Engage Renfrewshire - supporting social enterprise start up

Engage Renfrewshire provides advice and support to social enterprises who want to start up or develop further. We also provide support with Community Asset Transfer and the distribution of community benefits; helping your organisation to build meaningful relationships within the local public and private sectors.

Social Enterprise

Unlike a traditional business which focuses on making profits for its shareholders, a social enterprise uses business practices to achieve socially positive goals; most often the enterprise still makes a profit, but would responsibly reinvest it back into the company's social aims.

The Cooperative Group and The Big Issue are some of the largest social enterprises in the UK, but organisations come in all sizes. A social enterprise could be formed to deliver youth activities, run a community hall, or achieve other goals within a community.

Iain has created a short introduction to Social Enterprise which can be viewed below.

RenSEN Dashboard

The Renfrewshire Social Enterprise Census Dashboard is an in-depth look of social enterprise activity in Renfrewshire. The dashboard reports on the scale, reach and contribution of social enterprise activity across Renfrewshire.

Click here to view the RenSEN Dashboard

The Social Enterprise Journey

The image below highlights the journey more social enterprises go through: from an initial enquiry to setting up your social enterprise, to trading. It plots the various stages as you progress and Engage Renfrewshire, and our external partners, can support you at every step. Keep scrolling to see the support we can offer. 

The journey can take between 6-24 months to complete. That time typically includes allowing for legal structure set up and initial start-up funding to come in to place.

What we do

Engage Renfrewshire supports your social enterprise creation or development by helping you to

• Understand the basic principles
• Examine whether your group could operate as a social enterprise
• Decide on the best structure, get set up and start operating
• Make plans which underpin best practice, sustainability and getting results
• Facilitate the local Social Enterprise Network
• Access Local Authorities procurement & Community Benefits programme

View our latest success stories in our blog by clicking here

For further information contact info@engagerenfrewshire.com or 0141 887 7707.

Community Benefit information

Engage Renfrewshire is currently working in partnership with Renfrewshire Council’s Economic Development and Procurement Officers on their community benefit and supply chain initiatives. Community benefits are part of the tendering and procurement process that Renfrewshire Council includes when awarding contracts to suppliers. The benefits which are aimed at Social Enterprises, derives in two forms, (1) financial; by way of direct grants and (2) non-financial; by way of materials and/or equipment, professional support including mentoring, and training opportunities.

See our handy guide on Community Benefits here

Get in touch with us today to find out more about getting invovled. 

Community Benefits project based wish list

Community benefits are built into the Council's procurement processes. They are designed to bring added value to communities when the Council tenders for a service.

Social, environmental and employability support can be provided by companies who have been awarded contracts over a certain amount with the Council, allowing them to give something back to the people of Renfrewshire directly.
This form gives Social Enterprise and enterprising community organisations the opportunity to submit requests for specific support through the Council's procurement processes.  Are you working on a project where you need support with any of the following,

• professional services (architects, civil engineering etc)
• trades (such as plumbing, electricians etc)
• building materials for projects that you are working on

If so we can register your project on our database and put you forward for any upcoming CB awards. Click on link to open form, https://forms.office.com/r/J8FH2S4SVG

There is no guarantee that your request can be met within a certain timeframe, but please indicate if there is a particular urgency when completing the form.  
This form should take around 5 -10 minutes to complete.

NHS CB Portal

We’re pleased to inform you the NHS Scotland Community Benefits Gateway is live. This initiative, in partnership with Public Health Scotland, is a key part of NHS Scotland’s work under Sustainability to ensure their commercial solutions fully embed sustainable, ethical and social values.

Through the easy to use online tool, It look’s to match willing NHS Scotland suppliers with Scottish third sector organisations who are looking for assistance with a variety of needs.  

• Access the portal    
• Find out more: Access our Community Benefit Gateway | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)  
• Public Health Scotland

Renfrewshire Social Enterprise Network (RenSEN)

The local Social Enterprise network is facilitated by Engage Renfrewshire and the local Council

Do you operate, manage a local Renfrewshire social Enterprise?

Then the RenSEN is the place for you!

We host regular in-person and digital networking meetings, where you can exchange stories and gain support and learn from each other.

You can register for RenSen and Promote your Social Enterprise via the directory.

To register on our Renfrewshire Social Enterprise directory, please complete this FORM

What's Your Ask? What's Your Offer?

Click here to see the current list of RenSEN Ask and offers 

Why register with Supplier Development Programme? (SDP)

Are you a Renfrewshire based third sector Social Enterprise organisation interested in working with the public sector, we can help. We offer expert training, support and information to help you win work and grow your business. And best of all – it’s completely free.

If you’re planning to do business with the public sector, registration with the Supplier Development Programme is must. The five steps below outline the SDP Journey.

RenSEN News

Read the latest RenSEN Newsletters here

RenSEN Network Meeting

November – Our next (in-person) RenSEN meeting (6:30pm to 8:30pm).  Venue details to be confirmed.  Join with other RenSEN members and discover the benefits of networking!  

Book your place now by emailing Iain Cunningham or Tania Morlan