Structure and strategy

We were established in 2011 as a not for profit company limited by guarantee, started trading in June 2012 and converted to a community interest company in 2019. 

We exist in order to benefit people and organisations across the U.K. who are currently managing land in ways that provide shared social, environmental and economic benefits, and those who seek to do so in the future. We call these people common good land users. 

Theory of change

In practice this means that we work with: 

  • common good land users to ensure they are; confident, secure, profitable, effective, connected, informed and influential, and
  • funders, landowners, land professionals and policy makers to ensure they created an environment in which common good land users could thrive.

This is illustrated by our theory of change.

large diagram of Shared Assets' 'theory of change'. This includes the layers: Land system outcomes, outcomes for common good land users, thriving organisations, a supportive environment, Shared Assets' activities, stakeholders, other stakeholder outcomes, commons.


Structure

Through our three main functions of Consultancy, Research and Movement Building we aim to:

  • Support the agency of individuals to take action on land issues that impact their communities.
  • Support practical action by strengthening the network and building the capacity of land based social and community businesses.
  • Advocate for land as a social and economic justice issue.
  • Co-creating an evidence base to support the development of land based social and community businesses.
  • Working with landowners to create new opportunities for land to be managed for the common good.




Diagram of Shared Assets' structure. A 'core' circle branches out to 'movement building', 'consultancy', 'research'



Supporting common good land users

Through our consultancy work we support communities and landowners to establish community led organisations to manage land, secure access to land to run their projects, and develop their organisations to become sustainable businesses. 

A train of words going in a forward direction in a list as follows: 'Awareness, Formation, Access, Development, Scaling, System Change'. 'formation-access-development' are highlighted.


Thorough our Movement Building, Research and Consultancy work we also:

  • work with communities to raise awareness of land issues and of the potential for common good land use to help meet their needs, 
  • support common good land users to scale up their work and their impact, and
  • work with them to create a more sustainable and just land system.

A train of words going in a forward direction in a list as follows: 'Awareness, Formation, Access, Development, Scaling, System Change'. "awareness-scaling-system change" are highlighted.


Our 2021-24 strategy 

The high level objectives for 2021-24 are to:

  • Move from a model that is entirely reliant on consultancy and short term project income to one that also includes grant funding and social investment for core costs and long term programmes.
  • Co-create a robust practice based knowledge base about, and for, the land based social and community business sector by working with peer researchers from practitioner organisations.
  • Create new opportunities for common good approaches to land management by developing and delivering a broader, deeper and more proactive service offer to public and private sector landowners to deliver improved public benefits from the management of their estate.
  • Diversify, strengthen and advocate for the land based social and community business sector and provide support and infrastructure for organisations and individuals working on land justice.
  • Provide clear and rapid development and progression opportunities for all staff.
  • Use a mix of technology and face to face meetings to enable effective and efficient team work, collaboration, accountability, self administration and self management.
  • Enable all staff to work remotely and flexibly within a four-day week organisation supported by processes and policies that enhance their personal wellbeing.
  • Increase the diversity of the Board, staff team and common good land users we work with to ensure we reflect, represent and are supportive of those most marginalised by the land system.
  • Build a skilled and leaderful organisation that operates on a more distributed leadership model and reduces reliance on the leadership of, and delivery by, the Executive Directors. 
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