Medway Voluntary Action

Medway Voluntary Action

Project: Medway VCSE Social Investment Champion Programme
Grant: £21,000

Medway Voluntary Action (MVA) will create a social enterprise champions programme by recruiting local sector leaders who will be trained to act as advocates and mentors for social investment. Support will be available via a mix of one-to-one support, website resources and promoting best practice and shared learning.

MVA will facilitate the delivery of the program using its existing communication mechanisms, training service arm and relationship with the VCSE leaders network. Core to the programme will be an event on social enterprise with keynote speakers and 4 preparatory workshops on subjects related to social enterprise. MVA will then create learning partnerships by inviting event attendees to apply for mentoring support from the champions. Champions will be trained to support VCSEs on types of borrowing, opportunities and risks, what is required in order to apply to social investment, measuring social impact, current funds and application processes. As a result of this project, MVA expects to leave a legacy of information, advice and example organisations that will help to inspire future local entrepreneurs.

MVA expects small to medium-sized VCSE organisations in Medway to have a greater ability to explore and access social investment; which in turn will help increase the sustainability of those organisations and the services/support they provide to local beneficiaries. MVA will make the resources and advice on social investment readily accessible in the future along with its expanded in-house capacity to support social investment.