Say ‘Hello’ to three friendly faces, representing Good Finance across underserved regions in the UK to help us to reach even more social sector organisations and empowering them to make informed decisions around the future financing of the charity or social enterprise…
What is a Good Finance Ambassador?
Alongside our brilliant marketing partners, we’ll be working with three individuals with a very specific set of skills (SPOILER: Liam Neeson isn’t one of them) to help us to reach even more social enterprises and charities, with a focus on areas that are typically below national averages for accessing finance.
The co-designed structure of collaboration means we’ll be harnessing the power of their local knowledge, connections and influence and combining it with our brilliant collection of tools and resources to bring even more understanding and awareness to the areas that need it most.
After a productive workshop where we collectively agreed to ban the term ‘not-for-profit’, this programme is officially underway. Work will be carried out during Q4 of 2025, with the view to extend into 2026 and beyond, potentially opening up the opportunity to others should we see positive results over the next few months.
Combatting cold spots…
After spending some time this summer exploring inequities when it comes to access to finance in the UK, it was impossible to ignore the geographic disparities currently facing the sector.
East of England
In 2024, just 2% of social enterprises in the East of England said they’d applied for external finance (other than grants) in the previous 12 months, compared to 11% nationally while 25% considered applying for finance, significantly below the national average of 35%.
In addition, 20% organisations lacked the confidence and skills to take on social finance – which is far more than the national average of 8%. (State of Social Enterprise, East of England)
East Midlands
Financial barriers were far more commonly cited in the East Midlands than in other parts of the country, with cashflow, late payments and energy prices all flagged as particularly concerning.
A lower proportion of organisations applied for social investment and a lower proportion intend to apply over the next three years, with a quarter saying they hadn’t applied through fear of rejection. (State of Social Enterprise, East Midlands)
West Midlands
Social enterprises in the West Midlands were more likely to make a profit (60% versus 48% national average) but despite this, a larger proportion face financial barriers to growth.
35% of organisations in this region reported obtaining finance as a major barrier compared to a national average of 29% - so despite being more enterprising and less likely to apply for grants, social enterprises in the West Midlands are still less likely to apply and successfully access social investment. (State of Social Enterprise, West Midlands)
There are a number of reasons this could be – and many argue that availability of investors, lack of pre-investment support, risk aversity and unsuitable products all have a role to play in contributing to geographic inequity.
However, here at Good Finance, we want to take it back to the very start. You don’t know what you don’t know and we want to improve knowledge, understanding and confidence around social investment, and one of the best ways to achieve this is to get bigger and better connected boots on the ground in some of the UK’s most underserved areas.
Enter the Good Finance Ambassadors…
Meet the Ambassadors…
Rebecca White – Hasler-White Facilitation
Having founded and run award-winning social enterprise Your Own Place CIC – and securing social investment herself during that time (see Your Own Place CIC Case Study) – Rebecca now sets her sights on supporting the third sector and its leaders to thrive, arguing they are needed now more than ever to support communities across the UK.
Rebecca will be a Good Finance Ambassador for the East of England. You can read more about the work she does via the Hasler-White Inclusive Facilitation website or connect with her on LinkedIn to understand more.
'I'm excited, having myself been an outlier social investment recipient in the East of England's social investment 'cold spot' to be a Good Finance Ambassador. Access to investment should not be down to who you know or where you are. I'm looking forward to sharing accessible content for an audience of charity and social enterprise leaders to turn a 'cold spot' into an equitable hotspot of social investment awareness'
Chris Hill – Chill Associate LTD
Chris is a specialist advisor for social entrepreneurs and social enterprises, alongside any businesses that have social objectives built into their governance and delivery. He also works part time as Development Coordinator at Nottingham CVS.
Drawing on his own real-life experiences of setting up and running social businesses, Chris is able to provide a unique perspective on how social enterprises can grow and scale into thriving social businesses, against a backdrop of economic uncertainty.
Chris will be an ambassador for the East Midlands and you can connect with him on LinkedIn to understand more.
“I was interested in becoming a Good Finance Ambassador because I’m passionate about the role social investment plays in supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector become sustainable though growing trading income. I’m excited to see more take up of the tools that Good Finance have by all the stakeholders in the East Midlands, especially Nottingham. What excites me most is how this will lead to more impactful organisations delivering further impact through Social Investment.”
Natasha Jolob - Kai-zen Change for Good CIC
Living and working in the East MIdlands, Natasha is all too familiar with the challenges and opportunities of the region and is particularly interested in key policy updates (NHS social value playbooks, Fit for the Future Plan etc.)
Drawing on her journalistic background and advanced, accredited expertise in social value practice, Natasha looks forward to sharing insights on how social investment can drive social value, business growth, and long-term resilience - helping to build a stronger, more equitable social economy.
Natasha will be a Good Finance Ambassador for the West Midlands / East Midlands. You can read more about the work she does via the Kai-Zen Change for Good CIC website or connect with her on LinkedIn to learn more.
“I was interested in becoming a Good Finance Ambassador because I have long-standing experience supporting social enterprises and charities to develop and grow through investment finance, and local infrastructure organisations in the East and West Midlands, including helping them secure Connect Fund grants to build their internal social enterprise and funding advice capacities.
It’s an honour to work with the Good Finance team to promote best practice, challenge myths, and help social enterprises that may feel far from investment become prepared and supported.
I also look forward to writing and sharing insights — drawing on my journalistic background — about how investment is not just about loans, but about business growth, resilience, sustainability, and shaping a stronger, more equitable social economy.”
What’s next?
Watch this space! We anticipate some new and exciting content coming (very) soon to a monitor near you, courtesy of our fantastic ambassadors.
From events to e-Learning opportunities, videos to vodcasts – and everything in between – we’re excited to platform their perspectives across our many channels.
Ultimately, this is our attempt at halting the term ‘hard to reach’ and going in straight at the source - with help from people who are far more popular and well-known than us.
If you’re a social enterprise or charity in West Midlands, East Midlands or the East of England and you have a social investment story to share, we’d love to hear from you! Contact info@goodfinance.org.uk or get in touch with the relevant ambassador for your area and we’ll take it from there.
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