Case Studies
There is growing interest in social accounting and audit from social economy and voluntary organisations and from agencies that invest in and support them. All are looking for ways of proving their value, improving their effectiveness, and understanding their worth to society.
The following case studies have been prepared by organisations that have engaged with social accounting and audit, and want to share their experiences with others. Many were written as part of the Really Telling Accounts! which was the report that emerged from research whose main purpose has been…
- to explore to what extent social accounting and audit has been used by social economy organisations in the North East of England, Cumbria, Merseyside and Scotland
- to understand the perceived barriers to expanding its practice and how it may be made more "do-able" and more robust.
The research and publication of the Really Telling Accounts! was funded by the Northern Rock Foundation whose funding kick-started the research and they were joined by the Scottish Government Third Sector Division and the Merseyside Social Enterprise Initiative (through Merseyside Social Enterprise Network).
The case studies cover a range of types of organisation working in the social economy. Some have been carrying out social accounting for many years, and others have not yet completed a set of social accounts. All have interesting and informative stories to tell.
Name of organisation |
location |
size of organisation (turnover, number of employees) |
governance type |
length of experience of SAA |
service delivery area / what the organisation does |
All Saints Action Network (ASAN)
|
Wolverhampton, UK | 30 people, £1million turnover | Charitable company, development trust and community enterprise | 7 years | Business development, sports, training, project development, managed workspace, crime reduction, housing management and property investment |
BRAG Enterprises |
Central Fife, Scotland, UK | Around 5 staff | Company limited by guarantee | 8 years | Local economic and community development; learning and training; small business development; New Deal and Gateway to Work Programmes and The School for Social Entrepreneurs |
Buchan Bus |
Maud, Aberdeenshire, UK | small staff team and a pool of volunteers | Charitable company | 6 years | Door to door services; community group access to transport; patient transport; a car transport scheme and Shopmobility |
Centre 47 |
Cumbria, UK | Around 15 full time equivalent posts | Part of Impact Housing Group | 4 years | Large recycling business providing training and employment in furniture recycling, bikes, computers and white goods |
CEU Ltd
|
Devon, UK | Around 5 staff, £120,000 turnover | Not-for-private-profit co-operative, company limited by guarantee | Prepared 3 sets of social accounts | Business advice and support, training and consultancy services, including social accounting |
CHAP (Salford)
|
Salford, UK |
£1million turnover (now trading as Unlimited Potential) |
Industrial and Provident Society | 2 years | Community based health services, including carers’ support, stop smoking, healthy living, health |
Cylch
|
Wales, UK |
membership organisation and registered charity |
3 years |
Promotes sustainable resource (waste) management through education & practical action |
|
Community Campus |
Stockton-on-Tees, UK | Annual turnover of £1.2m, 35 employees, 8 volunteer management committee members and 12 volunteers | Industrial and Provident Society | 2 years | Supported housing, resettlement, personal development and training including construction services and employment opportunities for local people |
Community Ventures
|
Middlesborough, UK | Turnover of over £250,000 and the charity employs 10 people while the subsidiaries employ over 70 | Charitable holding company with five subsidiaries | 2 years | Information, advice and training and promotes volunteering with its members, supports over 200 voluntary and community groups |
Cybermoor |
Alston, Cumbria, UK | Turnover of between £100,000 - £200,000, 6 paid employees and 15 volunteers | Company limited by guarantee | 7 years | Providing personal computers and broadband internet access to the community, informative website and digital communication support |
Dee Valley |
Wrexham, UK | Independent, not for private profit enterprise, development trust | 4 years | Asset based Development Trust, business expertise, letting commercial office space, | |
Grassic Gibbon
|
Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.UK | 9 years (but only completed 1 set of social accounts | Celebrates life and work of novelist Lewis Grassic Gibbon | ||
|
Inverness, Scotland, UK | 160 employees | Co-operative | 3 years | Home care provision |
Launceston College
|
Launceston, Cornwall, UK | school | 5 years | Comprehensive school | |
|
Cairndow, Scotland, UK | 120 employees | Co-operative | 2 years | Oysters, specialist food, |
Milltown Day Workshop
|
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK | 6 years | Support for adults with special needs | ||
The Ouseburn Trust
|
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK | Annual turnover of £100,000 - £200,000, 3 staff, 15-20 volunteers | Development trust, registered charity | 3 years | Owning and managing property, community services |
Perth and Kinross
|
Kinross, Scotland, UK | Annual turnover of £50,000 | 8 years | Support community transport providers, develop new services, training, communications | |
(REAP)
|
Keith, Moray, Scotland, UK | Registered Charity | 10 years | Community development, capacity building, environmental education | |
Shared Interest
|
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK | Annual turnover of £1.8 million, 27 employees, 60 volunteers | Society and charitable foundation | 6 years | Financial services and business support |
Social Enterprise Sunderland
|
Sunderland, UK | Annual turnover of £650,000, 16 staff | Industrial and provident society | 5 years | Enterprise development agency |
South Cheshire Crossroads Caring
|
Sandbach, Cheshire, UK |
Around 35 paid staff, the majority of whom are employed as part-time carer support workers.3 volunters. |
Registered charitable company linited by guarantee. |
1 Year |
Practical and emotional support to carersyand people with care needs in their own homes andin the comunity. |
Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition
|
Edinburgh, UK | 3 staff | Company limited by guarantee | 5 years | National, collective voice for social enterprise in Scotland |
Sunderland Community Enterprise Network
|
Sunderland, UK | £100,000 - £250,000, 4/5 staff (now no longer trading) | project | 3 years | Coalition of community enterprises |
Traidcraft
|
Gateshead, UK | Turnover over £250,000, 170 staff | Foundation, plc, registered charity | 16 years | Overseas development, trade justice |
West Midlands Social Accounting cluster
|
West Midlands, UK | 4 years | Group of organisations undertaking social accounting |