Silver linings in the recessionary clouds?

By Chris Lee
Membership and Network Officer, Social Enterprise East of England

For most people the recession is seen as A BAD THING. But there are few situations where no good can come out of them, and I think the financial downturn is one such situation. There are at least three opportunities for third sector organisations offered by the recession:

• People are looking for ‘better ways of doing business’ and want service suppliers that they can trust; which is where we come in!
• This is a good time to buy assets – buildings or land – because prices are deflated. Also take the opportunity to learn how to negotiate lower prices from your suppliers – printers, stationers etc – it’s a buyer’s market at the moment.
• There are a large number of qualified people, many from the private sector, with time on their hands because of redundancy. Some are wanting to keep their CVs up to date, others are taking early retirement and want to put something back into society (better late than never …!) So contact your local Volunteer Centre with your volunteering opportunities.

I believe that surviving the recession is about taking opportunities (such as those outlined above) and it’s also about concentrating on what you do best, and doing it better. It may also be time to drop peripheral activities (those that are off-mission and lose you money) and look for ways to improve the areas you can’t drop, but where you could improve – marketing, financial management etc.

With this in mind, Social Enterprise East of England has launched a series of half and one-day workshops around the theme of ‘Business Skills for Difficult Times’. Ask me for details.

Tel: 01234 834710 Email: chris.lee@seee.co.uk