Child.org launches co-working space in London for charities
Howard Lake | 31 October 2019 | News
International children’s charity Child.org has launched Cahoots, a co-working space for innovative charities and social enterprises, just five minutes from London’s Old Street Station. Rents paid will help fund the charity’s work.
The “affordable, flexible co-working space” is designed to function as a hub “for collaborative and ambitious social impact organisations”, to take advantage of the possibilities of working in the same environment as other social impact organisations.
Current Cahoots members include Child.org, and social enterprises, Utopy and Charity Futures. Members benefit from skills sharing, regular social events and “affordable central London rent”, which helps fund the work of Child.org.
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There are plenty of other co-working spaces in London and elsewhere, some focused on the charity and social enterprise sectors. Thomas Muirhead, Managing Director at Child.org, describes Cahoots as unique, saying that “Cahoots isn’t like other co-working offices, people actually eat lunch together and feel like part of a bigger team”.
Cahoots membership
Cahoots members rent a floating or fixed desk for £350 per month. They also have unlimited access to a meeting room and events space and get ingredients to make a free healthy breakfast and lunch every day. The emphasis is on groups with a commitment to impactful social change working together.
Members both contribute to the small community and have a responsibility to look after the space. Members are encouraged to share skills and knowledge, such as running a workshop one lunchtime on how to design a charity of the year partnership, comparing social media policies, or learning how Child.org works with influencers.
Future plans include expanded breakout spaces and shared legal and accountancy services for members.
At present there are just 16 desks left at Cahoots.
The Cahoots meeting room and events space is available to rent for non-members.
Child.org’s social enterprise approach
Child.org is a charity that works in the most difficulty places in the world to grow up and believes that every child deserve an equal opportunity.
It has from the outset taken a social enterprise approach to generating some of its income. Projects include:
- Charity Apprentice – a course offering a new entry route to the charity sector (2014)
- Charity Concierge – provides volunteers at music festivals from other charities (who earn a fee). Volunteers helps with putting up tents, carrying luggage, delivering breakfast in bed, and providing waiter service, all for a donation. Most concierge services cost a £5 donation. (2016)
- Treat – aimed to create sustainable income for Child.org that taps into the private sector, It offers food gifts that corporates can order to send as a personalised thank you to employees. (2016)
Watch: Be a Charity Concierge
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.