A new charity has been launched to help cope with a predicted £42billion in public sector cuts in Scotland by 2026.
The Lens, backed by the Scottish Government and the Robertson Trust will help other charities become more innovative and business minded, and unleash their entrepreneurial talent. It's chief executive said a culture of 'intrapreneurship' would help charities approach familiar challenges in new ways, by getting staff to take educated risks, show leadership and nurture a culture of innovation.
The first charities to partner with The Lens are The Prince’s Trust, Loretto Care, Carer’s Trust and Cornerstone.
Each charity will receive a tailored programme of workshops and coaching developed to meet their organisational needs.
Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Business Energy and Tourism, said: “Sustainable economic growth is about more than profit. More people should be able to reap the benefits of entrepreneurial activity, which is why I am delighted that the Scottish Government has supported the creation of The Lens.
“With the help of this new initiative, third sector organisations who are delivering much needed public services are going to be supported in unleashing their entrepreneurial talent. This will ultimately lead to greater sustainability and impact.”
Edel Harris, CEO of Cornerstone, said "We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with The Lens programme and look forward to seeing the process enhance our approach to innovation and also encourage our staff to become intrapreneurs and to realise their creative ideas and potential.”
The Robertson Trust, Scotland’s biggest grant giving trust, has committed £50,000 to support The Lens in 2015. Steve McCreadie, CEO of The Lens, said charity workers often had brilliant ideas which would resonate with their service users. "Our role is to help people to develop their ideas, acquire new skills and engage in service redesign. We need all our collective intelligence to respond to the opportunities and challenges ahead and make sure we can deliver sustainable impact where it’s most needed.”
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