Lesson 4 of 10
Community purpose and community benefit
Learning objectives
- Write a community purpose that is specific, not vague
- Define the community you serve with edges
- Show how benefit reaches that community in practice
- Pass the CIC Regulator's community interest test
Specific beats noble
'Improving health in our community' fails the test. 'Improving cardiovascular fitness and confidence of 11–16 year olds in two named postcodes via free weekly boxing sessions delivered by DBS-checked coaches' passes.
Specificity is what unlocks both regulation and funding.
Define the community
By geography (postcodes, ward, borough), demographic (age range, condition, life stage), or shared experience (care leavers, veterans, refugees, returners to exercise). Most strong CIC statements name at least two of these dimensions.
Show the benefit pathway
How does the trading activity translate into community benefit? Map: revenue → activities → outputs → outcomes → impact. The first three are easy. Outcomes and impact are what your annual community report has to evidence.
Founder insight — Derrick Twum
When we coach founders on their CIC applications, the single biggest fix is replacing one vague sentence with one specific paragraph. The Regulator is asking 'who, exactly, benefits?' — answer that.
Key takeaway
A defensible community purpose is specific about who, where and how. Pass the 'who exactly benefits?' test.
Reflection questions
- 1Who exactly is your community — name it in 2 dimensions?
- 2How does your trading activity actually reach them?
- 3What outputs vs outcomes can you evidence?
- 4Would a regulator understand your statement first-read?
Action task
Rewrite your community statement to pass the 'who exactly benefits?' test in one paragraph.
Worksheet
Work through these prompts. Answers save to this device.
Answers are saved to this device only. Cloud sync coming soon.
Related MEM tools
- Impact Reporting
- Funding Templates