At Common Threads we have always put profit back into the 'business' in order to fund the development of new training courses and the production of new publications. Without profits we would not be able to meet the changing continuous professional development needs of our field, nor would we be able to meet those needs in such an innovative or responsive way. (From years of working in the voluntary sector, I know that by the time you have waited for funding to come through, the world has moved on!)
Setting up Common Threads as a private business (the term 'social enterprise' was not widely used in those days) was the only way that I could do something that I felt would make a contribution to the lives of children in terms of supporting the adults who work with them. Having done that for what I consider to be the 'right' reasons, it still does hurt occasionally when we get comments about being a 'limited company', the implication being that we're 'only in it for the money.'
Speaking personally as somebody who earns a lot less money than colleagues working in local authorities (and who have a lot less responsibility than I do), I would heartily agree with June's last point - it is the social return that matters with us, not the size of our pay packets.
Shelly Newstead, Common Threads Training Ltd, Eastleigh, Hampshire
- Send your letters to ...
The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP
letter.nw@haymarket.com 020 8267 8402.
