Message from the MD

Approximately 100 people gathered on Monday to hear investment pitches of business plans developed over the last six months by participants in Round 2 of ‘The Crunch’.  I was one of five members of the Investment Panel that will consider and make recommendations to the Social Traders Board over coming weeks on the financial investment offers to ‘The Crunch’ participants.  The Panel was impressed with the quality and comprehensiveness of the business plans prepared by the six teams with support of their business mentors from Australia Post, Telstra, Westpac and the Melbourne Business School.  The business plans outline proposals for social enterprises in community transport, clean energy, community health, education and literacy, and community oriented design.

Applications for Round 3 of The Crunch are open until early July.  

Interest in social enterprise around Australia continues to grow.  I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in central Australia last week for the launch of the Desert Hub in Alice Springs.  Based in the Desert Knowledge Precinct, the Hub will build a peer-led network, and act as a catalyst to accelerate ideas into start-up social enterprises in desert Australia.  In Western Australia, Social Traders has been working with SiiWA, through the national Social Enterprise Sustainability (SES) Project to provide support to a number of social enterprises, each delivering outstanding outcomes in their communities. Read more

It is good to see the increase each week in the number of social enterprises listed on the FINDER, Social Traders online directory of social enterprises around Australia.  Take a quick look at profiles of a few of the listed enterprises here. Social Traders is planning to actively promote the FINDER over coming months to raise awareness of, and build market opportunities for, social enterprises amongst individual consumers and organisational buyers of goods and services.

Last week, Social Traders ran its seventeenth Social Enterprise Study Tour in Victoria.  One topic that came up during the day was the importance of establishing an appropriate organisational culture to support successful social enterprise development. Social Traders’ upcoming Business Breakfast on 4th April will be on this topic.  You can register for the Business Breakfast and next Social Enterprise tour via the Social Traders website.

David Brookes
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Featured Social Enterprise

Youthworx Productions is an innovative business which matches young people with creative skills. Working with homeless and at-risk young trainees in professional film production, Youthworx Productions provides a range of media related products for the community, education and government sectors. Read more