The Big Jump - What is Social Enterprise

What is Social Enterprise?

Kate Welch OBE

What is Social Enterprise?

a business with primarily social

objectives, whose surpluses are

principally reinvested for that purpose in

the business or community rather than

mainly being paid to shareholders or

owners

Fundamental Principles

• Working for the Common Good

– Caring for human resources

– Good governance and accountability

– Asset lock and use of profits

• Co-operation

• Subsidiarity

John Pearce

Quebec

• Business of the social economy to serve its members or

the community rather than simply generating profits and

focus on financial performance;

• it management autonomy from the state;

• it incorporates in its articles and ways to make a

democratic decision process involving users and

consumers, workers;

• She defends the primacy of people and work over capital

in the distribution of its surplus, and income;

• operations based on the principles of participation,

support and individual and collective responsibility.

La Tohu

Social Enterprise Asia

• Japan – no separate legal definition

– Government seed funds social businesses with

robust business plans

• Korea – SE law to allow private firms to

obtain subsidies for employing long term

unemployed

• China- actively pursuing the idea.

– Government back SEs that create employment

– Mainly on East Coast, Beijing and Shanghai or

major university towns like Ningbo

India - Social Enterprise

Learning Journey

Social Enterprise in UK

• 62,000 social enterprises

• Different structures

– Enterprising Charities,

– voluntary organisations,

– Community Interest Companies,

– Co-operatives and mutual structures

– private companies with social objectives and

profit distribution

Well-known social enterprises

• Eden Project

• Divine Chocolate

• The Co-operative, supermarket, bank

• John Lewis Partnership

• Cafe Direct

• Traidcraft

• Housing Associations

Not so well-known social

enterprises• Welsh Water

• Greenwich Leisure Services

• Hackney Community Transport

• Coin Street Builders

• One Water

• Hill Holt Wood

• Blue Sky

Voluntary Group

Incorporated

Group

Charity?

Paid Staff?

Social Enterprise

Enterprising Behaviour

Social Enterprise – a journey?

Social Entrepreneurs

School for Social Entrepreneurs, Liverpool

Best Practice in Employability

Acumen has helped thousands of

people back into employment or self-

employment over the past five years

through community engagement. It

has also established a number of

social enterprises at the heart of local

communities. In the context of the

recession such social enterprises

potentially offer an important pathway

for people to develop work skills and

gain confidence ensuring they can still

follow a transition back to work even in

an economic downturn

• Source: IPPR Russell Commission on Public Sector

Reform in the North East

Self Belief and Emotional Resilience

Employment Advisers

Homelessness to Tenancy

Property Acumen provides:-

• Affordable short term supported

accommodation

• Floating support

• A home within the local community

• A fully renovated property fully

furnished

For:

Vulnerable young people aged 16 – 24

who are homeless or on the verge of being

made homeless

• 1 acre of land

• 2 polytunnels

• 9 permanent jobs

• 14 Future Jobs Funded

posts – 6 into work so

far

• 20 offenders on

community payback

• 30 qualifications for

offenders

• 7 students with learning

difficulties

Scale

Supply Chain

Buying/Selling

Power

Share quality

standards/systems

Sustainable

community

businesses

• National Offender

Management Service

• Prison gardening

projects

• Probation community

payback gardening

• Support to become

businesses, reduce

public sector spend

• Reduce re-offending

The Green Leaf Cafe

The Green Leaf Cafe

Innovation Model

Latest idea for an enterprise

Reap and Sow pop up Shop

Social Enterprise Acumen CIC

Social Enterprise Acumen

• Host County Durham Social Enterprise

Business Forum

• Host RSA Social Entrepreneurs Forum

• NE School for Social Entrepreneurs

• NE partner for UnLtd (Foundation for

Social Entrepreneurs)

• Contracts Matter

• Working with public sector on social

enterprise solutions and development of

the third sector

Kate Welch OBE

Chief Executive

Acumen

kate.welch@acumentrust.org.uk

0191 587 8000