Our aims: to increase the number, organisational capacity and societal impact of social enterprises.
We act as a:
a) advocacy organisation: advocating for an environment where social enterprises can maximize their potential in societal value creating (e.g. holistic and interrelated support measures);
b) developer and spokesperson of the field: developing, piloting and running development programs, supporting educational activities and research, participating in international cooperation, informing general public about social entrepreneurship.
Legally, we are a non-profit association that has currently 48 of the top Estonian social enterprises as our members. Social purpose forms the heart of our definition of social enterprise, other important aspects include having a sustainable business model, public disclosure of impact analysis information, and - so far - the requirement to reinvest surpluses.
Our advocacy outcomes consist of e.g. inclusion of social enterprise development to two national development plans as well as current Government´s coalition agreement. In 2015, we were chosen as a long-term strategic partner for the government while remaining wholly a politically independent non-governmental organisation.
Our programs for social enterprise development have concentrated on increasing sales and improving scope, quality and impact of their activities, using a variety of methods like design thinking and action learning. In summer 2016, we are piloting a standardised web solution for Estonian public purpose organisations (including social enterprises) for inserting, analysing and communicating their societal impact.
Contact us: info@sev.ee
