Social Enterprise Supports

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The Enterprise Team assists clients through the process of launching and sustaining their own busines witha range of 1:1 supports and self-employment / start your own business workshops.

The Social Enterprise Team supports social enterprises to grow and realise their potential by providing them with training, mentoring and current Social Enterprise information on relevant national events and networking opportunities to help them flourish.  

We offer networking opportunities and disseminate information on key national and relevant local events

Social Enterprise Supports

The Social Enterprise Team supports social enterprises to grow and realise their potential by providing them with training, mentoring and current Social Enterprise information on relevant national events and networking opportunities. We offer networking opportunities and disseminate information on key national and relevant local events.

While social enterprises represent a much smaller portion of the economy than traditional enterprise, social enterprises are having an immense influence because they are demonstrating that scalable, sustainable, and profitable business models are possible. That’s disrupting the status quo of what business can, and should, be. Social entrepreneurship sees the widespread use of ethical practices such as impact investing, conscious consumerism and corporate social responsibility programmes. We have witnessed how locals through sheer grit and determination have initiated positive social impact that have benefited everyone in our communities. Our Social Enterprise team believes that everyone in our community has choice both as individuals and through collaborative group efforts. We support individuals, students, groups, community organisations, creatives, family members and friends to progress their idea from ideation to feasibility and then to reality.

We provide supports by empowering the social enterprises to tackle challenges in several solution focused approaches:

Leadership Challenge – Identifying key challenges and capabilities required to address leadership in building a capacity of sustainable social enterprise founders

Advocacy Challenge – Elevating the voices of our social enterprises and the communities they represent

Collaboration Challenge – Actively seeking out and engaging with key stakeholders that can benefit the social enterprise sector, eradicate silos and break down real and perceived barriers

Expertise Challenge – 25+ years of experience with fledgling, growing and established social enterprises. We provide a ladder of supports, networks and mentoring as well as helping to navigate business development, commercial viability, financial acumen, SROI and procurement

Impact Challenge – Social enterprises have the potential to change entire industries as well as being influential drivers for the sustainability transition. One of the most obvious and striking impacts of social entrepreneurship relates to job creation, particularly among the less fortunate, underserved or ignored groups of society. We support WISE (Work Integrated Social Enterprise) and Social Enterprises that are focused on improving people’s health, changing lives of the marginalised, safeguarding the environment and creating more economic opportunities.

CONNECTING . UPSKILLING . MENTORING
SUPPORTING . FUNDING

Supporting Social Enterprise

How Does Dublin South City Partnership Support Local Social Enterprises:

We provide business supports and personal practical skills development through:

      • Business and capacity building skills support whilst also developing founder and staff confidence & leadership skills
      • Mentoring, Training & Upskilling
      • Navigating & Signposting
      • Staffing through labour market programs
      • Networking & Procurement Opportunities
      • Connecting, Peer2Peer Support & Leaning-In
      • Social Business Model Canvas & segmenting/targeting by Industry, Sector,
      • Beneficiaries & Social Mission
      • Referrals to additional services

Environmental Canvas & PMV Analysis

The MVP Canvas is a lean startup template for validating new or clarifying existing lean product ideas. It is a visual chart with elements describing a MVP—minimum viable product´s proposal, business hypothesis, metrics, features, personas, journeys, and schedule.
Map the Funding
Moving Worlds

Who can get involved?

Social Enterprise

Are you a member of the community and want to highlight the positive social impact you have seen in your area? Share a photo of what the impact means to you  

Member of Community

Are you a member of the community and want to highlight the positive social impact you have seen in your area? Share a photo of what the impact means to you  

Commercial Business

Are you a member of the community and want to highlight the positive social impact you have seen in your area? Share a photo of what the impact means to you  

Who can get involved?

DSCP encatchment area

Social Enterprise If your social enterprise is incorporated at an address or you are living in Dublin 4, 6, 8 or 12, please get in touch to learn more about the supports we offer and to network with the other social enterprises we support.  

Member of Community Would you like to get involved to support Social Enterprises in Dublin 4, 6, 8 or 12. We are always looking for Volunteers, Board Members, local people with expert skills and knowledge or networks. Equally, if you have a foundation or CSR program through your employer, and you would like to support a local Social Enterprise, we can facilitate that and find you a perfect match for your personal and professional values. Finally, you can simply support by purchasing a product or service from one of our Social Enterprises, supporting the local economy and sustaining a social mission at the same time.  

Commercial Business Working with social business doesn’t have to be large-scale as there are many local service opportunities working with local social enterprises. We can help you ensure that there is an alignment of business and social goals with your organisation. Investors, business leaders, foundations, and even governments have all highlighted the importance of the social enterprise movement in Ireland and globally. Its potential to achieve the SDGs, while transforming the way the world does business in the process, cannot be denied. During meetings we at Dublin South City Partnership have had policy makers, key stakeholders, CEOs, and CFOs all agreed that social enterprises are fundamental catalysts to advance core business objectives, while doing good for people and planet in the process. 

Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends research and annual Millennial Survey confirm that workers value flexibility and personalisation. They want opportunities to learn—more through experiences than through formal training programs—as their careers progress 

      1. Partnering with social enterprises at the executive level to develop future business models? 
      2. Connecting our product teams to social enterprises to build better, more accessible products for the needs of our current and future consumers? 
      3. Collaborating with social enterprises to build more resilient, sustainable supply chains? 
      4. Improving our distribution channels and closing gaps in the last mile by tapping into social enterprise networks? 
      5. Using our marketing and communications podiums as a megaphone to increase attention on social enterprises and ensure we are communicating to an increasingly aware consumer base? 
      6. Leveraging our influence with political and governmental groups to advocate for social enterprise friendly policies and ecosystem building to help build capacity for the sector? 
      7. Implementing procurement targets that prioritize social and environmental return on investment alongside cost? 
      8. Using Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 partnerships to help social enterprises bring innovations into global value chains? 
      9. Building human-centered and sustainably minded leaders by connecting HR programs to social enterprises on the front lines of social innovation? 
      10. Integrating social enterprises into employee engagement, pro bono volunteering, and philanthropic programs to create long-term sustainable impact for both our employees and the world? 

 

There are a wide range of social enterprises in Ireland and many organisations in Dublin South City are already operating under this model across several diverse sectors. 

Corporations and Social Enterprises can Work Together to Change the World.  

The following table summarizes the key benefits to corporations and social enterprises when they partner together across the 10 functions above. (insert moving Worlds graphic) 

Enterprise and Social Enterprise Training Events

To view all our upcoming training, please click button below

Contact us about your social enterprise !

Our social enterprise staff have over 20+ years of experience working globally in the non-profit sector and, specifically, supporting social enterprises and charities with a commercial trading/social return on investment aspect to their work. Contact us with any questions, and for more information about how we can help you.

You can contact a member of our team on 01 473 2196 or email us at julie@dscp.ie

Our office hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Do You Need Support? We Are Here To Help.

Drop Us A Line And Keep In Touch

Enterprise and Social Enterprise Team