Knowledge and E-Learning
The NCVO Knowhow Non Profit website offers a good, rich source of tools, resources, how-to guides and templates to support the development of voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises: https://knowhownonprofit.org
Key Fund
The Key Fund’s online enterprise toolbox has lots of business support tools and resources as well as their latest news on social enterprise and social investment: https://thekeyfund.co.uk/finance/our-support/
Big Society Capital
Big Society Capital has produced a resources map that has links to lots of useful resources on all aspects of developing a business:
Social Investment
A good place to learn about social investment is the Good Finance website resource that will help you to navigate the world of social investment. Here you can find out what social investment is, the types of social investment and who the social investors are. It has a good, quick diagnostic tool that will help you to identify if social investment is for you, and some great resources on measuring social impact. It also has excellent case studies:
https://www.goodfinance.org.uk/
Social Investment Guides
We have selected a few good social investment guides that provide an overview of what social investment is, what it can be used for and the different types of social investment:
An NCVO guide and toolkit on social investment
https://www.scrt.scot/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Social-investment-toolkit-NCVO.pdf
This Big Potential Social Investment Guide provides a great simple overview:
This is a useful guide on social investment:
https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/social-investment-explained
Social Enterprise News
Pioneers Post is a magazine and online website that functions as the trade news source for social enterprises, responsible business and social investment. Pioneers Post aims to build the success of social business and promote shared value, social responsibility and sustainability alongside entrepreneurship. Sign up here: https://www.pioneerspost.com/
Also see the Pioneers Post special guide on social investment, with an A-Z of social investment at the end of this issue:
https://www.pioneerspost.com/sites/default/files/PPQ%239%20special%20guide%20social%20investment.pdf
Social Enterprise UK is at the forefront of Social Enterprise policy and has some great online resources too. Sign up and stay up to date: https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/
Social Impact
Good Finance has some good, useful guides and resources to help you measure and report on your social impact:
https://www.goodfinance.org.uk/measuring-social-impact/resources-and-reports
Inspiring Impact
Inspiring Impact has lots of good useful resources and tools on measuring impact, and has recently been awarded Lottery funding to support the sector:
https://www.inspiringimpact.org/
Social Value UK
Social Value UK are experts on social value and provide training and support in social return on investment. They have a database of SROI evaluations and manage a really useful platform called Global Value Exchange that has thousands of outcomes, indicators and valuations. http://www.socialvalueuk.org/resources/global-value-exchange/
