Join the movement.
Become a Member of Social Enterprise Australia.
Help grow the impact of social enterprise across Australia.
Our Members work together to help create an economy that puts people and the planet first.
They help govern Social Enterprise Australia and set the direction for our work through input on national strategy.
Who can be a Member of Social Enterprise Australia?
Social Enterprise Members
For any Australian-based entity verified to meet the global standards.
If you’re a social enterprise but not yet verified, don’t worry — please apply for membership first. The application form includes a link to complete the verification process, and your membership fee covers the cost.
While you are being verified, your membership application will be assessed as an Associate Member. If approved for Associate Membership, once you are verified, your membership will be converted to a Social Enterprise Member. If you don’t pass verification, you will remain an Associate Member.
Member Code of Conduct: This promotes and guides Member conduct to align with the social enterprise sector’s vision, mission and values. You can read it here.
Have you been verified yet?
Associate Members
Open to any organisation or individual aged 18 or over who supports the purpose and values of social enterprise.
Why join?
All Social Enterprise Australia Members have a voice in our organisation and are invited to our Annual General Meetings. Social Enterprise Members have voting rights in accordance with our Constitution. To ensure critical mass and diversity, voting rights will be triggered at an Annual General Meeting once there are 350 Social Enterprise Members across states and territories, mission areas and lived experience(we expect this to be before the end of 2025).
Voice and vote
Our Members are invited to co-design and take action on key parts of the social enterprise national strategy - focused on big-picture challenges where social enterprise can help the most. To implement the strategy we:
Advocate - we advocate with and for the sector with a focus on the Australian Government and national issues. We do this to advance policy, build support, expand participation, grow markets, and mobilise resources for the sector.
Connect and learn - we connect the sector to plan, act and learn together. We run events and provide paths to learn, exchange and collaborate, and we collect and share data and knowledge.
Partner - we form partnerships that strengthen the conditions for the sector to work with others to grow impact.
National strategy
Reciprocal membership
Social Enterprise Australia is working in collaboration with state and territory peak bodies to offer reciprocal membership. This allows organisations and individuals to apply to join Social Enterprise Australia and the state or territory social enterprise peak body where they are based*. At the same time, at no extra cost.
There are three states taking part at this stage: Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania - and the Northern Territory plans to join soon.
If you are applying to join Social Enterprise Australia and are based in Queensland, Victoria or Tasmania, you are also applying to join your state social enterprise peak body.
You can also join additional participating peak bodies at half price. If you are based in the Northern Territory, you can apply to join Social Enterprise Australia now, and access any benefits later.
* This means the state or territory aligned with registered address (for organisations) or home (for individuals).
Build the membership you’d like to see
This is a new membership model and we will run a project to test, learn and evolve it with our Members with the following aims:
Grow the breadth and depth of participation
Strengthen behaviours and processes to centre social and environmental justice, and to navigate decision-making and change productively
Strengthen the fabric of peaks and networks needed to drive big-picture shifts.
Have questions about Social Enterprise Australia membership? Find answers to common questions below.
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The application and annual renewal fees for Social Enterprise Members are:
Annual turnover < $500k: $150
Annual turnover $500k - $2m: $250
Annual turnover $2m - $5m: $350
Annual turnover $5m - $10m: $500
Annual turnover > $10m: $750
Your fee includes:
The cost of your verification if you are not yet verified.
The cost of your verification extension or renewal if you are verified.
The cost of your membership application for your state peak if you are based in Queensland, Victoria or Tasmania.
The application and annual renewal fees for Associate Members are:
Individual or annual turnover < $500k: $150
Annual turnover $500k - $2m: $250
Annual turnover $2m - $5m: $350
Annual turnover $5m - $10m: $500
Annual turnover > $10m: $750
Your fee includes the cost of your membership application for your state peak if you are based in Queensland, Victoria or Tasmania.
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Social Enterprise Australia and all the state and territory social enterprise peak bodies endorse the global standards for social enterprise as a broadly accessible way for organisations to know if they are a social enterprise. They set the bar on what is a social enterprise. To be verified, social enterprises must meet the global standards. That’s why verification through People and Planet First is required for Social Enterprise Members.
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First, apply to become a Social Enterprise Member of Social Enterprise Australia.
We will provide a unique link that you can follow to get verified. The cost of verification is covered by your membership application fee.
The link will prompt you to:
Apply to create a public profile on the Good Market digital commons. Good Market is the not-for-profit platform that hosts the verification process. This will take about 30-60 minutes. It is straightforward but requires an overall understanding of your enterprise, so it is best done by someone in a leadership role. You can save a draft, return later, and edit responses after submission. Make sure to check the box for People and Planet First verification on the last page of the form.
Complete the People and Planet First verification form. After your application is approved, you will receive a notification that you have a new People and Planet First section on your Good Market account page. Open the verification form and provide explanations and evidence for each of the five standards. If you review the standards and collect your evidence in advance, the verification form is quick to fill in. You will need at least 1 point for each of the 5 standards to be eligible for verification.
Local review partners - state and territory social enterprise peak bodies in Australia - will then review your application and provide support if needed. If your application meets the five standards, you will receive a welcome pack with a certificate and badge, and you will be listed on the global directory of verified social enterprises.
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Yes - but renewal of your verification will be extended to align with your membership renewal. For example, if you were verified on 1 March 2025 and you become a Social Enterprise Member on 1 April 2025, your verification renewal will not be due until 1 April 2026.
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By joining both the national peak and your state or territory peak, you are involved at the national and state or territory level.
Social Enterprise Australia advocates for and connects the sector, Australia-wide. State and territory social enterprise peak bodies advocate for and connect the sector in their areas. Members of Social Enterprise Australia have a voice on national issues, while Members of state or territory peaks have a voice on state or territory issues.
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We have reciprocal membership arrangements in place with states and territories that want and are able to at this time, and where agreements have been reached. We continue to explore the potential for a united approach across all social enterprise peak bodies in Australia.
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Yes.