Social Enterprise News

East Coast Tour dates have been announced! Early bird Tickets4Good are on sale now for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. First cohort of speakers will be announced on June 1. Stay tuned to our socials for updates.

SEE - YOU - THERE!
#SDG17 FOR THE WIN

Join a global audience in our hybrid events either LIVE in person in your city or Online from anywhere in the world. As we bring our fun, engaging and inspiring keynote speaking event to your city.

Spend time with likeminded people from all stages of business, from start up social entrepreneurs all the way to c-suite corporate sustainability leaders. This is Global Citizenship in action. And you can be in the room, collaborating for a brighter future for our world through business.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy is seeking applications for the Queensland Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer + (LGBTIQ+) Roundtable (Roundtable) for the 2022 – 2024 term.

The Roundtable provides a mechanism for the LGBTIQ+ community to highlight issues, challenges and opportunities relevant to the community with the Queensland Government.

Representatives of networks or organisations that support people of diverse sex, gender and sexuality and LGBTIQ+ individuals including First Nations peoples, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse, people with disability, younger people and older people across Queensland are invited to apply.

Members will be expected to share their knowledge and expertise relating to the topics discussed at meetings, consider matters out of session - which may include providing feedback to related strategies, policies and procedures - and engage with LGBTIQ+ community and networks as required.

Applications are now open until Monday, 6 June 2022 at 5:00pm. 

For more information or to apply, visit this website.

Enter for a chance to win one of four $5,000 donations!

The 2022 Not-for-Profit Treasurers' Awards are now open and we're writing to encourage you to participate in this free recognition and awards program. 

The awards are designed to recognise the contribution that not-for-profit treasurers make to their community groups, to the not-for-profit sector and to Australian society. We would love your help in celebrating our community treasurers. 

Don't miss out! Nominate and recognise your treasurer now!

This year, you can take part in the Not-for-Profit Treasurers' Awards in one of two ways: 

·         Nominate anyone who has served as a treasurer of an Australian not-for-profit organisation at any time in the past 12 months; or

·         If you're a not-for-profit treasurer, share your insights for your chance to win one of four $5,000 cash donations for your not-for-profit. Simply tell us what lessons your not-for-profit or community group learnt through COVID-19 that you will take with you into the future.

Click Here to Nominate or Enter

Every nominated treasurer will also be awarded a 2022 Not-for-Profit Treasurers' Awards Certificate of Appreciation.

Hurry, nominations close at noon AEST on Friday July 8, 2022. 

For more information about this year's Commonwealth Bank Not-for-Profit Treasurers' Awards, visit our website: ourcommunity.com.au/treasurersawards.

Following the development of a vision and mission for the Australian social enterprise sector, the Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) team is about to host two more  co-design processes with the sector. These will be on:

·  Our shared principles of practice: how we agree we will work together. These are being developed to articulate common values and behaviours, and strengthen the basis for ongoing cooperation.

·  The infrastructure for organising as a sector nationally: the way we plan to organise, cooperate, coordinate and engage as a sector, including recognising and connecting what already exists.

For each of these, the process will include:

·  Holding focus groups on key questions

·  A working group developing a draft design based on focus group insights

·  Putting the draft design to the sector broadly for feedback

·  The draft design and feedback going to the SENS Advisory Council to finalise a design that best reflects what the sector said.

While the survey will be open to all, there'll be a limited number of dates, times and places for focus groups. A breadth of voices across our diverse sector is sought.

Interested in being part of one (or two) focus groups? Just fill in this EOI. It should take 3-5 minutes to complete. The deadline for EOIs is 5pm AEST, Thursday May 19.

Sector Development Grants

Applications for the Sector Development Grants are closed.

Following a competitive funding round, 8 successful projects across Queensland have been awarded grants. These projects will provide opportunities for Queensland based social enterprises to participate in sector capability and capacity building activities.

The Sector Development Grants program provides grants of between $10,000 and $200,000 for approved projects that support the development and growth of the social enterprise ecosystem in Queensland.

The program supports sector intermediary organisations or significant ecosystem developers with experience in building the skills, capability and capacity of social enterprises. Such intermediaries may include:

• incubator and accelerator program providers
• social entrepreneurs
• social enterprise networks
• research providers
• academic institutions.

Successful applicants

View a list of successful applicants and their approved projects (PDF, 97KB).

If you have further questions, email programdesign@desbt.qld.gov.au.

Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development, the Honourable Di Farmer announced a $6.75 million package to support the mental health and wellness of small business owners.

The program will deliver a program designed to support the State’s 448,000 small businesses, including social enterprises.

“Fittingly, there will be a particular focus on helping those small businesses hardest hit by the pandemic and the recent floods,” Minister Farmer said.

“The package will directly address the pandemic’s toll on business owners — with coordinated promotion of support services, as well as triage points for small businesses doing it tough.”

The Small Business Support and Wellness Package comprises the following elements:

• the appointment of six specialist Small Business Wellness Coaches across Queensland where they are needed most. These coaches will join an existing statewide network of 43 rural, tourism and small business financial counsellors to provide a complete package of support for small businesses.

• access to a $3 million Small Business Support Services Fund to assist small business owners in alleviating stresses of their current situation, such as cash flow, financial planning and minor works. Through the Small Business Support Services Fund the locally based coach or counsellor in the network will be able to connect a small business owner with a service provider up to the value of $5000 where further specialist support is assessed as needed.

• the extension of a successful proactive education program ‘Small Business Smile4Biz’ developed by the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce to deliver local mental health supports through activation of the program by more chambers of commerce

• a promotional campaign to raise awareness of the mental health, financial counselling and other support services available to small businesses.

QSEC joins the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) in welcoming the support and will be attending the first meeting of the new Small Business Advisory Council this Thursday  (5 May) to understand the package more fully.

To find out more about the Wellness and Support Package visit www.business.qld.gov.au or contact the Small Business Hotline 1300 654 687.

Media contact: Joe Begley 0482 914 103

Full media statement: https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/95062

Australia’s social enterprises can make a significant contribution toward a more equitable society, but are constrained by limited financial, public policy and other ‘ecosystem’ supports.

An evidence-based briefing by the Centre for Social Impact - April 2022

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Thanks to the generous Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF 2022) partners, there are over 100 bursaries available for the in-person SEWF22 event in Brisbane this September.

You can check them out on the Social Enterprise World Forum website here. 

There are four categories of bursaries: First Nations, Rural and Remote, Youth, and Financial Hardship. The fund for each bursary covers the cost of your attendance: event ticket, accommodation, plus return airfares from your nearest major airport.    Applications close June 1.

Youth Bursary Fund Application 

Are you an Australian youth entrepreneur or leader, under the age of 30, who is passionate about supporting your local community and creating a thriving Australia that is agile, resilient and provides hope for a better future? Apply for the Youth Bursary Fund now.

First Nations Bursary Application 

The First Nations Bursary will provide current and emerging First Nations entrepreneurs with support to attend the event.

Rural and Remote Bursary Application 

Are you a rural or remote Australian entrepreneur or business leader passionate about supporting your local community? Are you passionate about creating a thriving regional and rural Australia that is agile, resilient, and provides hope for a better future? Apply for the Rural & Remote Bursary today.

Financial Hardship Application 

The Financial Hardship Bursary is available for social enterprises that will face hardships and difficulties attending SEWF22.

Huge thanks to Bursary Partners, for making these opportunities possible: Westpac Foundation, Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, John Villas Trust, Hand Heart Pocket, SAP, Google.org, and Amsterdam Impact.

Home ownership is slipping out of reach for many younger, poorer Australians. Many older Australians who rent are also being left behind. A national shared equity scheme would help level the playing field.

The Grattan Institute has called for a closer look at a Shared Equity Scheme to level the playing field for housing. 

Full article: https://grattan.edu.au/news/levelling-the-playing-field-its-time-for-a-national-shared-equity-scheme/

On 21 May 2022, the federal government will go to the polls, so -- 

Let's get Social Enterprise on the Federal Agenda, together!

QSEC is working with the Alliance of Social Enterprise Network of Australia (ASENA) alongside the state peak bodies and advocates for social enterprise to help raise our collective voice. Starting 12 April 2022 and in the following week we are asking you to pick your engagement activity based on the time you have available.

VIEW our Queensland Social Enterprise Story slide deck.

What can I do?

Our request is simple... 

Got five minutes?

Take a moment to add your voice to our campaign to get social enterprise on the national agenda. 

Visit our letter-writing page, fill in your details and the system will automatically link your candidates.

You can send a pre-written letter (which includes a link to a social enterprise pitch deck) inviting your candidate to engage with you and the social enterprise sector.

I'll do it! Take me to the letter page now! 

We are asking federal candidates to take three actions: 

1.  Learn more about social enterprise in your electorate. 
2.  Make a public pledge of support for social enterprise. It’s not about buying more, it’s about buying from social enterprise. 
3.  Match the federal government’s recent $24.6m investment into social enterprises supporting refugee employment with funding from each portfolio where social enterprise is supporting public outcomes – from employment to environment, from disability to housing, from Indigenous affairs to women, from justice to economic development.

Got an hour?

With more time, you can fine-tune your advocacy approach before you send the letter and back it up with a social media post.

1. Grab a copy of the letter here and customise it for your organisation, then copy and paste it into the letter page before you send it.
2. Please share this image on your social media channels, using our campaign hashtag #switch2good.
   Feel free to add other hashtags such as #BuySocial #BuyLocalBuySocial #socialenterprise #CommuntyLedRecovery . Please tag [QSEC/SENVIC/ASENA etc] in your instagram post.
   DOWNLOAD THE SOCIAL MEDIA KIT HERE or feel free to copy/paste from below.

If/when candidates reply, let us know and we’ll add them to our database of which candidates (and their staffers) are engaging with us. Email: amplify@asena.org.au

Post-election we’ll be following up with the winners in a targeted/relational way to continue the advocacy journey.

Want to do more?

Federal candidates want exposure in the community – particularly community leaders creating positive social or environmental impact, like you!

We would love you to build a relationship with your local candidates and raise awareness of social enterprise’s contribution to creating an inclusive, fair and sustainable society.

Ask your local candidate to:

1. VISIT the social enterprises in their electorate and learn more about the social and environmental impact they make through their business. Meet us to discuss how your voice in Canberra can support your local social enterprises to deliver more social and environmental impact for our community.
2. INVITE US to speak at a campaign event as a community leader and an innovative business leader.
3. Make a PUBLIC PLEDGE of support for social enterprise and snap a photo for social media. It’s not about buying more, it’s about buying from social enterprise: #switch2good. Tag our State/Territory Social Enterprise Network and it will extend your profile.
4. WATCH ASENA’s slide-pack to demonstrate the national social enterprise movement.
5. COMMIT TO MATCH the recent $24.6m investment into social enterprises supporting refugee employment with funding from each portfolio where social enterprise is supporting public outcomes – from employment to environment, from disability to housing, from Indigenous affairs to women, from justice to economic development.

Let us know at amplify@asena.org.au if you’re interested in this and we’ll work with you more deeply to get the word out there, and especially about the candidates who take the time to meet us.