SEC is committed to representing the whole of the social enterprise movement, working with organisations to ensure they learn from and support each other.
The Social Enterprise Coalition supports the Social Entrepreneur Show taking place at the Business Startup Exhibition on the 2nd & 3rd November at Olympia Kensington, London. Admission is free and is a must-attend event for anybody who is thinking of setting up a social enterprise or who has recently done so. Talk to the suppliers to the "industry"; get invaluable advice from experts within the field. For your free ticket or for more information, click here.
http://www.socialentrepreneurshow.co.uk
SEC works to develop policy and influence government, local authorities and other bodies to remove barriers and enable social enterprise to compete on a level playing field.
What is Social Enterprise?
Social enterprises are businesses with primarily social or environmental objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders.
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Well known social enterprises include Cafedirect, The Big Issue, The Co-operative Group, Welsh Water (Glas Cymru), the Eden Project and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen.
Social enterprises can take many forms, and pursue a wide range of social and environments aims, often to benefit particular communities of interest or geographical areas. Social enterprises generate more than 50% of their income from trading, or at least 25% for start-ups, and reinvest the majority of their profits to further their social aims. |
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According to government statistics, there are at least 55,000 social enterprises in the UK with a combined turnover of £27billion per year. Social enterprises account for 5% of all businesses with employees, and contribute £8.4billion per year to the UK economy. What do we offer our members?
As a membership organisation SEC is keen to engage with its members for the benefit of the movement. We seek our member's views to structure policy development, and provide opportunities for them to come into contact with politicians and policy makers.
Membership allows access to a large network of like-minded individuals, where they are able share knowledge and develop partnerships. Its gives members the opportunity to build their organisations profile, through case studies and recommendations. Members also receive a discount on publications and attendance at SEC events.
The Enterprising Solutions Awards
SEC runs the Enterprising Solutions Awards, an annual award that recognises social enterprises that have delivered innovative solutions, which have tackled social or environmental problems over the last year. The awards are extremely popular, and winning organisations receive not only recognition and a cash prize but also a large amount of publicity and press coverage.
Voice Conference
SEC organises the annual Voice Conference, one of the must attend social enterprise events of the year. The event features Government ministers, renowned third sector leaders and entrepreneurial rising stars. The conference, which takes place in January, has been incredibly successful and always sells out. Voice 08 will see the event enter its fourth year.
For more information please visit http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk
If you are interested in joining SEC please contact our membership officer Alexia Everett-Kerrigan at:
E: membership@socialenterprise.org.uk
T : 020 7793 2324
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