Accelerate you organisations growth!
The Infrastructure Support Fund (ISF) program has been designed to elevate and strengthen VCSE (Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise) leaders and organisations across Kent.
*** 10 new spaces available ***
SEK understands the challenges you encounter in today’s changeable landscape and we are here to offer comprehensive support to help you achieve sustainable growth and success. At the heart of our programme is high-quality, impactful 1:1 mentoring tailored to your organisation’s unique needs. You will get up to 12 hours of personalised support guiding you through the complexities of your situation. Whether you prefer in-person meetings at your premises or off-site venues or the convenience of online sessions, we adapt to your preferences to ensure a seamless experience.
To sign up, email us with your name and contact number and we will be in touch shortly.
Fostering a sense of community and collaboration
We believe VCSE leaders are stronger together and you will also have access to topical masterclasses and workshops, guided by skilled and knowledgeable trainers providing you with opportunities to connect with and learn from like-minded professionals.
This is your opportunity to work through your challenges alongside your peers. Together, we’ll create an environment that encourages co-design of the project, ensuring your voice is heard and your takeaways are valuable.
Watch our short video explaining why the Infrastructure Support Fund is an important programme to help you build your business enterprise and achieve sustainable growth.
ISF covers the following geographical areas within Kent.
North – Dartford, Gravesham, Swale
South – Folkestone, Hythe, Ashford
West – Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone
East – FULL
Free Workshops for participants
- Finance for Strategy and Marketing. Thursday 13th of June. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
- Leadership, Governance and an effective board. Thursday 18th of July. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
- Winning clients, staff and volunteers – recruitment, retention and motivation. Thursday 15th of August. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
- A recap, shared services and back-office support. Thursday 19th of September. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
- Finding funds – Investor summaries and bid writing. Thursday 17th of October. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
- Growing your VCSE; innovation, mergers and collaboration. Thursday 14th of November. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
- Social Media and low cost Software. Thursday 16th of January 2025. Option for online or in person, 15:00 – 17:00 venue TBA.
To book your place please get in touch with Michael
What our participants say
"Sarah’s been wonderful to work with and I found that she was willing to use her skills to help me in the way I needed. She was willing to take the journey with me and not try to constrain my business thinking, in fact her background made her eminently suitable for the stage our business is at. I needed to start thinking like a strategist in our marketing and Sarah has helped move our business into a different stage of development. The accreditation only came about after her suggestion to take our products to a trade show I was visiting, which enabled me to make contact with Stirling University in the first place, so she was instrumental in that achievement being possible."
"Michael delivered excellent 1-2-1 mentoring and supported me into a new transition. Michael talked me through a workshop that explained the importance of marketing messaging for sales purposes. His support around the financial elements helped me to establish the viability of my organisation and re-evaluate where my priorities are best placed. Overall, I very much benefitted from Michael’s support and I am very grateful for it."
"I've had Michael Roberts my mentor/business advisor for the past few months and it’s really fantastic! It’s both challenging and educational! I'm having to face stuff which I may have swept under the rug. . . . I've run my business for 15 years (in different ways) and been in the voluntary sector for almost 25 years. This is a very different experience and well worth the time for Michael's professionally experience! I have always had such a lot of support from SEK and it’s been good having you as a mentor/business support. It's an interesting change from having someone more charity sector and fluffy who likes my values but doesn't challenge me on numbers."
"Michael has been fantastic enabling me to look at our project through a business lens rather than a healthcare one. I now have a simple, concise but very powerful way to explain the project.”
"Michael’s support has been invaluable for the development of our new Social Enterprise. He helped us develop our ‘statement of purpose’ which clarified our thinking about ‘why are we doing this’ and ‘who are we aiming our product at’. Going through this process has given us confidence and reinforced our belief in our Social Enterprise product. In addition to this exercise, working out our profit margins and identifying the various ‘sectors’ of customers was very helpful, in particular, working with our trustees on potential financial outcomes. It has also been fun! Learning is so much easier when it is enjoyable! Big thank you to Michael! I have really enjoyed our sessions."
“Michael was great to work with, and really appreciated the guidance delivered in a supportive way which flexed and evolved as required by where I was at in the work. The bit I got the most from was being able to get a really clear picture of the profitability and capacity of the various elements of my offering; which will enable me to make more information decisions by being able to take a more objective view, and therefore plan my next steps accordingly.”
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