innovation increases capacity for social contribution

7/27/2019 Innovation increases capacity for social contribution

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National Council or Voluntary Organisations

Sustainable Funding Project

Case Study:Women Like Us

Key themes An example of a successful innovative

social enterprise and community interestcompany (CIC)

How a single innovative idea betweentwo individuals can develop into a 1mturnover organisation employing 45

staff, in just four years Using loan nance as development

capital and to manage cashowtiming issues

How diverse income streams can helpto strengthen the nancial resilience oforganisations, thereby increasing theircapacity for social contribution

Developing public service delivery

contracts for information, advice andguidance (IAG) and job brokerage


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Sustainable Funding Project Case Study:Women Like Us

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SummaryWomen Like Us is a social enterprise and community interest companywhich helps recruit women with children into part-time jobs, and helpsemployers find experienced, part-time staff. Since start-up in April 2005,Women Like Us has registered almost 11,000 women, signed up hundredsof employers using its recruitment services, and established twobranches in north and south London with a total of 45 employees.

Women Like Us income streams reflect its dual aims to support womento return to work and to operate as a competitive business and so itreceives income from a range of sources:

Government contracts Awards from trusts and foundations Recruitment and Consultancy fees. Loan Finance

How it started

It all began in 2005, when twoworking mums, Karen Mattisonand Emma Stewart, had aconversation whilst busy takingtheir children to and from school.

Karen and Emma were then

working as freelancers in thevoluntary sector and they wereconstantly asked by otheremployers for part-time staff,and, as mums, they were alsomeeting incredibly talented andexperienced women at the schoolgates every day. They put two andtwo together and started puttingthe business together from theirkitchen tables.

As both had a background in thepublic sector, they were awarethat not only were employers andwomen desperate to make thematch, but also this fitted exactlywith government priorities ofreducing worklessness.

And so the idea was born toprovide a service that would putemployers in touch with thesewomen, and provide both partieswith the support they needed tomake sure the relationships WomenLike Usbrokered were lasting ones.

There was no real key decisionmoment, just one point ofrealisation that together they hadplaced a number of people in workand they were onto something itwas just a natural next step to tryand find some pilot money to get

it going, which they did by gettingfunding from the Prom Fund fromthe DTI (now BERR).

and the rest as they say is history.Women Like Uscurrently operates in160 schools across London reachingover 100,000 women, with nearly11,000 women registering to dateand 350 new registrations eachmonth.

DateThis case study is based on an interview heldwith Women Like Us on 7 October 2008.

to support women to returnto work and to operate as a

competitive business.


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How does it work?From school gatesAcross the UK there are over half amillion talented women who wantto work but cannot find flexibleemployment to fit around theirfamily lifestyles.Women Like Usgoesto where these women are, wherethey feel comfortable, and wherethey are most likely to talk aboutreturning to work: the school gates.

to salariesWomen Like Us recruit for all kindsof employers, specialising in part-time employment across a rangeof sectors. Its commercial successis based on its focus to match theideal job opportunity for eachindividual, filling a range of part-time job vacancies as diverse as thewomen it represents.Many of the women have the skillsand experience that employers

are looking for, but just needthe support that Women Like Usprovides through career coaching,skills advice and confidence-building before returning to work.

And beyond..It doesnt stop there Women LikeUs continues to support womenonce in employment. This enableswomen to develop and managetransitional times in their careersand helps employers to make

flexible working both profitable andproductive for their organisation.

Mission and activitiesThe founders ofWomen Like Us areboth working mothers. Throughtheir own experience and that offriends, they recognised that therewas a need for a service to help getwomen who have taken a breakfrom employment to get back towork. At the same time, manyemployers have skill gaps and dontknow where to find experienced,reliable part-time staff.

Operational model

There are four parts to Women LikeUsstructure:

Outreach team (partnering withschools to find women wantingwork)

Coaching team (providingsupport to help women get work)

Recruitment team (employerspaying Women Like Us to recruit

through its women) Partnerships team (securing and

managing local authority contracts)

Government agencies appear toput extra value on Women Like Usability to place women directlyinto part-time jobs, and employersvalue Women Like Us ability tosource experienced, professionalcandidates.

Unique competitive

advantagesThe social aspect ofWomen LikeUs has given the organisationunique competitive advantagesand barriers-to-entry over thecommercial market it faces:

Free, direct access to womenthrough the school gates, which itcould not obtain as a commercialentity; and

Contracts with regional

government agencies fromfunding rounds only open to thevoluntary sector; and

Specialists in the recruitmentof women returnees, whichis only possible as a voluntaryorganisation under sexdiscrimination law.

Women Like Usmodel has builton its original insight of outreachat school gates (where the charity

found the women). As it realisedthat these women also neededcoaching, they added a womensteam to provide a wider range ofcoaching. Women Like Us has sinceadded a commercial recruitmentteam as an in-house recruitmentagency.

Women Like Ushas beenrecommended by the Prime MinistersWomen and Work Commission forrollout across the UK.

Women Like Us

has since added acommercial recruitment team as anin-house recruitment agency.


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Key acts and gures

According to the Office ofNational Statistics/JosephRowntree Foundation recentreport on poverty, over 500,000women who want to work in theUK can not because they can notfind flexible work to fit aroundtheir caring responsibilities.

Women returnees arenot identified as a specificgroup in the Governmentsunemployment figures.

When a woman drops out of thelabour market to care for childrenshe can lose foothold in theworkplace and often returns at alower pay level and/or lower skillrate. This in itself can contributeto the Gender Pay Gap.

The Women and WorkCommission estimates thatincreasing womens participationin the labour market, reducinggender segregation, could beworth up to 23 billion to theUK economy.

Women Like Us have beenconsulted on its approach totackling worklessness by a rangeof national and regional policy

makers including the ChildPoverty Commission, The LondonSkills and Employment Board,The London Employers Coalition,The Department for Work andPensions and The Cabinet Office.

Factors inhibiting womenreturning to work

Confidence, contacts andopportunities are three key factorsinhibiting women to return towork. Women Like Us has supportedthousands of women to receivecoaching, find employment, starttheir own businesses or pursuefurther training.

43% ofWomen Like Us womenhave over 10 years previouswork experience, and over 80%of candidates who register withWomen Like Us have qualificationsand skills experience in their field.

Of women registered, 25% are loneparents, 24% are on benefits, and42% of those directly supportedare from Black and minorityethnic groups.

Income Streams

Women Like Us has an annualgrowth rate of 121% and anannual turnover of just under 1m(925,000) in 2007/8.

Women Like Usincome streamsreflect its dual aims to supportwomen to return to work and to

operate as a competitive business and so it receives income from arange of sources:

Government contracts Awards from trusts and

foundations Recruitment and Consultancy

fees. Loan Finance

Confidence, contacts andopportunities are three key

factors inhibiting women toreturn to work.


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Challenges in terms osecuring public sectorcontracts

Women Like Ushas successfullytransitioned from being an idea(November 2004 to April 2005) toa team of people working togetherand trying something out (April2005 to April 2006) and now to anorganisation which is developingthe recruitment model (May 2006

to date).Women Like Uswas officiallylaunched in April 2005 with aservice designed to meet the needsof both women and employers.The work was initially fundedby the DTI, Esme FairbairnFoundation, the ESF andCamden Council.

It was difficult to secure publicsector contracts without a longand proven track record. HoweverWomen Like Uswas able to usethe success of the pilot projectcombined with developing a trackrecord in service delivery fundedthrough other funders and then alot of detailed research about keyissues to demonstrate need andtheir ability to address that need.

Since April 2005 Women Like Ushas secured over 2.5million inpublic funds to tackle worklessnessby securing contracts with a rangeof agencies including the LondonDevelopment Agency, LondonCouncils (ESF programme), JobCentre Plus and various localauthorities.


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How Women Like Us used loannance as development capitaland to manage cashfowtiming issues

Women Like Ushas benefited fromloan finance agreements fromVenturesome.

About Venturesome

Venturesome is a social investmentfund - a Charities Aid Foundationinitiative launched in 2002.

Venturesome provides advice andcapital investment to charities andother social purpose organisations.Venturesome recognises thatcapital investment is necessary- for growth, covering cash flowdifficulties or weathering difficultperiods - but difficult to access.Such financial needs may fall outsidethe criteria of a grant maker, but betoo risky for a bank loan.

Venturesome fills this fundinggap, providing capital investmenttailored to suit the needs ofindividual organisations.

Venturesome learns from itspractical work with charities andcaptures that learning, sharing itwith the emerging social market inorder to encourage greater access

to capital investment.

What is social investment?

Social investment is the use ofmoney to achieve both a social andfinancial return.

Social investment can range frommaking loans to charities to buyingshares in companies with a socialmission, such as Caf Direct.

Social investment does not usually

include giving grants or donations,nor mainstream commercial loans.

Venturesome is a social investmentfund using money to achieve botha social and nancial return.


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Venturesome loans to

Women Like UsVenturesome places a high valueon social impact and works withorganisations to ensure that theirwork is effective, so there was agood fit with Women Like Us.

Loan finance agreements havebeen arranged to meet two mainneeds:

A need for development capital

A need to ease cashflow pinchpoints

The most recent facility is tosupport Women Like Usworkingcapital needs as it strengthens itspresence in London through itstwo offices. This strengtheningrequires investment into new staff(especially in HR, IT and Admin),marketing (e.g. to promote theprivate coaching service), and

additional office space at its northLondon site.

In May 2005, Venturesome offeredWomen Like Usa start-up, a 50,000unsecured facility structured intotwo tranches: (i) 25,000 standbyfacility; and (ii) 25,000 unsecuredloan facility available until 30 April2007. The first tranche was recycledundrawn. The second tranche wasdrawn down and 15,000 remainsoutstanding.

In August 2006, Venturesomeoffered Women Like Usa 35,000working capital loan facility tomanage short-term cash flowdifficulties during the final quarter of2006 that arose from the timing ofthe receipt of confirmed contractualincome. The facility was accepted,but never drawn down. It was fullyrecycled on 31 March 2007.

In May 2007, Venturesome offeredWomen Like Usa 50,000 standbyfacility to underpin reserves. Thiswas offered on a reducing balancebasis so that no more than 25,000is outstanding from 1December2007 to 30 September 2008. It wasnever drawn down.

In March 2008, Venturesomeoffered Women Like Us125,000 an

unsecured standby loan at 6% on areducing balance basis.


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Conclusions

What were the keylearning points?

Women Like Usalways listens towhat its clients are saying. Theyfound early on that there weretwo key barriers that women werecoming up against in getting backto work: confidence and contactsto find work. So they set aboutaddressing these barriers. Listeningto whats right for the womenhas always been key in their

evolution.

Karen Mattison says that, earlyon, they came to trust their owninstincts more. Sometimes

you know something isnt quiteright and when that happened,sometimes we doubted ourselvesand could have acted quicker

What does it mean to runWomen Like Us

as a socialenterprise?

It might help to firstly clarify whatconstitutes a social enterprise:it is any revenue-generatingorganisation that produces tangiblesocial benefits to society (and aremotivated more by public andsocial good than private gain).

Women Like Us overall social aimis to support women with children

to return to employment thatfits around their family life, and itreinvests its profits back into thebusiness to continue to achievethis objective.

Women Like Us goal has a coresocial purpose, which it choosesto operate as a social enterprise asthis allows it to run a competitiveservice for both women andemployers. It means that its clientscan be assured they are receivinga highly professional and efficientservice and that they can achieveprofit targets that help to grow the

business and ultimately reach morewomen who need their support.

The high levels of worklessnessamongst women particularlysingle women with young children is one of the prime causes ofpoverty and social exclusion.Women Like Us directly tackles thisissue, helping women to returnto work in part-time, flexible jobsand earn income for their families.

This in turn increases labourproductivity from an otherwiseeconomically inactive group in thecommunity, whilst also enablingparents to spend quality time withtheir children.

In addition, as well as positivelyimpacting on child poverty, WomenLike Ussupports communitycohesion by linking women withlocal jobs


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The uture

Acting on the Prime MinistersWomen and Work Commissionrecommendation for the nationalrollout of its services, Women Like Ushas already extended its services toSouth London with a new branch inLondon Bridge.

Awards

Women Like Us has been awarded/

included in: Queens Award for Enterprise

(innovation category), 2009 She Magazines Social Pioneer

category in the 2009 InspirationalWomen of the Year Awards(Karen Mattison, Director WomenLike Us)

2008 Archant North andWest London Business awards,Business Innovation category

Named as one of Striding OutsFuture 100 Social Entrepreneurs(David Curtis, Director ofWomenLike Us)

2008 Prowess Awards Winnerin two categories InspirationalBusiness Mum and FemaleSocial Entrepreneur (KarenMattison)

2007 Enterprising SolutionsAward for Best New SocialEnterprise - Winner

2006 Recruit Rank Award for Best

Recruitment Advertising - Winner

Summary o key actsand gures

500,000 women in the UK whowant to get back in to work(part-time)

100,000 women have beencontacted by Women Like Usthrough its schools network

11,000 women have registeredwith Women Like Ussince start-upin 2004

10,000 unique visitors per month

to Women Like Uswebsite Partnered with 160 schools toreach school gate mums

350 new women register withWomen Like Us every month

Women Like Us supported over1,000 women to receive coachingand enabled over 700 to findemployment

50% ofWomen Like Us womenhave over 10 years previouswork experience. The average

annual full time equivalentsalary level for vacancies filled isover 24,000. This ranges from18,000 to 60,000.

Of women registered, 36%are lone parents, 16% are onbenefits, and 48% of thosedirectly supported are fromBME groups

Women Like Us works with over750 employers from nationalcorporates and large charitiesto local authorities and small

businesses. Nearly a quarterof employers are from repeatbusiness.

Works with over 40 training andadvice agencies.

97% ofWomen Like Us employeeswork part-time, and over 80%are women who have returned towork after having children


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This case study was completed through the

Innovation Project which receives funding from

the Office of the Third Sector.

NCVOs Sustainable Funding Project is the

sectors premier provider of tools and

resources encouraging and enabling voluntary

and community organisations to develop and

implement a sustainable income strategy.

Visit our website at

www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/spor call us

on 020 7520 2519 for further information and

to subscribe to our free monthly e-newsletter.

Contact details:

Women Like Us

www.womenlikeus.org.uk

To contact Women Like Uscall 020 7281 6522 oremail: info@ womenlikeus.org.uk

Address in north London:Women Like Us

Bickerton House25 Bickerton RoadLondonN19 5JT

Address in south London:Women Like Us

5-11 Lavington Street,LondonSE1 0NZ

Venturesome: A Charity AidFoundation (CAF) initiative

www.cafonline.org/default.aspx?Page=6903

You can contact Venturesome byemailing them using the form ontheir website, and one of theirteam will then call you back.

Or you can contact them directby calling 0207 832 3026.

Or by writing to:VenturesomeCharities Aid FoundationSt Andrews House18-20 St Andrew StreetLondon EC4A 3AY

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