Predicting the future?

Part of our role as FaithAction is to try to predict the future.

What will a new government want to fund? What types of programme best fit new department priorities? How can faith and community groups shape their work to fit new opportunities, new challenges and new priorities?

But for us, the most important question is whether organisations within the sector should have to flex to meet these ever-changing priorities. Especially when activity needed in local communities seems a world away from the high level discussions of Government departments.

What is made clearer every day as we look at the gathering financial storm in Europe is that there is likely to be ever decreasing funding available for social action programmes! Would it not be better for organisations to have some form of independent financial source that was not subject to changes in priorities?

So how do we pay for Big Society?

This is the question that has been buzzing round the FaithAction office. What’s more we think we have a part of the answer.

Which is why we are working together with GreenwichUniversity and the The Social Investment Business on a ‘How to’ Event on Social Enterprise on 28^th November at SOAS in London. We wanted to provide our members and other voluntary and community organisations the opportunity to practically examine how to increase revenue through Social Enterprise, so we are pleased to be joined by:

• Farah Islam-Barrett (Race Equality Foundation) who has extensive experience helping ideas get off the ground
• William Greenwood (Hope Street Centre) who has many years’ experience in health and social enterprise
• Anthony Collins Solicitors who will be leading a session looking at the legal nitty gritty of setting up social enterprises.

The event will have a workshop feel so we can take a practical look at how to get the necessary resources we need to affect the communities we are working with. I will be running a workshop looking at how to maintain your values while running a business. https://www.faithaction.net/index.php?p=409

If you attend you will:

1. Get briefed on why Social Enterprises are important
2. Have a chance to ask the experts
3. Attend two workshops tailored to your needs
4. Learn about the journey of social enterprise
5. Meet with other organisations in the same position.

We are confident that this event will have a practical edge – Social Enterprise is something many organisations will need to embrace to reach their communities in coming years.

About Daniel Singleton

National Executive Director

Daniel Singleton has been the National Executive Director of FaithAction since 2007. This role has seen Daniel forge close working relationships across a number of national government departments, as well as local statutory and voluntary-sector bodies. As part of FaithAction’s mission to connect national and local government with grassroots organisations, Daniel also meets regularly with FaithAction member groups to help them develop in their social action.

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