E-bulletin October 2009

Welcome to our inaugural e-bulletin. We hope these regular updates will provide insightful and useful stories, resources, news and events for people operating in, engaged with or interested in the social enterprise sector.

It is our intention that this be your e-bulletin, a means to keep you in touch with the sector, to facilitate learning and sharing in the pursuit of progressing social enterprise in Australia. We welcome your thoughts, feedback and contributions.

Don’t be bashful. We would love to hear from you!

Visit www.socialtraders.com.au  
Email info@socialtraders.com.au  
Or if you would like to talk to us, call Mark Daniels and the Social Traders Team on (03) 9421 7574.

Social Traders Activity

Finding Australia's Social Enterprise Sector (FASES) enters Phase 2 - Don’t miss your chance to be included in Australia’s first ever Social Enterprise Directory!

Social Traders in partnership with Queensland University of Technology are mapping the social enterprise sector in Australia for the first time, in order to advocate for greater interest and engagement in the sector by governments, business, the not for profit sector and philanthropy. This groundbreaking research will be used to produce an online social enterprise directory, to promote the benefits, goods and services of the sector to the public, governments, business, and each other.

A very valuable thirty minutes of your time!
We have already identified over 5000 social enterprises in Australia and are now collecting further important data. If you want to make sure you are on the social enterprise map of Australia, don’t miss your chance to fill out the survey before 3 November, 2009 and be included in the directory!

All eligible organisations that complete the survey go into the draw for a chance to win $1500 worth of organisational development services from the social enterprise of their choice.

For more information visit www.socialtraders.com.au/about-fases or download the survey at www.socialeconomy.net.au  

News

Keep Australia Working Final Report Released - Changes in second round of Jobs Fund Initiative

On Friday 16th October the Federal government released the Keep Australia Working Report. The Report recommends that the government proceed with a retargeted second and final round of the Jobs Fund initiative. The second round will consist of $51.9 million from the Local Jobs stream and $41.4 million from the Get Communities Working stream. The second round will focus on more sustainable employment and training opportunities for the most disadvantaged Australians by promoting green jobs and more effective models of social enterprise. New guidelines for round two will be released soon.

Read the full news release at www.socialtraders.com.au/news

Social Traders reflects on the success of the Social Enterprise World Forum 2009

Social Traders and Social Ventures Australia co-hosted the 2009 Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in Melbourne from 6-8 October. The event brought leading social entrepreneurs, practitioners and support agencies together to advance the development of the emerging social enterprise movement in Australia and internationally.

The event was a huge success:
• Over 500 delegates
• 60 international representatives
• Over 150 presenters
• Social Enterprise Award for ‘lifetime achievement’ in the sector presented to Steve Lawrence, former Founder and CEO of Work Ventures, NSW. 

There was a positive energy at the forum generated by the interaction of the high calibre presenters and engaging audience.  Following the forum, a key highlight was the study tours.  Seventy delegates, predominantly international guests, attended these sold out tours and were witness to an impressive showcase of a number of Victoria's and Western Australia's leading social enterprises. It was heartening to hear the Chair of the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, Laurie Russel, describe some of these social enterprises as “as good as anything you’ll see in the UK…”!

If you would be interested in participating in social enterprise study tours in your State, email us at info@socialtraders.com.au  

To hear more about the forum’s success and outcomes, visit www.sewf09.com  
• Download Key Presentations
• Watch the SEWF 09 Debate “There is no Business like Social Business”
• Read about SEWF in the Press
• See full Delegate list
• See details of SEWF 2010

A great deal of debate and discussion was sparked at the forum and we would love to keep it going. Visit our online Community Discussion Forums to continue the conversation.

Opinion Piece of the Month

Social Traders will be regularly featuring thought provoking opinion pieces on various topics related to social enterprise. We invite you to share your views on these pieces through our Community Discussion Forums, as well as contribute your own opinion pieces by contacting info@socialtraders.com.au.

“The Role of Government in Supporting Social Enterprise/Social Business” - Cheryl Kernot, Director of Social Enterprise the Centre for Social Impact UNSW Sydney
“(Social Enterprise take-up)… requires a whole of government strategy to maximise specific social inclusion outcomes which appear to be the current focus of the Australian government.”

“Can we count everything that counts? Measuring the social value created by social enterprise” - Jo Barraket, Associate Professor of Social Enterprise/Entrepreneurship, The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, QUT
“If social enterprises do not self-determine their own organisational needs for measuring impacts – the ‘why are we doing this?’ question - then there is a danger that we will see a proliferation of inappropriate measurement, driven by faddish interest in particular methods on the part of financing bodies and flamed by those with a pecuniary interest in selling particular methods to the social enterprise sector.”

Read Full Opinion Pieces here

About Social Enterprise

Did you know…
Intermediate Labour Market Companies (ILMCs) are businesses that create a bridge to the open labour market for individuals experiencing long term unemployment and other significant disadvantage in the labour market.

ILM’s are just one of a range of Social Enterprise Types - Read More at www.socialtraders.com.au/social-enterprise-typology  

Social Enterprise Profile

Yackandandah Community Development Company (YCDCo)

YCDCo is a community enterprise developed using a “Community Buy-Out” model. The enterprise is wholly owned by the local community, with residents of Yackandandah making up its shareholder base. It was established in 2001 due to the proposed closure of the only petrol station in the town. YCDCo initially came into being to secure the local fuel supply but has since assumed a much wider role focused on social, cultural and economic outcomes for the town and community.

Read more about YCDCo and other social enterprise case studies at www.socialtraders.com.au/library/case-studies.  

If you are keen to profile, or would like to contribute a case study of your social enterprise to our website, post your document at www.socialtraders.com.au/node/add/library  or contact us at info@socialtraders.com.au. 

Events

Foresters Social Innovation and Education Workshops

Foresters Community Finance is hosting three workshops in QLD in Oct and Nov 2009, centred on helping community organisations to achieve financial sustainability and thereby increase their social impact.

For Further Information on this and other upcoming events visit www.socialtraders.com.au/news  

We are keen to communicate news and events anywhere in Australia that relates to social enterprise. If you would like us to promote your news or event, post your information to our website at www.socialtraders.com.au/node/add/news or email info@socialtraders.com.au  

Resources

The Social Investment Almanack

As the first publication of its kind, The Social Investment Almanack exists to showcase the different types of social investment. Produced by Social Enterprise, it includes the UK's first comprehensive directory of social investors, finance providers and support organisations. The four chapters introduce the social investment marketplace and run through models that are well established, just taking off and those that are in the laboratory stage. This is the essential publication for both social entrepreneurs and social investors alike.

Visit www.socialtraders.com.au/library/social-investment to download the Almanack for free.

Job Opportunities

The sector is seeing a burst of new job opportunities, sparked in part by recently distributed Jobs Fund allocations.

Project Worker – BEEEP – Horticultural Therapy
Foodservice Manager - STREAT
Environmental Manager - Mission Australia
Blue SKYS 3 Coordinator – SKYS

For details and a full list of more advertised jobs, visit www.socialtraders.com.au/job-opportunities  

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