We believe in the 'social business model' and aspire to the same ends,
in our very small way, as Professor Muhammed Yusuf did in setting out
the
seven principles of a social business.
For us they are...
1. Business objectives will be to overcome poverty (in information,
education,
literacy, health, technology and web access, community and environment)
which
undernourishes people and society; but not for profit maximisation
2. Financial and economic sustainability is a key aim for all our
clients...
3. Project investors, if any, get back their investment amount only; no
dividend is given beyond investment money - the project inception
agreed aims of impactful social and economic outputs remain a given, of
course...this is the true return on the investment made in and with
human capital.
4. When any investment amount is paid back, any partnership surpluses
stay
with the project programme for expansion and improvement of our social
business activity
5. We work in environmentally conscious ways
6. Our workforce, consultants and associates get proper market payments
with openly better working conditions - we are tolerant, inclusive,
flexible and family friendly
7. We do it with joy
We
are wedded to the ideas of equality, inclusion and community
development
as a strategy for social and economic change.
In
partnership with our selected suppliers we also
deliver services and
resources - all designed to help you grow and develop your children's
centre, school project or programme, charity, community business or
social enterprise.
You
can see details of our ethical, social business trading styles below on
this page.
changethinking
- our
partnership blog
...for news, ideas, resources or just things we want to
say.
A
brief sortie through some if the items that interest us in our work.
A
framework and fee structure for helping you tackle the Self
Evaluation
Model in your Centre (2012)
By Sue
Martin
A document from our Partnership service portfolio detailing how we can
help your Centre get to grips with the Self Evaluation Forms for your
Centre.
The SEF process should be straight forward, but we we know that in
lively settings with all their priorities, marshalling complex evidence
and writing it up crisply and clearly can consume resources of time,
energy and expertise that can better be deployed in service delivery.
SmithMartin LLP are experts in the management of Centres, delivery of
policy and practice in settings and have experience at formulating
documents that reflect the good work you do.
You can see in this short two pages the type of work our experienced
team have done, timescales and fees for the delivery of our support.
Let SmithMartin LLP make the SEF process simple.
If our partnership can help in any way the development of the
governance, branding or communication of your setting, charity or group
do
contact Tim
Smith, our lead partner on governance, social enterprise and
charity business creation.
You may find the featured document above and many
other useful
information resources for
community business, schools, children's centres and social enterprise on
our archive page.
Recent
site updates...
We are happy to work
with clients in the preparation of projects Recognising that complex
decisions to spend or facilitate necessarily
take time.
Books go Walkabout - a project
between England and Australia, all about authors and books...
Social
Business books
A range of titles to help start that social enterprise
or to get a community business off the ground.
(Powered by Amazon.co.uk - books
shipped with confidence)
Books
for children
We are specialists in children's book sales, community
library development, literacy and reading projects.
Buy the best in children's books here.
(Powered by Amazon.co.uk -
children's books picked and packed with confidence)
SmithMartin
supports open knowledge sharing and literacy development.
Send
friends, family or colleagues a new book - courtesy of
Amazon.co.uk
SmithMartin
LLP
Our ethical project and trading styles...
Thirdsectorweb.co.uk
Community web design, hosting and email.
From
a simple and elegant static site to interactive
surveys, online newsletters, staff and parent bulletin boards or file
share spaces...we can create secure bespoke solutions for
your on-line
community in the public and charity sectors.
Providing an accessible, clear and affordable web
presence for your sector. Read
more...
Books go Walkabout
A project to connect
authors, illustrators and children across the globe.
Working in your setting to
enable conversations, thinking about books
and writing and
exploring new communities. Read
more...
City
Stories
Our project to bring authors, storytellers and
illustrators into communities.
We bring events, people and books.
We work with you to make the occasion free at the point of delivery for
families and children.
We give away books as part of our project to make starting your first
library easy. We build a community web site to support the event and
help to start a community children's book group - to keep the reading
effect going and growing. Read
more...
Discounts and up to date children's book news and
features always available.
Your purchases
are always safely delivered by Amazon.co.uk
Always adding new titles to our lists -
helping us bring a broad range of books for children's centres, schools
and community groups.
Read
more...
In 2013, Dolphinbooksellers will become our new
marque for publishing e-books,. in a variety of formats, integrating
our e-publishing expertise into the project ambitions we share with
partner organisations like Worldreader and the World
Literacy Foundation.
dolphinbookshelf.co
A children's book display in handmade
English willow from sustainable sources.
Whether your are intent on advancing the family support or
literacy agendas, the Bookshelf book basket is an ideal way for parents
and children to capture a quiet moment and purchase that book that
really captures the imagination.
We can help with engagement
opportunities in your reception area ... Read
more....
The Bookshelf basket also makes a great volunteer project - booksales
as part of a reading group or Centre event, managed and delivered by
your supporters.
Offering children centres and community a chance to increase
literacy and make a contribution to Centre sustainability...and great
children's books too as always. Read
more...
Experiments in
social business design and creation...
JFC
Distribution
Our experimental test-bed for developing partnership
ideas with mainstream businesses, to inject the social philosophy into
the business concept.
Our current plans for 2013 include the creation of an ethical,
collectively organised coffee shop and a raft of new e-commerce
opportunities, designed to cross-subsidise our partnership work in the
Third Sector arena.
blueQuarter.co
A web design, hosting and content creation service,
dedicated to providing services and resources to community enterprise
start-ups, engaging with nascent private sector entities to bend and
shape the language of the web to social business contexts.
A modest 'for profit' exercise, which will look to target the private
childcare sector, for example, in 2013 - where we can utilise
our sector knowledge and skills to the fullest.
collectedworks.info
A partnership approach to research, evaluation and
project management delivery - which seeks innovative collaborations,
making the ad-hoc team approach to larger contracts a stronger pitch,
enhancing and adding value to the work of the partnerships we create.
Relevant sector approaches in 2013 will be financial literacy, social
enterprise creation and support, community building development and
stabilisation and larger web/technology related projects requiring both
project management skills, but also access to hardware and software
expertise.
Pausing
to reflect...
They
always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them
yourself.
Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987), The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
You may find the featured document above and many
other useful
information resources for
community business, schools, children's centres and social enterprise on
