This article was published in the December 2014 edition of the Small Business Connect newspaper. It is part 5 in a series of 11 articles that unpacks the mind-set of a social enterprise and discusses the principles from Think like a Social Enterprise.

This article discusses how organizations must be able to demonstrate value for money. In other words, donors, investors and beneficiaries must feel that they are getting a good deal given the price versus the quality social outcomes that are being achieved.

This edition profiles Malcolm Boyd from Our Governance – a social enterprise that has developed an online training programme to improve the governance of non-profit organizations.

This article was published in the November 2014 edition of the Small Business Connect newspaper. It is part 4 in a series of 11 articles that unpacks the mind-set of a social enterprise and discusses the principles from Think like a Social Enterprise.

This article discusses how too few organizations are able to provide solid evidence of their social or environmental impact. All they can do is explain how busy they have been. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help them to get funding or investment. It also prevents them from innovating.

James House is profiled in this edition. This children’s home in Cape Town is extremely successful at rehabilitating children with severely dysfunctional behavioural patterns. James House’s success in monitoring and evaluating its work is also highlighted.

Even though South Africa’s social enterprise market is relatively young, the potential of using social enterprises to channel procurement spend to have a powerful social impact should act as a source of real hope for all of us. In this article I discuss how corporates can unlock this potential and overlay their existing procurement processes with a deeper sense of responsibility. I also discuss the value of committing to a more careful selection of suppliers.

This article was published in the Impact Magazine in October 2014 which was released at a conference on enterprise development.

This article was published in the October 2014 edition of the Small Business Connect newspaper. It is part 3 in a series of 11 articles that unpacks the mind-set of a social enterprise and discusses the principles from Think like a Social Enterprise.

This month’s article discusses why it is so important to measure social outcomes. It presents the logic model which describes the relationships between inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes. It also discusses how the measurement of outcomes can help organizations to refine their business models and attract funding and investment.

Josh Cox from Trade-Mark is profiled in this edition. This social enterprise links skilled township tradesman with suburban households in need of their services. This profile discusses how Trade-Mark made a major breakthrough after its started measuring its social outcomes.

This article was published in the September 2014 edition of the Small Business Connect newspaper. It is part 2 in a series of 11 articles that unpacks the mind-set of a social enterprise and discusses the principles from Think like a Social Enterprise.

When I started in the social sector in 1996, it was common for organizations to have vision and mission statements. These tended to be extremely abstract and provide no strategic focus. It is unfortunate how many organizations wonder through life without a sense of where they’re going. This article discusses the importance of clarity of purpose and the ability to clearly state one’s purpose without using jargon.

This edition also profiles Karen Moss from Steps, and organization that has healed clubfoot in over 8,200 children in Southern Africa since 2005. This organization has incredible clarity of purpose and this clarity has been a building block in its success.

I’ve discovered that social enterprise is both a business model and a paradigm or way of thinking. While the social enterprise business model is only suitable for some organizations, I believe that almost all organizations with a social agenda can benefit from embracing the mind-set of a social enterprise.

This e-book from June 2014 describes each of the 10 principles that underpin the way that social enterprises think. This is relevant to all types of organizations.

Social innovation is not a magic pill, but a process. Making a social innovation work is not simple. But when it does, it might be tempting to believe you can just duplicate the process again and again and it will keep working. But it’s not that simple. Let’s look at the reality of scaling, and some crucial questions you need to ask before trying. In this article I discuss the reality of scaling social innovation.

This article was published in the May 2014 edition of Inside Out – the magazine of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

It is time for many organizations to rethink their strategies and learn the new rules for success. Those that are able to will thrive; those that don’t may be required to close their doors.

Kate Clayton and I have developed the Strategic Rethink in August 2013 to enable organizations to re-examine their strategies and discover what they need to focus on. Kate Clayton is a brand and marketing strategist that I’ve worked with over the years.

This Strategic Rethink is a six session programme that covers Business Strategy, Brand Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Plan and Strategic Debrief.

Read more about the Strategic Rethink and how it can help your organization on its journey.

Imagine it’s 1946 and World War 2 has just ended. Both Japanese and allied forces have withdrawn from many small Pacific Islands. Military aircraft no longer drop supplies to their soldiers on remote islands, and the flow of goods to natives has ended. Local shamans have inspired their followers to build “pretend” airfields, control towers, and straw soldiers. Some of the more inspired local leaders have dressed their followers in imitation uniforms and now parade the fake soldiers on runways. A cargo cult has been established in an effort to trick airplanes to land and drop supplies. This is ritual mimicry married to a poor understanding of what is really going on.

It is no surprise that most strategic planning processes closely resemble cargo cults and these misunderstood rituals tend to be unsuccessful and provide little value to companies. In this article from June 2012, Dr Roger Stewart and I discuss both the failure of strategy and what organizations can do to improve their strategies.

The emergence of the phrase “social enterprise” is a positive sign of change. However, the term is often defined in varying ways. In this article from June 2012, Dr Roger Stewart and I define “social enterprise” and discuss how traditional charities can start the journey to becoming social enterprises.