What is Social Enterprise?
Social enterprise includes the many entrepreneurial or 'self-financing' methods used by nonprofit organizations to generate some of their own income in support of their mission. These activities can range from fees for services, through retail sales of products or goods on a small scale, to fully operational small businesses. Some social enterprises provide training or employment for persons who need a hand up, while others seek to generate additional funds for their operations.
An increasing number of nonprofits, charities and informal community groups are exploring creative ways to use social enterprise as a vehicle to achieve their purpose, capitalize on an entrepreneurial organizational culture, build members’ assets, and work towards sustainability.
For more information, we suggest you head over to our RSEP Resources page, or look through the materials from our workshop series.
