Social Enterprise Unit

Support for charities, voluntary work and Third Sector organisations

If you’re running a busy voluntary or other Third Sector organisation, staff and students at the Business School’s new Social Enterprise Unit can help you.

We offer support and advice on:

• Marketing
  
• Attracting external funding
  
• Finance
  
• Project management
  
• Management of people
  
• Student placement and internships

These are just a few of the things we can do for you.

Our clients

We have provided support for a range of clients including:

• Cancer Research UK
  
• Damilola Taylor Trust
  
• NSPCC
  
• Oxfam
  
• Hertfordshire Chorus

We have worked with a long list of organisations in the past.

University of Hertfordshire named as Higher Education social entrepreneurship partner

Social entrepreneurship is a rapidly growing movement within the HE sector and, in August 2012, the University of Hertfordshire was chosen as a pioneering partner for the UnLtd and HEFCE HE Support Initiative.

Over the next 12 months, we will work with UnLtd to develop a support structure which places social entrepreneurship at the heart of the institution, as well as giving staff and students the chance to start up a social venture.

We are one of 56 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England to partner with UnLtd on this initiative to embed a culture of social entrepreneurship within their institution and across the Higher Education sector.

Dragons' Apprentice Challenge

Connect St Albans Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge is an annual challenge that encourages local schools, businesses and charities to work together. Through volunteering it offers young people the opportunity to put their entrepreneurial ideas to the test and helps develop work-related skills.

We are proud to be an active sponsor, and will host the prestigious awards event in March 2013. Find out more about Dragon's Apprentice Challenge.

Case study

Students take part in Community Engagement project

Full and part time MBA Students on the Leadership and Change module took part in a compulsory project requiring planning and executing 8 hours of engaging with the community, as part of their module.

The community engagement allowed students to take part in a variety of activities within their self-selected groups to complete individual assignments.

The aim of the project was to enable students to work effectively within groups while reflecting on group dynamics. Students chose their own projects which highlighted the diversity within each task.

Projects ranged from:

• working within a local school to organize and catalogue books
• working with the YMCA charity to assist their fundraising
• helping youths on the streets with the Watford Street Angels
  
• helping the environment on a conservation of natural reserves at Cassiobury Park

By taking part in this project, students were able to successfully develop their leadership skills by participating with others in practical experiences, reflecting on group interaction and understanding the various responses when taking up different roles.