A full house

What a fantastic day with more than 70 attending the Social Enterprise Forum in Campbell Town. It was an opportunity to hear about what's happening in Tasmania and further afield, the funding options available and listen to the stories of Tasmania's social enterprises.
David Brookes, Mark Daniels and Libby Ward-Christie presented from Social Traders, the social enterprise development organisation in Victoria. We heard about the Social Enterprise Builder, The Crunch and other programs that support social enterprises both within Victoria and Nationally.
The conversations continue with much more to come, I am sure...

Campbell Town Forum

We have had a huge response to the Social Enterprise Forum organised for Monday 17th October and have had to place people on a waiting list to ensure we can accommodate the numbers.
But please do not be put off. We will be checking with participants who have registered to confirm attendance, so if you are keen please make contact by emailing kylie@tasregionalarts.org.au or call 0439 262 344.

A forum for Tasmania’s social enterprise sector

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE?  Are you a social enterprise or social entrepreneur?  Are you selling a product or service to support your work with the community? 


Join representatives of Tasmanian social enterprises and Social Traders (Victoria) for a conversation about the challenges, experiences and opportunities surrounding social enterprises … in Tasmania and beyond.


We are seeking people who would be willing to share their story with others working in the social enterprise sector Social Traders is a Melbourne-based specialist social enterprise development organisation established in 2008. It aims to support and encourage the development of commercially viable social enterprises throughout Australia by linking social enterprise with tools, resources and expertise to support their sustainability. Social Traders is engaged in a number of development support and investment initiatives for both start-up and existing social enterprises. 


To find out how they can assist social enterprises in Tasmanian visit: www.socialtraders.com.au 


THE FORUM 
When:       Monday 17 October 
                 10am-4pm 2011 
Where:     The Grange, Campbell Town 


Not-for-profit organisations, businesses, government, entrepreneurs and interested individuals are invited to attend. 


Find out about funding, support, special initiatives and more… Lunch will be provided. Please indicate any dietary requirements. There is no cost to participants 


RSVP essential to:  Kylie Eastley   M: 0439 262 344  Email: kylie@tasregionalarts.org.au

Local Government and Social Enterprise

There was a fantastic turn out last Thursday for a Local Government and Social Enterprise workshop hosted by the Institute for Regional Development in Burnie (TAS). The workshop was run through an open meeting approach with the philosophy of whoever comes are the right people, whenever it starts is the right time, whatever happens is the only thing that could happen and when it's over it's over. 
It all began with questions around social enterprise and how communities and councils could play a role. What was really clear was that many local councils have been working in this sector for many years. There were some fantastic stories of partnerships within regional communities that were not only sustainable financially but were contributing to the social and cultural life of local communities.
It was also clear that once again the terminology can be confusing, but we hope that this doesn't distract from the message relating to the benefits of these businesses that generate income through the sale of goods and services while contributing to the community. 
The hope is that this is just the start of the conversation with Local Government and that the sector can be strengthened to support continued involvement in social enterprise.

Learning from the Non Profit Sector

The npEnterprise Forum is the global,moderated, free listserv of almost 7500 subscribers who discuss practical ways social enterprises (SEs) can advance their social or environmental missions through entrepreneurial strategies. Regardless of your affiliation -- nonprofit, forprofit, hybrid, government, or individual entrepreneur -- if you're interested in social enterprise, you're welcome here. According to the Social Enterprise Alliance, a social enterprise is any organization (or activity within an organization) that "harnesses the power of the marketplace to solve critical social or environmental problems."

The Benefit of Sharing

An excerpt from research into the benefits of shared spaces by community, arts and others...

TROY, Mich. – When the Michigan Nonprofit Association, Michigan Association of United Ways and the Food Bank Council of Michigan move into new quarters in the state capital this fall (2011), they will be part of a growing trend: nonprofits co-locating under one roof. The nonprofits’ headquarters in Lansing, Mich., will be among more than 250 such centers in the United States and Canada.

Co-location centers come in all shapes and sizes. Some provide support such as bookkeeping, information technology and print and mail services in addition to office space. Brotsky cites a few examples:

• Arts Court in Ontario is a historic landmark building owned by the local municipality. A hub for Ottawa artists and audiences, Arts Court is home to a consortium of 26 arts and cultural organizations that save thousands of dollars a month in rent by sharing office and rehearsal space.
   
• The Alliance Center in Denver is home to 27 nonprofits. Half of those tenants work in the environmental field. The center and its tenants have helped pass more than 100 pieces of sustainability-related state legislation in just two years.
   
• Children & Family Services Center in Charlotte, N.C., is a nonprofit center with 11 organizations co-located to better serve the children and families. In addition to coordinating services, the center has expanded into shared back-office services including information technology, human resources and finance staff.

Social Entrepreneurs

Interesting article in the New York Times about Social Entrepreneurs. People interested in this field now have the opportunity to learn on the job via the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Sydney and now Melbourne. It's a coupe for those of us who have worked across sectors, and hopefully there will be some future options to access these and other courses for those of us living in Tasmania.