A social enterprise is a business that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being, rather than maximizing profits for external shareholders. They may use a commercial model which pursues social responsibility directly, or aim to raise funds for charitable purposes through their business activities.

In recent years there has been a rise in the number and diversity of social enterprises in Australia and globally. This page is a repository of news and information on social enterprise.

In this section you will find current news, resources and other information on the topic of social enterprise. The main pages in the left hand "social enterprise" menu contain some elements from the guide to social enteprise that was developed by the Australian Centre for Philanthropic and Non-Profit Studies.

You can also download the social enterprise guide in its entirety.

 

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Legal Aid Queensland's webinars and resources

Mon, 06/11/2017 - 7:00am
Legal Aid Queensland has published a series of captioned recordings about their services on their YouTube channel . Videos for community, health and education workers can be found here and include their published community legal education webinars. The next webinar is Child Protection - the law and...
Read more about Legal Aid Queensland's webinars and resources

SEQ's not-for-profits given a helping hand after TC Debbie

Mon, 10/04/2017 - 9:11am
Media Statement Minister for Communities, Women and Youth, Minister for Child Safety and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence The Honourable Shannon Fentiman Financial assistance is now available for south-east Queensland’s not-for-profit organisations that have been affected...
Read more about SEQ's not-for-profits given a helping hand after TC Debbie

Guide to the laws of advertising and your community organisation

Thu, 01/12/2016 - 10:01am
Not-for-profit Law has updated its guide to 'The laws of advertising and your community organisation'. The resource provides practical tips to help organisations comply with the laws of advertising and marketing in Australia. Importantly, these laws apply to many fundraising activities of charities...
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Community food vans and kitchens network

Thu, 17/11/2016 - 8:03am
VAKS is a voluntary network of community organisations and groups who offer sustenance via Vans and Kitchens. Often known as 'soup kitchens', Vans and Kitchens are places where food and drink is offered to the homeless and disadvantaged for free or at a reasonably low price. Commonly run by church...
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Process efficiencies help non-profits achieve more impact

Mon, 14/11/2016 - 10:54am
Case studies show social purpose organisations are reaping the benefits of improved process efficiencies. According to Olivia Hilton, Executive Director, SVA Consulting, “A lot of social purpose organisations just do not have the luxury of spending time wondering if there are other ways to achieve...
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Got an idea that could change your community?

Wed, 26/10/2016 - 3:26pm
Wesley Mission Queensland’s Campaign for Change is looking for the state’s best and brightest innovators. Campaign for Change is a chance for you to make your bright ideas a reality and to make a real difference in your local community. This year Wesley Mission Queensland, with the support of the...
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Kickstarting an innovation strategy

Tue, 11/10/2016 - 10:43am
Four organisations in the disability sector share how and why they responded to sector changes by launching an innovation strategy. Three months into the full implementation of the biggest reform the disability sector in Australia has ever seen, Social Ventures Australia spoke to four disability...
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Brisbane Social Enterprise Meetup Group

Wed, 31/08/2016 - 10:12am
The Brisbane Social Enterprise Meetup Group is run by the peak body, The Queensland Social Enterprise Council, which is a democratically representative organisation promoting social enterprise in Queensland. This meet-up group is a place where social entrepreneurs and supporters of social...
Read more about Brisbane Social Enterprise Meetup Group

Finding Australia's Social Enterprise Sector 2016

Wed, 10/08/2016 - 10:50am
The latest national Finding Australia's Social Enterprise Sector 2016 research, conducted by the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) Swinburne in partnership with Social Traders, is based on data from 370 social enterprise practitioners, social enterprise intermediaries and policy makers. Looking at...
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Message from Michael Hogan about the budget

Wed, 15/06/2016 - 12:02pm
Michael Hogan, Director General of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services has provided the following overview of his department's budget services for peak and partner organisations. The department's total operating expenditure for 2016-17 is $2.818 billion, representing...
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Pages

oneplace community services directory

Are you looking for support in Queensland, or trying to find a service that meets your needs? Now you can search oneplace , the service directory hosted by the Queensland Family and Child Commission. oneplace is an easily accessible directory of community services to help Queensland families to get...
Read more about oneplace community services directory

Social Traders

Social Traders is a specialist social enterprise development organisation. They are dedicated to supporting the development of sustainable social enterprises that are driven to solve social, cultural, economic and environmental problems. They provide social enterprises with access to the know-how,...
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Social Ventures Australia

Social Ventures Au s tralia runs Social Enterprise Hubs in Logan, Ipswich and Brisbane, as well as other Australian locations. These are an initiative supported by government and business to provide business services to social enterprises, as well as opportunities to network and access resources...
Read more about Social Ventures Australia

Social Firms Australia

Social Firms Australia offers the skills of business professionals to social enterprises wanting to create accessible workplaces for people with a mental illness or disability. Their Business Development Team can help social enterprises assess their business opportunities, develop business plans,...
Read more about Social Firms Australia

Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA)

Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA) has been established to provide tailored finance to social enterprises on commercial terms together with targeted business advice and support. Fundamental to this is a commitment to helping clients build their capacity to manage debt and become financially...
Read more about Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA)

Foresters Community Finance

Foresters Community Finance is a non-profit organisation that has been delivering community finance and social investment products in Australia for the past 20 years. It is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI). CDFI’s are socially focused organisations that use community finance and...
Read more about Foresters Community Finance

Legal advice

Legal Aid have a series of captioned recordings about Legal Aid Queensland services on their YouTube channel . Videos for community, health and education workers can be found here and include their published community legal education webinars. Upcoming webinars can be found on the Information for...
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Disaster Management

The Queensland Disaster Management website and the Get Ready website have a range of information and useful resources that can assist you to plan and prepare for an emergency. As part of your preparedness and planning for weather events, access regular weather forecast updates from the Bureau of...
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Community Resource Handbooks

The Community Resource Handbooks were launched by Volunteering Queensland on 12 May 2015. They consolidate the knowledge gained through Volunteering Queensland's community leadership work with more than 2,000 community groups over the past fifteen years. The handbooks are aimed at small to medium...
Read more about Community Resource Handbooks

Rethinking Resources

In March 2014, QCOSS produced the Rethinking Resources: Case Studies of Financial Resilience from Community Services report, in which community organisations from Queensland share how they are working to increase their financial sustainability. The strategies they employ include social enterprise,...
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Starting a Social Enterprise Video

The decision to start a social enterprises is a beginning of challenging and potentially rewarding journey. First, It is important to be obsolutely clear on your social mission, which drives the design of your social enterprise. At the end of day, a successful social enterprise is a successful...
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Crash course in social enterprise

If you're looking to start a social enterprises or you want a deeper understanding of social enterprise, this PDF will be very helpful. This resource helps you understand what is a social enterprise, why engage in the social enterprise model, and how to be successful.
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Queensland Government Resources for Business

Many not-for-profit organisations are now developing income-generating activities to reduce the reliance on government and philanthropic funding, and others are establishing social enterprises to respond to client needs in a sustainable way. The development of business skills and systems is very...
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Social enterprise tools

Social Traders offer a number of exciting programs and tools: The Crunch program is a capacity building program to support you through your social enterprise journey, from start-up to securing investment, growth and accessing new market opportunities. The Social Enterprise Finder is an online...
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Inviting Investment in Social Enterprise

The RE Ross Trust published this report in 2007: Inviting Investment in Social Enterprise: A Prospectus Framework for the Social Sector The Trust acknowledges that most not-for-profit organisations must seek their funding from a diverse range of sources - government and philanthropic grants,...
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Grant money/seed funding for start-up social enterprises

Finding seed capital for a start-up social enterprise is often not an easy process and the supply of this form of capital in Australia is still as yet underdeveloped. Listed below are several avenues that social enterprises can pursue: Business Grants Australia NAB Micro-enterprise Loans NSW Office...
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Pages

Not-for-profit Legislation

There are a range of legal structures which may be suitable for Queensland not-for-profit community groups. The four main options are: an incorporated association: Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (QLD) and Associations Incorporation Regulation 1999 (QLD) a company limited by guarantee:...
Read more about Not-for-profit Legislation
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Where you spend your money matters: social enterprise in Australia

Tue, 15/07/2014 - 10:10am
Author: 
Mindy Leow, Social Traders

As the Australian social enterprise sector grows, it’s easier for consumers and organisations to deliver social impact through their spending.

Social enterprises are businesses that sell goods and services into the marketplace in order to deliver community benefit. The...

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Report

Rethinking Resources: what can we learn from each other?

Thu, 08/05/2014 - 11:39am
Author: 
Anne Curson, Queensland Council of Social Service

This month QCOSS releases the Rethinking Resources: Case Studies of Financial Resilience from Community Services report, in which community organisations from Queensland share...

Read more about Rethinking Resources: what can we learn from each other?

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