Robert’s Blog
In my last blog I discussed the birth and naming of the Cairo Model as a way to begin to answer the question “Is a social enterprise better than a charity?” In this blog I will explore what the Cairo Model is and how it can help you make appropriate decisions for legal structures, for marketing and communication activity and funding. So, tell me about the Cairo Model? The model can be summarised with this diagram (see below). The first part of the model attempts to define your market. The second part helps you understand the situation. The third part Read more »
Published: April 26, 2019.
This is a question posed to me when I was in Cairo earlier in February. I had the good fortune to be working with the British Council Egypt and several Egyptian government departments on the creative social enterprise sector. After wrestling with the existential question, and a brief pause to gather my thoughts, I expanded on a model I have been developing and speaking around for the last couple of years. I’ve called this the Cairo Model in honour of the place where my thinking became a practical diagnostic tool and template for further action. The model can help you Read more »
Published: February 25, 2019.
Nonprofit Library has an interesting infographic on marketing, social media and email marketing myths. It’s definitely worth a look. Source: Nonprofit Library, Author John Hayden Read more »
Published: December 18, 2018.
Ms Song Qinghua, Director of Shining Stone #socialenterprise, #China paid us a visit on October 19th. Ms Song is an old friend of Red Ochre doing some amazing things with very little in the way of resource. Qinghua broke a social enterprise fact finding trip Iceland to catch-up with us and share her challenges and solutions to engaging with social need on a large scale See Shining Stone for more details. Read more »
Published: November 1, 2018.
This is a pretty pithy summary of the Business Model Canvas from sage. It’s short, clear and practical. See the links above for more information or drop me a line with questions or comments if you’d rather speak to a person. Read more »
Published: June 19, 2018.
This is an interesting graphic that summarises three strategies for organic growth in an organisation. For the full article see “Building an engine for growth that funds itself” at McKinsey. Source: McKinsey Read more »
Published: May 21, 2018.
I thought this was a fun way to think about negotiation. “Never say no to a hostage-taker! It’s in the manual. Are you gonna tell me ‘no’ again? Never use ‘no’, ‘don’t’, ‘won’t’ or ‘can’t’. It eliminates options. The only option left is to shoot someone.” Danny Ronan (Samuel L Jackson), The Negotiator Don’t play hardball Make the first offer Appeal to the emotions Do your homework Look for ways to grow the pie Be authentic Know when to walk way Source, and for the full article: London Business School Read more »
Published: April 18, 2018.
Here’s a great quote from Peter Kurzina, MIT Sloan lecturer “The role of any CEO is threefold. Make sure the company doesn’t run out of money, figure out what’s next for the company and its industry, and prepare the company for changes.” Source: MIT Newsroom Read more »
Published: April 12, 2018.
Cultivation-Primer is is an interesting ebook freely available from Nonprofit Library. It’s purpose is to help nonprofits build (cultivate) key relationships with grant funders. There’s some interesting narrative, worksheets and templates. Definitely worth a look. Source: Nonprofit Library Read more »
Published: April 5, 2018.
This infographic (Mastering the 3 R’s of grant seeking – research, relationships, writing) from NotForProfitLibrary is a great summary of the fundamentals of preparing and writing funding bids. For more information visit NotForProfitLibrary Source: (c) Diane H. Leonard Read more »
Published: March 29, 2018.
There are numerous factors that affect the Google ranking of a website. That makes getting a good listing hard enough, but to make matters worse the rules are constantly changing. This summary from blogkens is a great primer for the year ahead. Read more »
Published: January 5, 2018.
Here’s an interesting graphic of what some experts think we can expect from AI as it develops.Source: Technology review Read more »
Published: January 4, 2018.
Here are the top 79 auto suggestions from Bing and Google for questions about social enterprise. Source: Answer the Public Read more »
Published: December 22, 2017.
Tools and techniques to ensure your company will stand out in the new age of digitization. from strategy + business. Source: Strategy and business Read more »
Published: August 24, 2017.
I saw this in the Economist, and it makes for interesting reading. The average British woman’s salary is 29% lower than the average man’s. But women make just 1% less than men who work at the same company, at the same level and with the same responsibilities. Across Europe, the gap is similarly small. This is not to say that the labour market is free of sexism. But it suggests that the main problem is not unequal pay for equal work, but that women end up in lower-ranking jobs at lower-paying firms. Source: The Economist. Read more »
Published: August 21, 2017.
