Social Enterprise Day
Businesses with heart, making the world better while turning profits, caring for communities, and championing causes that touch our souls.
Position your mission-driven business as a force for good and attract purpose-aligned customers, partners, and talent during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
- Spotlight your social/environmental impact metrics and share the 'why' behind your business model
- Feature customer stories showing how their purchases drive real community or environmental change
- Host a LinkedIn or webinar panel with other social enterprises to discuss sustainable profitability
- Launch a 'Social Enterprise Spotlight' campaign highlighting lesser-known mission-driven brands
Social Enterprise isn’t a new concept, though it has changed with the times as surely as any commercial styled venture does. Social enterprises work hard to support themselves through non-government and non-state supported means, they aren’t aiming to put a further burden on the communities they aim to support, and thus largely fund themselves independently.
Social Enterprise Day is the third Thursday in November and is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. It is a day to raise awareness of social enterprises who are businesses trading for a social or environmental mission, for example, the Big Issue, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant and divine Chocolate (for more information on social enterprise visit http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/about/about-social-enterprise). Social Enterprise UK will be running a large campaign around Social Enterprise Day to raise awareness of these amazing organizations and the work that they do.
As mentioned previously, while there is a common conception that social enterprises are not-for-profit organizations, and while this is largely true, it is by no means universal. Social Enterprise Day embodies not just those companies that are not-for-profit, but also those that choose to approach their position in their communities with responsibility and with the interest of promoting its success.
In the US, social enterprises engage themselves in helping to resolve social needs by hiring disadvantaged people, providing services and products to those in need, as well as those indicators mentioned above. Companies like Good Will are well known for their work in hiring those in need and providing products and services at an affordable rate to the same. In fact, Good Will is something of an institution that kicked off the tradition of thrift stores like the Salvation Army and Visiting Nurses hiring those in need and providing their products at an affordable rate.