Main heading

* Please read the liability and disclaimer before using the Community Enterprise Toolkit *

Introduction :: Stage 1 :: Stage 2 :: Stage 3 :: Stage 4 :: Stage 5 :: Stage 6 :: Stage 7 :: Stage 8 :: Stage 9 :: Glossary :: Appendices

• What is a community enterprise?
• Why have we produced the toolkit?
• What is in the toolkit?
• How can you use it?
• What is not in the toolkit?

What is a community enterprise?

Community enterprises have existed in one form or another for many years and operate in many areas of the economy.

A wide variety of organisations come under the term 'community enterprise' including community businesses, development trusts, credit unions, LETS-style schemes and some co-operatives. However, they all share several common characteristics. They are businesses owned and managed by the community they serve.

Any profit made by the business is used for the benefit of that community and not for private gain. They put people before profit and see the social, economic and environmental benefits they can bring to a community as more important than profit-making. They also aim to be self-sustaining and rely on selling their services to generate income, not on grants and donations.

Why have we produced the toolkit?

The toolkit has been produced to bring together existing advice and information on setting up community enterprises in a user-friendly way. This has been done in response to the growing demand for such a tool and the growth in the community enterprise sector.

What is in the toolkit?

We have split the development of a community enterprise into nine key stages (see top of page for links to stages). Each stage contains information and advice on a particular aspect of developing a community enterprise and several key tasks to complete. There is also a glossary of commonly used terms and jargon which you will come across in the toolkit and the world of community enterprise.

How can you use it?

Each stage is divided into two sections. The first covers what you need to do and the second how you can do it. There are ideas and examples of how to carry out each piece of work and a checklist of key tasks for completion in each stage.

It is designed so you can work through the whole toolkit or through a single stage - it is up to you to decide how you want to use it. It is also crucial that you keep written records of all the work you do in setting up your community enterprise and in running it. If you have any problems or questions about any part of the toolkit, then please get in touch with us for further help and advice (call 01244 603059 or e-mail socialenterprise@cheshire.gov.uk).

What is not in the toolkit?

The toolkit does not contain everything you need to know and do to set up a community enterprise - it is designed to help you find out that information yourselves.

It does not promote any particular kind of community enterprise or lay down prescriptive formats for writing business plans or funding applications - it should act as a guide to help you carry out these tasks in the most suitable way for your group.

It is not a guide to setting up a credit union or LETS-style scheme - some of the information in the toolkit is relevant to setting up these kind of organisations but there is a great deal of more specialised work not covered here.