Social Enterprise

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Posted on September 29th, 2016 by Richard Morris

So what does being a “Social Enterprise” mean and why does it matter?

I’ve had the privilege of being able to work in both the “for profit”
sector as well as the social enterprise and charity sectors. The big issue
for us all these days is sustainability. When our world felt much bigger
with endless space, resources and opportunity these were not issues we
worried too much about. But as our knowledge and ability to connect with
others personally, organisationally and internationally have grown, the
world is shrinking and we start to see issues that need addressing.

Wherever we look, there is a bigger picture at play

– over fishing depletes fish stocks to levels that in some cases cannot
recover and destroy the industries and livelihoods that depended on them
– over selling of unsustainable financial services has led to market
crashes causing financial impact on all of us
– The drive to reduce cost puts pressure on retailers to import goods
and services from other organisations that may flout child labour and
safety laws to make their costs the cheapest

In essence, we have economic models which are driven by profit and surplus
and while these are essential for a healthy economy – in the examples
above, they are not the only issue. Social Enterprises are companies that
seek to be successful AND solve some of our issues at the same time. There
is a balance of profit and investment return against addressing our
societal issues.

For example, cafes spring up that help disadvantaged people to gain
essential employment experience, others recycle materials into useful
household items and TheGivingMachine helps ensure some of the huge amounts
of cash we spend goes back into community organisations chosen by
customers.

Social Enterprise

Money is a funny thing – it is actually like a form of energy as it has the
potential to achieve different outcomes. Social Enterprises are working
hard to unlock the power of money exchanged in trading to build successful
businesses that also contribute significantly to making our world more
sustainable.

So we are proud to be part of that movement and would encourage everyone to
seek out Social Enterprises and support them where they can. Together, we
can make such a huge difference.

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