Membership update
Social Enterprise Australia will launch its new membership model this month. Consistent with our open-invite survey, membership will be open to:
Social enterprises
Associates
Since we shared this info last week, people have reached out to ask about eligibility.
Any organisation, or individual aged over 18, is eligible to be an Associate Member.
Any Australian-based entity verified to meet the global social enterprise standards is eligible to be a Social Enterprise Member.
The standards outline that social enterprises do five things:
Exist to solve a social or environmental problem
Prioritise purpose, people, and planet over profit in operational decisions
Have a self-sustaining revenue model
Reinvest the majority of any surplus towards their purpose
Choose legal structures and financing that protect and lock-in purpose long term.
Social Enterprise Australia and all the state and territory social enterprise peak bodies endorsed the standards last year. State and territory peak bodies also became local verification partners for People and Planet First - which coordinates verification worldwide.
Social Enterprise Australia endorsed the standards because they are:
Independent: No single organisation sets the standards and verifies social enterprises. The standards are collectively owned by a global network. In Australia, state and territory peak bodies use the standards to verify social enterprises.
Clear: The standards set the bar on what a social enterprise is, in a way that is visible and easy to understand.
Collective: The standards are collectively governed by an Official Partner Network. Social Enterprise Australia is an Official Partner and a benefit of being our member will be having a voice in them.
Global: The standards cross borders and mean recognition and opportunities within and beyond Australia.
If you are a social enterprise, but not yet verified to meet the global standards, the cost will be included in your Social Enterprise Australia membership application.
Sincerely,
Jess Moore,
