This story explores how Social Enterprise Scotland worked with The Melting Pot to evolve its membership offer and strengthen its future.

For more than 20 years, Social Enterprise Scotland (SES) has supported and represented social enterprises across the country.

As the national membership and intermediary body, SES champions social enterprise in all its forms – promoting, connecting and representing organisations that use business to tackle social and environmental challenges.

But as the sector has evolved, so too has the organisation behind it.

Over the last four years, SES has experienced rapid growth – expanding its membership from 400 organisations to more than 1,000. That growth reflects the strength of Scotland’s social enterprise movement.

Yet it also raised an important question for the team: how could the organisation evolve alongside the sector it serves?

A small team supporting a large movement

Despite its national role, Social Enterprise Scotland is a relatively small organisation. 

Today, a team of 11 staff cover everything from member engagement and support, to influencing policy, and running flagship events including Awards, Summits and Cross-Party groups.  

But like many of the organisations they represent, SES operates in a challenging environment – the compounding impacts of Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis, and wider economic pressures. The organisation must balance core funding with the need to generate income, while remaining accessible to the organisations it supports.  

Membership fees are one potential source of income, but many social enterprises simply cannot afford to pay more. 

“We heard very loudly and clearly from organisations that they just can’t afford it,” explains Deputy CEO, Kim Wallace.  

This tension between supporting the whole sector and sustaining the organisation itself is a familiar challenge for membership bodies. It also became the initiation point for change. 

Looking outward for fresh thinking 

Rather than trying to solve the challenge alone, the SES team decided to bring in an external perspective. 

They were looking for a partner who could help them rethink their membership model, strengthen their offer to members, and explore new ways of building financial sustainability. 

Just as importantly, they wanted someone who understood the social enterprise ecosystem. 

“Coming in and doing that piece of work without understanding the sector would have meant losing a lot of really useful intelligence,” says Membership Manager, Jayne Chappell.  

The Melting Pot were a natural fit. The organisations already shared a long relationship – from early days supporting founder Claire Carpenter, to being neighbours in The Melting Pot building, and being members of Social Enterprise Scotland themselves.  

But beyond that familiarity, the proposal showed something more. 

“There was a clear understanding of us as an organisation, our positioning, and the landscape in Scotland just now,” Kim recalls. 

Listening to the sector 

Together, the organisations set out to explore three key areas: 

1. The sustainability of the membership model 
2. How the membership offer could evolve as the organisation grows 
3. New ways to strengthen events, networking and connections across the sector  

True to social innovation principles that form the core of The Melting Pot’s approach, the process began with listening. 

The Melting Pot spoke with a wide range of voices across the ecosystem – running focus groups with members, holding one-to-one conversations, and engaging with regional social enterprise networks.  

Kim explains, “from our point of view, it was easy, seamless. Once we provided the initial information and contacts, they picked it up and ran with it.”  

The aim was to build a 360-degree view of the membership experience – from large organisations to small grassroots enterprises, and from urban to rural communities. 

They also worked closely with the SES team, facilitating internal conversations that encouraged staff to step back and reflect on their own work. 

“Some of the questions really got us thinking about things differently,” Jayne recalls.  

From insight to action 

The result was a practical roadmap for the organisation’s next chapter. 

The final report provided by The Melting Pot Consultancy team outlined clear recommendations, examples and language that the SES team could immediately start using in communications, membership materials and strategy discussions. 

For Kim, one of the most valuable aspects was the clarity. 

“It’s given me much more of a vision for what the future membership offer could look like – and the steps for how we get there. It’s also helpful to have practical examples alongside the recommendations – to see what that looks like in practice,” 

The report also validated many of the ideas already emerging within the team, helping build confidence in the direction they were considering. 

Kim continues, “it endorsed quite a lot of thinking that we already had, but it also helped us take that thinking a step further.”  

Today, the recommendations are being taken forward through an internal working group, with staff from across the organisation exploring how they apply within different teams and areas of work. 

A partnership that goes beyond the brief 

For Social Enterprise Scotland, the collaboration demonstrated the value of working with a partner who understands both the sector and the organisation itself. 

From the initial proposal to the delivery of the final report – and even afterwards – The Melting Pot team brought a collaborative, responsive approach. 

“They were willing to invest time right from the beginning, which indicated the type of organisation we would be working with, the individuals, and their values. They’ve gone above and beyond the brief,” says Jayne.  

Even months after the project finished, the team continued to provide small but valuable support – refining materials and helping the organisation get the most from the work. 

Strengthening the future of the sector 

SES now have a clear path forward that will help them continue to connect, champion and support Scotland’s social enterprise community for years to come. Kim reflects, “We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Melting Pot to other organisations.”  

This project reflects the way The Melting Pot Consultancy works with organisations across Scotland to tackle complex challenges using social innovation and co-design principles.  

Reflecting on the collaboration, The Melting Pot CEO Helen Denny says, “Social Enterprise Scotland plays such a vital role in championing and connecting the sector. We relished the opportunity to gather insight and work with the team to evolve their offering. With a strong background in this area, we could understand the nuances and tensions of their situation, which helped us develop recommendations that were ambitious, but also sensitive and sustainable. We look forward to seeing it come to life.” 

If you are interested to learn more about The Melting Pot Consultancy, please check out the webpage or contact Business Development Manager, Sam Ross ([email protected]).