UnLtd's Theory of Change

Inspiring others Why do we do it? We believe individuals can be a powerful force for positive social change.

And that communities that face problems contain people who have the solutions. The impact Social innovation: new solutions to problems Our theory of change Employment, increased income The results For social entrepreneurs Satisfaction in 'giving something back' For communities and society Is for a world where people can act to make it better. And how will we get there? We back people as social entrepreneurs in their communities We also work to develop the social entrepreneur support sector into an effective system for help Our vision.... We help social entrepreneurs with high potential for growth to scale up Our support model is based on an understanding of social entrepreneurs' journeys We offer connections to other financial and non-financial support Our support offer is designed to help people through the different stages and transitions in their journeys Stimulating the market for social investment Influencing and shaping policy People acting for social benefit A world where... Larger numbers of social entrepreneurs get help to start up and scale up People who have strong potential to deliver social value, also have the skills and confidence to do so There is a supportive environment in which social entrepreneurs can come forward and thrive Social and economic benefit Social capital: bringing people together Deeper links into the community, reduced isolation Personal growth and development We find the most socially minded and entrepreneurial people We offer different types of Award to suit different stages of the journey Pro-bono advice and mentoring
Peer support
Access to investors Conceiving and developing idea Piloting, testing and refining Small scale sustainability Scaling or replication Character and attributes Motivation and inspiration Background and experiences Venture stops running Social entrepreneur steps back These are options at any stage... The journey of a social entrepreneur: learning by doing The social entrepreneur's journey starts before their venture exists... We've identified four stages in the early development of a social venture Assembling resources Getting others interested Formal or informal planning Delivering at a small scale to see if the idea works Learning what's needed to deliver Finding a business model that's financially and personally sustainable Gradual growth and development Securing investment Building a team Growing the venture, or its impact, quickly They can be moved through at any speed, and in pretty much any order We don't assume that everyone will go through all stages Or even that they want to But they don't necessarily represent 'failure' Aim achieved Approach taken on by a mainstream service Business can't be sustained Personal or financial circumstances change Moves on to set up another venture Doing everything yourself And we support them in moving from thinking to doing Field-based staff and partnership working to scout for 'unusual suspects' Cash to start up and one-to-one support from an Award Manager or UnLtd partner Innovating and learning about new forms of support Between them, our Award Winners support over 1,000,000 people per year Our mission To reach out and unleash the energies of people who can transform the world in which they live. 62% gain leadership skills Researching and communicating about social entrepreneurship, its potential and impact Building capacity of partner organisations to find, fund and/or support social entrepreneurs People we call social entrepreneurs. Jenny Dawson, Rubies in the Rubble These are our three 'strategic objectives' Gary Staniforth, Hidden Voices Emma Morris, Beyond Youth Nathan Cornish, timto Alex Lockett, Project Pigeon Gary's experience of homelessness led him to set up Hidden Voices, a magazine written and produced by homeless people. Alex initially received a start up Award for Project Pigeon through UnLtd's Engage programme. Later, she got £10,000 to help make the venture sustainable. She's now looking to replicate her pigeon fancying workshops, which bring old and young together, in different parts of the country After winning a core Award from UnLtd in 2010, Emma was selected for the Big Venture Challenge in 2011. Since then, she's secured £100,000 from a social investor to help her grow Beyond Youth. The company rehabilitates young offenders. Core Awards: Do It, Build It and Fast Growth Creating jobs Changing lives 89% of UnLtd Award Winners feel able to create social change 83% gain confidence Jo Scott, Moving Forward Peter Olawaye, Aiming Skywards CIC Brendan Thompson, Static Bounce Jos Colover, Green Access and Mobility Areas (GAMA) Bruce Crowther, The FIG Tree Fair Trade Visitor Centre and Cafe 76% of ventures are still running after 3 years