Our Current Initiatives

Social Traders will work with government, community, business and research partners to undertake a broad range of key activities in 2010-11 in relation to each of our five strategic goals, as follows:

Raise awareness and demonstrate benefits:

· Introducing social enterprise - our speakers explain social enterprise at government, nonprofit and corporate events

· Social enterprise case studies online - detailed case studies of six (6) diverse social enterprise types

· Survey of job-creating social enterprises - a survey of 70 social enterprises: what they do and how they are going

· Job-creation case studies - eight (8) to ten (10) different social enterprises established to create jobs for disadvantaged people

· Social impact measurement - a guide to methods and resources needed for social impact measurement

Open markets for social enterprise products and services:

· Social Procurement - developing social procurement awareness and demonstration projects with Victorian Local Governments

· Social Enterprise Finder website - a web directory of social enterprise in Australia

· Building social enterprise trade and turnover - intensive business development for eight (8) established Victorian social enterprises

Increase finance available to start and develop social enterprise:

· The Crunch - a social enterprise development support competition challenge supported by training, mentors and access to financial investment

· Corporate partnerships - working with companies to access business skills, new markets, and finance for social enterprises

Build capacity of social enterprises to trade successfully:

· Information and support - direct assistance to developing social enterprises

· Training - workshops and training in all aspects of social enterprise

· Business planning guide - tailored on-line social enterprise business planning resource

· Social enterprise networks - support for social enterprises with similar interests and activities to network and share

· Study Tours - monthly visits to successful social enterprises in Victoria

· E-Newsletter - a monthly bulletin reporting news, events, resources and our work

Coordinate and collaborate the support of social enterprise development in Australia:

· Social Innovation Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Alliance - a national alliance of developmental organisations

· National Conference - with partners, developing a 2012 Australian social enterprise conference