Featured Stories

Message from the M.D.
In the last fortnight, I headed north to Brisbane to meet with Foresters Community Finance as well as attend the quarterly meeting of the Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise (SIEE) Alliance.

Most of you will know that Foresters received $6 milllion from the Australian government, which was matched by another $6 million from Christian Super Fund, to establish one of two Social Enterprise Development & Investment Funds. Social Enterprise Solution... More

On 13 December, Social Traders and Foresters will co-host a Workshop on Financial Inclusion for Social Enterprises in Melbourne.

Social Traders is one of fourteen organisations in the SIEE Alliance. The Alliance was formed last year to provide a platform for like-minded organisations around Australia to share and disseminate knowledge and information, coordinate services and activities... More

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the 25th Anniversary of the Westgate Communities Initiative Group (WCIG). They have been successfully delivering innovative and high quality training and employment services in the western suburbs of Melbourne over 25 years for those disadvantaged in our community. More

I hope to see some of you this Thursday at the Quality at Work Forum we are co-hosting with SoFA here in Melbourne later this week.
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Getting Smart on Winning Contracts
Thanks to a number of big contracts won in the last financial year, Mornington Peninsula Youth Enterprises (MPYE), a social enterprise with the mission of providing education, training and support services to young people in and around the Mornington Peninsula area, was able to almost double their trading turnover within 12 months and utilize increased profits to operate with less dependency on grants. Full story
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Q&A with Renew Australia's Marcus Westbury
Eight months after his successful investment pitch, Social Traders caught up with Marcus Westbury to find out how things are progressing with the start-up of Renew Australia. He has had a busy travel schedule around Australia and New Zealand for his award winning Renew initiative, an innovative urban renewal scheme. Full story

SOCIAL TRADERS ACTIVITIES

Breakfast Connect Series, 13 December
A business breakfast on the topic of "Problem Solving to Energise Your Business" presented by Jason Clarke. More

Financial Inclusion for Social Enterprises, 13 December
Held immediately after the Business Breakfast, this workshop focuses on building an understanding of community finance and its use for asset purchase and business development. Hosted by Social Traders and Foresters (Social Enterprise Solutions). More

Green Social Enterprise Research Report
Social Traders was commissioned by Sustainability Victoria to research social enterprises with an environmental focus with the goal of supporting and strengthening them. This report is now available on Sustainability Victoria's website. Read report

TV coverage at the Hunter Social Enterprise Forum in Newcastle, NSW on 11 November, 2011. Watch news clip

Social Enterprise Sustainability (SES) Project Blog. Get the latest updates here; news, view and opinions. Read SES Blog

Apply now: School for Social Entrepreneurs 2012 Program

Seeking rebels with a cause for the 2012 Incubator Program. Applications are now open with the first round closing 11 December 2011. More info

SOLVED: Sharing what works to help solve Australia's social problems

Done or seen something that works? Share it on solved.org.au, a new campaign by The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI).

Funding your start-up social enterprise

A profusion of crowd-funding platforms has emerged in the last few years, from the peer-to-peer lending site Zopa to microfinance giants Kiva. Full story

	Fair@Square fair trade & ethical festival, 2-4 December
	Come along and learn how you have the power to reduce poverty and help the planet by making ethical shopping choices. A free public event.

	Fair Trade Christmas Market, 3-4 December
	The Queensland Fair Trade Collective is hosting two days of Fair Trade and ethical shopping in Corinda.

	Social Enterprise & Ethical Trading Christmas Market, 7 December
	NAB would like to invite you to come to the Christmas Market at NAB Docklands (VIC) on Wednesday, 7 December.

	New Zealand Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference, 1-3 December
	Conference theme: Extending Theory, Integrating Practice. Organised by Massey University.

	All News and Event
	Visit Social Traders' website for the complete listing of news and events. We also welcome your submission of news, events, articles and notices. Create your own post.


Westpac Foundation - Catalyst Grant
Up to eight grants of up to $50K will be awarded to support an existing social enterprise or social enterprise initiative within a not-for-profit. Applications close on Friday, 25 February 2012.


RDA Fund Round Two Announced
The RDA Fund is worth almost $1 billion over five years (some of which is subject to the passage of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax) and is designed to boost economic and community development as part of the Australian Government’s commitment to regional Australia. There will be $200 million available in Round Two of the Fund.


Echoing Green Fellowship
The program provides start-up capital and technical assistance to help new leaders launch their organizations and build capacity. 2012 application opens online from 5 December 2011 through 9 January 2012.

RESOURCES

The Builder
Setting up a social enterprise? The Builder guides you through a rigorous business planning process, which underpins the future success of a social enterprise. The Builder is a step-by-step, do-it-yourself guide on how to build a social enterprise.

TIP FROM THE BUILDER

Where to look for social enterprise ideas?

A social enterprise has to look at the social problem that it is trying to address and ensure that the business idea can address both problems. At this early stage it is important not to dismiss good business opportunities because you think that they may not address the social mission.

The Builder suggests 8 areas to help you look for ideas:
• Gaps in the market
• Plugging the leaks - local economic development
• Identifying under-utilised organisation and community assets
• "Friendly" contracts
• Commercialising an existing program
• Value adding
• Challenge conventional methods or thinking
• Acquiring, franching and replicating. Full story