Social Enterprise Mark spreading fast
The Social Enterprise Mark was launched as the brand for social enterprises on February 1 at Voice10, the Social Enterprise Coalition’s annual conference, and since its launch 100 social enterprises across Britain have been awarded the Mark. The Mark identifies businesses which meet defined criteria for social enterprise in order that consumers recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit people and planet
The Mark builds off the work done by RISE, the South West voice for social enterprise and is administered by a new Community Interest Company set up between the Social Enterprise Coalition and RISE.
Lucy Findlay, CEO of RISE and chief officer of the Social Enterprise Mark company says: “We want the Mark to be available to all social enterprises, whatever their size or business, and applying for the Mark is straightforward and designed to be as easy as possible. We believe the sector will grow in size and strength if more people– from consumers, to businesses to the government - are able to easily identify what social enterprises and the added value they bring.
Since the launch, new businesses have been getting the Mark every day. They range from Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), London’s largest social enterprise employing approximately 4,000 people, Make Believe Arts, a small theatre and education business and The Phone Co-op, a national telecommunications co-operative, whose regional Consett-based branch recently became a member of the North East Social Enterprise Partnership. Peterlee-based member, Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust, has also been awarded the Mark.
Mark Sesnan, GLL Managing Director: "We are delighted to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark - it is a strong endorsement of the fact that we are meeting our social goals and clearly distinguishes us from purely commercial enterprises.
"Our approach is to ensure that the leisure services we operate continually improve and provide a basis for increasing the opportunity for all local residents to participate in affordable sport, leisure and health activities whilst developing our people and minimising our impact on the environment."
Trisha Lee from Make Believe Arts said: “As an arts organisation set up to fulfil our social mission of nurturing creativity in all children, it’s really important that people recognise that what we do is different. The Social Enterprise Mark is a bold and clear way of stating that what we are doing is working towards something more than just profit.”
About the Mark
The Social Enterprise Mark is the brand for social enterprises. The Mark identifies businesses that meet defined criteria for social enterprise, and consumers will recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit people and planet.
Social enterprises are businesses doing really extraordinary things in new and innovative ways but they have until now been hard to recognise, partly because they work in practically every industry imaginable and range from community enterprises to international companies. The Social Enterprise Mark aims to raise awareness of social enterprise to as wide an audience as possible, and to connect social enterprises to each other and to new opportunities and audiences.
Register your interest and apply online at www.socialenterprisemark.org.uk. We want as many social enterprises as possible to get the Mark, and the price for the first two years is set at £99.
How does a social enterprise qualify for the Mark?
A social enterprise must meet a number of criteria, including:
- Have social and/or environmental objectives, evidenced by the legal objects of the business
- Have own constitution and governing body
- A principal proportion of any profit made by the business is spent on socially beneficial purposes
- On dissolution of the business, all residual assets are distributed for socially beneficial purposes.
- Earn 50% or more of its income from trading
- Can provide externally validated evidence that social/ environmental objectives are being achieved
Where did the Mark come from?
Research conducted by COI on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector in 2008 found that even when pitching the concept of (and words) ‘social enterprise’ to sympathetic sections of the population, there was little recognition of the term and even some scepticism by the public that combining business practice with delivering social good was possible.
Further research suggested that a way to raise awareness would be through an ‘brand identifier’ What is now the Social Enterprise Mark came out of extensive testing of different visual models and builds on the existing pilot in the South West, designed by RISE.
For more information about the Mark and how to apply, please go to www.socialenterprisemark.org.uk or call 01392 456531