Social Impact Report 2015/16 As a provider of enterprise support to social, charitable, public, and other types of organisations, I offer a range of services and activities to a wide variety of clients - organisations, government bodies, individual enterprises, residents in local communities, and thematic communities experiencing disadvantage. However, underpinning all these different services and support are a set of core values – values which I am keen to be open and transparent about how well I am ‘living up to them’ across all of my professional activities. Having been involved in supporting groups and sector bodies to understand, identify, and report on their social impact since the last 1990s through national programmes, individual consultancy, and the development of sector-specific toolkits, I chose to commit myself to doing the same. In 2005 I therefore started to create a reporting framework for freelance consultants like myself, having not been able to identify any existing standards that are suitable for sole traders, or that would allow me to consistently report against my performance overall – not just in respect of a specific activity or service (as most of the existing frameworks and standards are concerned with doing). Each year I review this framework openly through inviting peer review, which has led to its expansion with each reporting cycle. It continues to be structured to allow me to easily benchmark myself against other organisations, as without this ability it would have has limited value in not understanding how representative its findings are against wider ‘market norms’. Based on feedback against last year’s report, I’ve also started to include quotes and mini case studies from clients to help illustrate the ways in which I’ve had an impact on them and their organisations. This is to supplement the scoring of their reported gains in knowledge and confidence around subject areas I’ve supported clients with. And for the first time, I’ve also decided to include an indication of the tax I pay on my turnover – I felt this was important not only because I’m the only freelance consultant who’s signed up to the FairTax Mark (that I’m aware of), but also because I feel its important as there are lots of good reasons why we as businesses of all types should pay tax, rather than try and avoid it. I’m therefore always seeking ways to create opportunities for conversations around this. Finally, I’ve still not been able to identify any other freelance consultants anywhere in the world who openly report on their performance in this way, although I continue to attract global interest and acclaim for my approach in doing so.

‘Values in Action': As someone who believes in the value of social impact reporting and strives to be transparent in how I conduct my professional work, I have committed myself to monitoring and reporting openly on my impact and the extent to which I have been able to generate benefits in relation to my values:

2015/6 2014/5 Average over last 10 years journeys by public transport, bicycle or foot 94% 88% 70% turnover invested in continuing development of skills & knowledge 3% 4% 5% proportion of supply chain purchases made within the 'local economy' *** (within 10mile radius of registered place of business)

33% 33% 42%

proportion of supply chain purchases made within the ‘social economy’ *** (from co-ops, social enterprises and charities)

19% 29% 29%

feedback on all training delivered (rating: excellent- very good) 98% 100% 99% feedback on all training courses developed (rating: excellent- very good) 95% 100% 98% impact of training on knowledge and confident of participants +57.8% +32.1% +50.8% value of pro bono support given* £8,177 £8,611 £7,633 Tax paid as a percentage of turnover** 23.9% - -

* calculated from national day rate benchmark calculated by Skilllfair.co.uk

**This is the total of income tax and NI contributions and non-recoverable VAT on procurement against my total turnover during the year

***During winter of 2015 I was displaced from my home by flooding so incurred exceptional additional costs with regard to non-local accommodation and purchases of equipment, etc

Impact on support for social enterprises and charities: “as a local infrastructure body we're now going to reconsider the advice we offer to local groups”

- Sector support agency who attended a workshop I delivered on social enterprise governance, legal forms, and operations Financial impact on enterprises through their becoming better able to better manage their finances: “I've never had someone explain a balance sheet so simply before” One client with a national client base saw their internal finance committee increase in number 3 fold after my session - managers and board members reported becoming more confident in their skills to do so after my training session on understanding accounts Governance impact through strengthening ability of Boards to manage their enterprises: After working with a Board to review their performance and management systems, I identified that most Directors were struggling to engage with financial information being reported to them – this enterprises’ Board now receives financial reports in pictoral form and as a result all now fully engage in setting and reviewing budgets. Reflections and narratives on previous years’ reports can be found posted on my blog at: http://thirdsectorexpert.blogspot.co.uk

w: http://www.adrianashton.co.uk e: adrian_ashton2@yahoo.co.uk t: 07786 492313 twitter: @AdrianAshton2