As I mention numerous times on the pages of this site, I wish I could do what I do for free, but I need to live and my children keep asking for food and stuff! So yes, unashamedly there is a charge for me to come and support you with your project. It's not extortionate like some consultants, but it's still a fee. But as I have been immersed in community, church and social enterprise projects for 20 years, I fully appreciate that budgets are beyond tight and often running at a deficit. I've run projects like that and have chased funding just to keep the lights on so I totally get it. Like you, I've seen people and places that could probably help the project I'm in, but I've looked at the price tag and struggled to make it work.
So, one of my Associate roles is with a wonderful organisation called Community Enterprise, who are Scotland’s most responsive and effective provider of highly skilled support, helping communities and social enterprises to turn great ideas into reality. They are a social enterprise themselves and 100% of their profits are re-invested in supporting the further growth and development of communities across Scotland. Community Enterprise has been working in communities across Scotland for over 35 years, delivering work that makes a clear and obvious difference.
But still, how does this get you help? Well quite simply, Community Enterprise is funded through various sources, including the Scottish Government, together with it's own trading Social Enterprises, to provide this support to organisations the length and breadth of Scotland and as well as its wonderful employees, it has a bank of Associates like me who can come and support you. So you get help for free. I get paid a fair amount. Everyone's happy!
There's a wide range of support they can help so head on over to their website and click on "view all services" to explore how they (and possibly even me) can help you. I would particularly direct you to the Accelerate programme of support which is where I spend most of my time for them. I look forward to getting paid to come alongside you for free in the very near future.
