Partnering with Good Finance to Boost Social Investment in the East of England!
If you know me and Hasler-White Inclusive Facilitation, you’ll know I believe deeply in the power of collaboration and the ripple effect of positive change we can make. That’s why I’m excited to announce a brand new partnership with Good Finance – an organisation whose mission aligns with my own: to make social investment more accessible and understandable for leaders in charities and social enterprises.
My role as a Good Finance Ambassador in this exciting new partnership is to help shine a brighter spotlight on social investment specifically in and for the East of England.
Why the East of England?
The East of England charitable and social enterprise sector has brilliant examples of innovation, community spirit and impact. Many incredible organisations are working tirelessly to address local needs and create a better future. However, awareness and understanding of social investment as a vital funding stream is lower than in other regions. Just 2% of social enterprises in the East of England said they’d applied for external finance (other than grants) a recent 12 month period compared to 11% nationally – down from 26% in 2021 and 36% in 2019. 25% considered applying for finance, which is below the 35% national average but up from the region’s previously reported 20% in 2021.
Access to information shouldn’t be down to who you know or where you are.
That’s where and why this partnership comes in!
What does this partnership entail?
Over the next three months, I’ll be working closely with the Good Finance team to develop and disseminate engaging content designed to demystify social investment for organisations in our region. You’ll know I’m keen to make my content accessible, inclusive and engaging – so that will be the challenge. And there are NO silly questions when it comes to social investment.
This will include a variety of formats:
- Insightful Blogs and Articles: Sharing real-world stories including my own experiences, breaking down complex terms and highlighting the benefits of social investment in an accessible way.
- Dynamic Video Content: Creating short, impactful videos featuring your questions to explain what social investment looks like in practice.
- Round ups: If you get my newsletters you’ll find more of the content there and I’ll be rounding up all your questions before Christmas.
- And more! Find me on Bluesky and LinkedIn.
My goal remains to equip local organisations with the knowledge and confidence to explore social investment as a viable option for growth and/or impact. Or decide it’s not.
I want to demonstrate that social investment isn’t just for large, established organisation, but can be a powerful tool for a wide range of social purpose organisations.
Why social investment matters
Social investment offers a unique opportunity for charities and social enterprises to:
- Generate sustainable income: Moving beyond traditional grants to more resilient and sustainable financial models.
- Scale their impact: Investing in growth (or growth of impact) that allows them to help more people or address bigger challenges.
- Innovate and adapt: Funding new projects and approaches that respond to evolving community needs.
This pilot isn’t just about sharing information for me, it’s about starting a conversation that in turn helps to develop an ecosystem where social purpose organisations in the East of England can thrive and maximise their positive contribution and social investors start seeing the east as a great place to invest.
I’m loving working with Good Finance already and connecting with the incredible organisations across our region.
Keep an eye on my Linkedin and Bluesky as well as the website for more updates and resources.