Join us: membership is here
We’re excited to launch Social Enterprise Australia’s new membership model today. It embeds being sector-led in our governance.
Our Members will help grow the impact of social enterprise, working together to help create an economy that puts people and the planet first.
They will help govern Social Enterprise Australia and set the direction for our work through input on national strategy; one focused on big-picture challenges where social enterprise can help the most. Our Members are invited to co-design and take action on key parts of the national strategy.
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.
Any organisation, or individual aged 18 or over, 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. All Members have a voice in our organisation and are invited to our Annual General Meetings. Social Enterprise Members have voting rights. To ensure critical mass and diversity, voting rights will be triggered at an Annual General Meeting, once there are 350 members across states and territories, mission areas and lived experience. We expect this to be before the end of this year.
This membership model reflects stakeholders’ views, interests in and likely participation in our work. It is based on the results of sector consultations, including our open-invite governance survey.
Because it’s new, we’ll run a project to test, learn and evolve the model with our Members over time.
Many who responded to our governance survey also told us they want to see a membership model that allows social enterprises to apply to join their relevant social enterprise peak/s at the same time.
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. And to join other states and territories where there are reciprocal arrangements, at the same time, at a discount.
There are three states taking part at this stage: Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. The Northern Territory plans to join soon. We continue to explore the potential for a united approach across all social enterprise peak bodies in Australia.
More on Social Enterprise Australia membership and how you can join here.
Cheers,
Jess Moore
