#gmsocent

Together Works is the social enterprise network for Greater Manchester and we are supporting Manchester-based organisations to create or improve their business plans to enable them to secure income by trading for profit.  The Social Enterprise sector is the fastest growing sector in the UK and can help Greater Manchester's economy grow and create sustainable jobs.  Many organisations and people have great ideas or are already successfully trading on a small scale but don't feel ready or able to scale up.  Together Works can help. "Social investment is the provision and use of capital to generate social as well as financial returns. Social investors weigh the social and financial returns they expect from an investment. Social investment is...to generate social impact, but with the expectation of some financial return" (www.bigsocietycapital.com). Social Investment might be the best source of finance where a social enterprise intends to increase in scale and productivity over time. However, we know that take-up for social investment in Manchester has been low and before taking loan financing many individuals need to have greater confidence in their products and demand in the market. This programme offers a rare opportunity for social businesses to learn new skills, have business ideas constructively critiqued by peers and experts and finally to pitch an idea to social investors in a Dragon's Den, with no commitment to take any investments offered. This free programme involves a one day workshop where organisations will work through and improve their business plans and construct robust financial forecasts. The second day of the programme will be based around communicating ambitions clearly and learning more about social investment. The Social Investor 'Dragons' will hear participants' pitches on the afternoon of Tuesday 10th September. To apply, download and return an Expression of Interest form - which can be found here: http://togetherworks.org.uk/SIRP. Applications must be in by Friday 2nd August. To increase access to and understanding of Social Investment, Together Works is also supporting the delivery of a Funders Fair, where community groups, charities, and existing social enterprises can meet Social Investors directly, as well as a plethora of other social funders and grant givers. This is a really exciting opportunity to learn more about Social Finance. The fair will be held on Friday 13th September at King's House Conference Centre, 10am-3.30pm. This programme is part of a wider project funded by a Transforming Local Infrastructure award. For more information about Together Works, please take a look at our website: www.togetherworks.org.uk. Please contact Beth Powell via [email protected] with any enquiries. -- Beth Powell - Interim Membership and Programmes Co-ordinator