Social Enterprise Day

Social Enterprise Day was all about celebrating the inspiring entrepreneurs who are using their enterprising ideas for social or environmental change. Social Enterprise Day is part of Make Your Mark: Change Lives, a campaign to inspire young people to use enterprising ideas for social and environmental change.

Download the Social Enterprise Day press release template

Download the Social Enterprise Day photocall notice

Trailblazers

Trailblazers is a free magazine packed full of inspiring stories of people having enterprising ideas for social and environmental change… and making them happen. It tackles issues such as knife crime, climate change, poverty and development and showcases the myriad of social enterprise solutions to some of society’s (and the globe’s) greatest problems.

Download the Trailblazers magazine

Take a look a the Trailblazers video below.

To order your free hard copy please email phil@makeyourmark.org.uk

Social Careers Surgery voxpops:

We caught up with some exciting social entrepreneurs:

Streetz Ahead

Pro Touch Soccer

St Michael’s Church of England Business and Enterprise College

Social Enterprise Photography Competition

This year, the Social Enterprise Coalition launched a national competition across England to find the best photographs that show how social enterprise is transforming lives. England’s Social Enterprise Ambassadors will choose a national winner and runner-up from the winners of regional heats across the country. There will be prizes for the photographer and the featured social enterprise. For more information, please visit the Social Enterprise Coalition website.

What is a social enterprise?

A social enterprise is a business with aims which are primarily social or environmental and whose surpluses are ploughed back into the business or community. So use the focus on this day to help inspire the next generation of social entrepreneurs and encourage them to start-up businesses that might help address some of society’s biggest problems.

What makes a successful social entrepreneur?

According to Craig Dearden-Phillips – founder and chief executive of Speaking Up and UK Social Enterprise Ambassador – there are ten common features that make up a successful social entrepreneur. Here are just a few:

Powerful values

Upside: successful people in social enterprise are highly principled, have a strong internal moral compass that guides them and an ability to embed these values into an organisation. Downside: some people let their principles lead them to decisions which feel morally right but in fact lead to the demise of their organisation – and its good work.

Focus

Upside: social entrepreneurs are able to settle on a handful of big-ticket goals for the short and medium terms while also keeping in mind the long-term horizon. Downside: an inability to retune their radar to new and shifting situations.

First-class networking skills

Upside: successful social entrepreneurs are consummate networkers. They are alive to the potential of every contact and use networking in a strategic way to scan the horizon, line up allies and understand the political landscape. They are particularly skilled at linking people together from different parts of their network to create new possibilities. Downside: they can potentially be chameleon-like, appealing to every network for strategic reasons but not always meaning it.

Get in touch

To find out more about Make Your Mark’s social enterprise campaign visit the Make Your Mark website or email phil@makeyourmark.org.uk.