Bridgit’s Online Self-help tool designed to be inclusive and free to use, for any carer in the UK, and have already supported carers from every UK town and city.   This tool allows carers to explore wellbeing, employment, finance, and care advice, as well as events, local and national support services, and training opportunities.  This free support now also includes the ability to have a Whatsapp chat via the new virtual Carer Coach Ask Bridgit, the first of its kind to use Chat GPT to support social care. Announcement It’s Carers Week, and Bridgit Care are proud to announce that they have received an Inclusive Innovation award from Innovate UK.  With the funding from this award the team have worked with Dorset Council to develop a new interactive, and inclusive online service that allows carers to easily complete a carers assessment and submit it to their local authority.  In May 2023, Carers UK issued a report highlighting the importance of access to carers assessments and the importance of providing an online option.  Local Authorities have a statutory requirement to support carers to complete an assessment to understand the needs of their carers, providing them with extra support that they are entitled to.  Due to increased pressures in Social Care many regions are struggling to process carers assessments as quickly as they would like. Cllr Jane Somper, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, said: “Bridgit is an exciting and important step for the council to encourage more people who care for others to access the free support they are entitled to. To have shaped Bridgit with local expert input has been excellent and I encourage anyone who is or thinks they may be a carer, to explore Bridgit for themselves.” Since the solution went live in May 2023, carers and professionals in Dorset have also been positive about the new service.  A carer for their mum & sister said “So far I’ve learned about so much out there I had no idea about. Absolutely invaluable. Thank you so much.”  Darren Crombie, founder of Bridgit, said: “Getting help for carers who do an invaluable but often unseen job, unpaid, is at the centre of everything we do. Working with carers and care professionals in Dorset has been a great experience for us and I hope this truly local online tool encourages people to come forward and sign up as a carer to get all the support that is available. Bridgit Care are in discussion with a number of Local Authorities to provide this service within their regions.  If you are a Local Authority of Carer Charity and would like additional information on the new service or Bridgit’s broader support, you can book a meeting here to find out more.

Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) and representative bodies from across the healthcare sector have written to the Heath Secretary reiterating the need for central funding to ensure the new NHS pay deal includes the many social enterprise staff delivering NHS services. A crucial part of the NHS family, social enterprises deliver over £1bn of services and employ many thousands of staff while reinvesting any profits in communities. Despite this huge contribution, the Government has not included social enterprises in a new NHS ‘backlog bonus’ being awarded to recognise the intense pressures on these vital staff. Earlier this year, the Health Secretary promised a pay uplift for “all staff” on ‘Agenda for Change’ contracts – but his Department has still not found this money for those working in social enterprises under the same contractual terms and conditions. Without central funding to cover the uplift, thousands of social enterprise healthcare providers around the country will struggle to retain staff and sustain critical services.  This week’s letter builds on SEUK’s campaigning alongside healthcare members for Government funding to include social enterprises in the NHS pay deal. The letter warns the Health Secretary that he risks “treating many thousands of staff unfairly when they are just as skilled, committed and essential to the provision of NHS services as those employed by other providers”, creating “inequity of services and a two-tier healthcare workforce”. SEUK signed the letter alongside the British Dietetic Association, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Podiatry, UNISON and UNITE. Peter Holbrook CBE, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, commented: “We expect the Department of Health to take urgent steps to solve this - as they did previously in 2018 - before staff, services and patients are adversely affected. The Government must deliver on the Health Secretary’s words.” Click here to read the full letter If you agree that social enterprises delivering vital NHS services should be included in the new pay deal, please sign this petition and join over 17,000 of us calling for urgent Government action.