• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Your Own Place

supporting people moving to independence to prevent homelessness

  • Home
  • Our People
    • Our Story
    • Our Vision & Values
    • Our Social Enterprise
    • Our Team
      • Our Team
      • Our Board of Non-Executive Directors
      • Your Own Place Advisory Board (YOPAB)
  • Why Choose Us
    • Our Customers
    • Our Partners
    • Our Case-Studies
    • Our Impact
  • Digital Services
    • online Volunteer training
    • DigiTILS+
  • Our Services
    • Mentoring Training2
    • Tenancy & Independent Living Skills Plus (TILS+)
    • Plus Employability Support
    • Inspiring Futures
    • Your Own Place Advisory Board (YOPAB)
    • Other Projects
    • Mentoring Support
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer Mentoring – Schools
    • Volunteer Mentoring – Prisons
    • Social Investment
    • Partnerships & Innovation
  • News
  • Events
  • Our Blog
  • Contact Us

October 18, 2018 By Rebecca White

Are we nearly there yet?

Have I arrived at an answer about what a social enterprise is? Of course not! Again this week my perceptions of what a social enterprise is and who can call themselves this were shaken to the core! Ok, not quite, but I’m loving still learning and questioning what I really know about this sector.

I accepted a long time ago that being a social enterprise is fluid. This is one of the most appealing things about it. It allows us to evolve and develop. This can also be abused by those that want the social kudos.

For me social enterprise has encapsulated charities and very broadly not-for-private-profit social businesses (of which we are one alongside Belu Water or Miss Maccaroon). This is an evolving spectrum.

As part of #SocialSaturday we heard last week from both Adnams and PwC. They are both very committed to having a meaningful impact on society. They are going considerably further than traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Whilst many businesses may do amazing things in their community, be environmentally sustainable and have a social impact as a result, is that enough to call themselves a social enterprise? No!

In my view the difference lies in your core mission (let alone what you do with your profit). Is your core mission a social one? If it’s not then you’re a business with some very good social values etc etc. This isn’t worse or better. It’s different. I think for now that a distinction is valuable, or we will lose what little focus the social enterprise sector has and benefits from.

Our social mission and reason for existence is to prevent homelessness. No matter how many solar panels Shell puts on its oil rigs – it doesn’t have a social mission and I won’t be calling it a social enterprise any time soon.

Filed Under: Blog

Primary Sidebar

Contact our CEO Rebecca

rebecca@yourownplace.org.uk

Footer

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Get in Touch

The Training Flat: 01603 611910
Your Own Place CIC
23 Johnson Place
Norwich
NR2 2SA

Subscribe to our Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2021 · Site created by Business Equip · Log in