CIRCUS Foundation

URL = http://www.circus-foundation.org/

Description

"CIRCUS foundation is a small, independent non profit bringing together technologists and thinkers to help build bridges to the post industrial society. The foundation was established in 1997 by Charles Armstrong, a former student of the social innovator Lord Young of Dartington. Charles is CEO of London-based software developer Trampoline Systems and a Fellow of the UK School for Social Entrepreneurs." (http://www.circus-foundation.org/about/)

Projects

"There are thousands of situations when people need to set up a legal structure. Forming a new club or society. Growing a small businesses beyond sole trader status. Organising a campaigning group. Here at CIRCUS foundation we think it’s far too complicated to create a legal structure so we’ve set up a project to make it simple: One Click Organisations.

We’re particularly interested in fixing this problem for social entrepreneurs. Just when a social project becomes successful and an entrepreneur starts getting offers of funding and support, they discover they need a legal structure before they can get any further. So they have to divert their time and attention to learn about different types of organisation, decide what kind of decision-making process is appropriate, get a constitution written and go through the formal process to create an organisation. This gets expensive if legal help is required. More importantly it can take an entire month of a social entrepreneur’s time which would be much better spent advancing their core mission.

One Click Organisations is creating a free website where social entrepreneurs and others can set up and manage legal structures. Just select a name, choose from a menu of options (eg how new members can join) and click “Go”. One Click Organisations will take care of the rest: maintaining a constitution, a register of members and officers plus an streamlined system for voting on group decisions. All software developed for the project will be released under an open source licence." (http://www.circus-foundation.org/projects/one-click-organisations/)

More Information

Contact us : [email protected]