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SVA and Social Enterprise Development
SVA has been pioneering work in Australia over the past five years to support the development of social enterprises. With an increasing focus on social enterprise from government, the commercial sector and the non-profit sector, SVA’s work is targeted at developing the sector in Australia.
Social enterprises provide a range of solutions to deeply entrenched social or environmental issues, ranging from new approaches to delivering public services, to financial inclusion, to child care, to community recycling, etc.
At SVA, our focus is on developing social enterprises that create employment for people excluded from the labour market. This can include people with disabilities, people experiencing mental illness, Indigenous Australians, ex-offenders, homeless people, refugees or migrants.
We aim to support the development of social enterprises that are based around creating real work for real pay either as a transition to the open labour market or as an alternative labour market for those people who need a supporting working environment.
(Click on below links to jump to section)
 What is Social Enterprise?
What work does SVA do in social enterprise?
Find out more
What is Social Enterprise?
Social enterprises are businesses that trade for a social purpose. There are numerous definitions of social enterprise throughout the world and is it a much contested term.
We believe social enterprises have the following characteristics:
- explicit social aims
- commercial orientationsocial ownership
- social accountability
- socially entrepreneurial drive
- use of profits for community benefit
- socially inclusive values base
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What work does SVA do in social enterprise?
SVA works on a number of different projects to support social enterprise development in Australia.
Current Social Enterprise Projects
Our current work includes the following projects:
- Social Enterprise Hubs – place based support services for social enterprises in Queensland, Parramatta and the ACT.
- Yarnteen – a partnership to support the development of Indigenous social enterprise
- Queensland's Inclusive Social Enterprises Project – a project to support the development of social enterprises in Queensland that have a particular focus on employing people with a mental illness
- Supporting Social Enterprises Project – a project to expand SVA’s work supporting social enterprises in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Western Sydney. This project is funded by the Australian Government as part of their ‘Jobs Fund’ initiative.
SVA would like to thank the Westpac Group for providing pro bono and mentoring support for the social enterprise projects:
SVA Consulting and Social Return on Investment (SROI)
SVA Consulting provides consultancy services on a ‘fee-for-service’ basis to assist organisations start up social enterprises. This can include market analysis, feasibility studies, developing business cases, business planning and business development, including developing proposals for investment.
SVA Consulting also carries out Social Return on Investment (SROI) for social enterprises. SROI enables social enterprises to communicate their social value in terms which are compelling for investors and provides an ongoing measure of the effectiveness and efficiency of their work. SVA Consulting assists clients to assess whether SROI is an approach which is appropriate for them and to guide them through the analysis.
The SROI tool was first developed ten years ago by the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) in the US and is now widely used across the US, UK and Europe. SVA has been working with the tool and key overseas SROI practitioners for over six years, customising it to the Australian context. Our work in this area has been published internationally – a reflection of our commitment to ensuring Australia has access to the best tools available for measuring and demonstrating impact.
 Find out more by contacting Olivia Hilton or Duncan Peppercorn.
Past Social Enterprise Projects
SVA invested in and supported the development of Social Firms Australia (SoFA), a non-profit organisation focused on creating accessible employment for people with a disability or mental illness through the development of social firms and the transfer of the support strategies to other workplace environments. SoFA graduated from SVA’s portfolio in 2009 and continues to be a key strategic partner in social enterprise development.
SVA, with SoFA, has pioneered work on business acquisition as a model for social enterprise development, an example being Bonsai - The Imagination Tree, specialist bonsai nursery in the Victorian Dandenong Ranges that provides integrated employment opportunities for people otherwise excluded from the workforce by mental illness. In June 2009, this enterprise merged with Knoxcare Ltd’s Yarra View Nursery.
In October 2009, SVA and Social Traders, on behalf of the International Social Enterprise Consortium, co-hosted the Social Enterprise World Forum. Building on the inaugural Forum which took place in Scotland in 2008, the sold out event brought together over 520 local and global leaders and practitioners in social enterprise for discussion, learning, showcasing and collaboration.
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Find out more
Have a question about SVA’s work in Social Enterprise? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions here
Want to talk to someone?
Contact Kevin Robbie at krobbie@socialventures.com.au or phone 02 8004 6719.
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