When you come across tool-kits or products for business concepts or growth, it is often easy to think that this web page must be for some giant global corporation – not for my simple allotment project, for example.
We only feature tool-kits and learning elements where the language used and the concepts are easy to understand. Thinking clearly and in a structured way is a great starting point for any community group or organisation from which to begin their journey to traded freedom.
Our own notes about defining your SocEnt ambition…
A series of definitions, concepts and information resources to help you plan your development discussions with your team.
We’ll publish updates, by thematic resource, as the inspiration grabs us. if you have a singular SocEnt or governance question, do use our ‘Tawk‘ button on this web site and we’ll respond with a shared experience.
(Include your email address and we’ll deliver our reply by email if we are away from our desks…Ed).
We like the one-page, simply download, approach of Stir to Action.
Below are a selection of the poster-style concepts, single page tool-kits in reality, to help you formulate your ideas, map your road to change and keep the overall mission in view once you start. We recommend them.
How to set up community agriculture?
A simple flowing chart to help you engage partners, create routes to market and deliver good food to your community.
The complex made easy, in a step by step way! Download your copy here – pdf.
How to host a SOUP?
You can’t use technology, only your persuasive enthusiasm and your idea must benefit the community.
At the end of the event the ‘winner’ takes home the door money. Brilliant.
The enthusiastic idea made visible, in a step by step way! Download your copy here – pdf.
Create a Local Economy blueprint:
Get your team together, develop a project plan and map the shared vision of your local economy. Develop a research idea and write a report. Re-enthuse the jaded economic landscape.
Develop a detailed plan to defeat the daunted. Download your copy here – pdf.
Undertake a Community Wealth evaluation:
Using the Human Scale Approach, tell your story. Work together to define the Nine Fundamental Needs and map them across your community.
Visualise it and make a development plan from all you have done.
Mapping with the many in mind, ready to mint your community capital into a new currency of change. Download your copy here – pdf.
Discover more on the Stir to Action web pages. Time well spent, we think.
Impact Wizard
‘Impact Wizard is an accessible toolkit that guides you, step by step, to assess your social impact. This hands-on tool considers your available time and what you really want to know about your impact, enabling you reflect on, assess and increase your impact. Challenging assignments bring you new insights and a clear view on your social impact.
The tool combines knowledge, data and experiences of a two year action research, coordinated by the Belgian Social Innovation Factory. Although it contains a large selection of impact indicators and assessment methods, it helps you to focus and choose an approach that is relevant for you. The icing on the cake? Impact Wizard puts you on track to communicate and to increase your impact’.
Source: http://www.gsen.global/2017/03/28/impact-wizard-magic-for-your-impact-assessment (Accessed: 18.07.2017)
Not a free toolkit, but free to try and reasonably priced for organisation use.
Business Model Canvas from Strategyzer
‘A global standard used by millions of people in companies of all sizes. You can use the canvas to describe, design, challenge, and pivot your business model‘.
This is a simple tool that realises fabulous results. We use it at SocEntEastMids as a workshop tool.
In sessions you can easily tailor content and delivery to a simple models, or work in groups on more complex social business structures.
Free to download – refreshes the parts of your social business thinking that other tool-kits can’t reach.
Source: https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas (Accessed: 18.07.2017)
The Value Proposition Canvas from Strategyzer
‘A simple way to understand your customers needs, and design products and services they want. It works in conjunction with the Business Model Canvas’.
Once you have agreed the structure of your social business model, you will want to think about the value propositions of your product or service.
Free to download – refreshes even more parts of your social business thinking that other tool-kits can’t reach.
Source: https://strategyzer.com/canvas/value-proposition-canvas (Accessed: 18.07.2017)
Project in A Box
‘You can use these free project management software tools forever. Community Edition and Planner are not a trial and therefore your time spend learning them is not wasted. To help you get up and running quickly we provide great video tutorials and technical support’.
Source: https://www.projectinabox.org.uk/community-edition-2/ (Accessed 26.11.2019)
The Project in a Box suite of tools is a great addition to your development armoury. Whether you are a seasoned PM person, interested in Prince 2, MSP, Agile or Praxis, even the free Community Edition and Planner software has much to offer.
If you are just starting your journey towards formal project management, analysis and reporting, Community Edition and Planner are great ways to develop your skills…and impress the committee with your plan!
Discover Project in a Box here.
