Here you'll find out what we're thinking and doing to support the arts, share learning across the health and social care sector and act on the climate crisis.

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Blog

Social impact across sectors: who's doing it well?

25 Mar 2017

Jessica Rose

Social impact is now everyone's business. Over the last few years it has become increasingly apparent to me that it's not just social enterprises that need to measure, report and communicate their social impact. The need to account for how donations, public money and, increasingly, commercial activities and spend contribute to communities is strong for commercial and reputational reasons.

From public

The Social Value Act has been an excellent catalyst for this. A report from Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), Procuring for Good, found that 33 per cent of councils are now routinely considering social value in their procurement and commissioning.

Introducing Co-relate and the challenge of authentic content

20 Mar 2017

Jessica Rose

Since starting Co-relate just a few weeks ago I've been thinking a lot about brand, content and what Tobias and I stand for under this new banner.

Strangely, we started with an ending. The social enterprise communications agency I founded and ran for seven years, Poached Creative, was put into creditor's voluntary liquidation in November last year. I was made redundant alongside the four staff who had worked hard alongside me and many volunteers who had found their feet with us.

5 ways to improve your website SEO

11 Aug 2016

By Nancy Smallwood

SEO - or search engine optimisation - can be something of a mystery. What does it mean in practice, should your organisation be doing it, and how important are keywords?

If you have a website, you need people to find it. This means doing at least some basic SEO.

Search is a marketing channel and it's one of the most powerful because people search with an intention of buying or doing something. In fact, 81% of all internet journeys start with a search engine and Google and YouTube lead the charge.

There's a lot you can do with organic SEO (the type you don't have to pay-per-click for).

How to get the funding you need to make the impact you want

2 Aug 2016

With access to investment finance and grant funding very competitive, it’s often hard for social enterprises to get the funding they need, to make the impact they want.

For this reason it's vital to plan applications carefully, as failed bids can snowball into rushed applications - perhaps the next one will give you the green light to make the impact you are so passionate about.

Social enterprises generate their own income through the services they provide, but many need financial support to achieve their social objectives. Therefore, having a strong fundraising strategy in place can go a long way in helping organisations expand their social provision and amplify their social impact.

How to be a mental health friendly workplace

20 May 2016

Jessica Rose

On Tuesday our workplace is closing early. Staff, trainees and volunteers will be joining with other Bootstrap tenants and organisations we work with for an afternoon picnic on the roof.

It’s not that we’re not busy on Tuesday. We are! But we recognise the need to stop sometimes, get out of the office and make time to build our working relationships in a social way.

Relationships at work are some of the most significant in our lives and they can have a dramatic affect – positive and negative – on our mental health and wellbeing.