October newsletter
There’s a lot of noise in the world right now - and a lot of people doing quiet, steady work to make things better. Social enterprises do this every day. They turn care into action and ideas into impact.
At Social Enterprise Australia, we’re working to help that grow, and to shape an economy that puts people and planet first. Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to, and what’s coming next.
Building the future we want, together
To grow the sector and its impact, we’re starting work to strengthen the social enterprise national strategy.
We’re asking you to help build out the challenge areas in the strategy, set concrete goals, and refresh what exists - to get clear on the future we want and how we plan to build it, together.
An open-invite survey will kick off this process.
Results from the survey will help us understand the focus needed for workshops, through which we’ll develop a draft updated strategy, to be put back to you via survey for review, then finalised by a vote of our Members.
All this will happen over the next six months. We value your time and will share opportunities to get involved via this newsletter and our social channels.
Survey
The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. You can fill it out here.
Co-design workshop
Register now for our first co-design workshop to bring people from across the social enterprise field together to connect, discuss and refresh the national strategy.
We’ll share survey findings and context, get feedback on ideas, and deep dive into key topics.
It’s a chance to connect, share insights, and help shape the collective direction of our sector.
Date and time: 27 November 2025, 12-1.30pm AEDT
Location: Online
Register: via this link.
Read more on the social enterprise national strategy here.
Board Director recruitment
Our Board is seeking two new Directors - an opportunity for experienced or first-time Directors to help grow the impact of social enterprise in Australia. Board Directors play a key role in guiding national strategy, strengthening the social enterprise sector, and uplifting community-led impact at scale.
Candidates may bring governance, grassroots, community or social enterprise experience; most importantly, they will have a values-driven mindset and readiness to contribute at a strategic level.
Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, young and emerging leaders, and people with lived experience of systemic discrimination or exclusion are encouraged.
Find out more and apply via the link here.
Why diversity at SXSW Sydney matters
We’re proud to have championed access and diversity at SXSW Sydney for a third year, offering free passes so that social enterprises and diverse voices could be part of the tech and innovation festival.
This year’s festival saw growing social enterprise visibility and leadership, with Who Gives a Crap, The Social Outfit, Plate it Forward, Oz Harvest Ventures and others showcasing the dynamic innovation of our sector.
We were able to support a community of creative and caring people - social enterprises, people living with disability, members of First Nations communities and others - who attended the festival thanks to our collaboration with SXSW Sydney; they built networks, deepened relationships and learned together.
The Sydney Morning Herald asked about why this collaboration matters and I shared:
"We believe all people should have the power to shape the future, but access to power is very uneven. These passes mean that people with diverse lived experience and who have audacious goals can not just be in the room, but help shape the conversation."
First Nations-led webinars
Two upcoming webinars centre First Nations voices and offer valuable perspectives on social change and governance.
BlakCast is Australia’s first podcasting network owned and led by First Nations People. Tomorrow (Thursday 30 October) it will bring together SBS/NITV journalist John Paul Janke, barrister and former Chair of the Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry Joshua Creamer, and philanthropist Stacey Thomas to explore what truth-telling for social change looks like.
Register for the webinar here.
Next Wednesday 5 November, strategic advisory firm First Nations Affairs will convene leading First Nations strategists to explore how governance grounded in Country can reshape Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks, investment practices and climate adaptation.
Register for the webinar here.
Both online sessions are free to attend and funded under the Australian Government's Social Enterprise Development Initiative, to grow social impact.
Sector opportunities
Young Change Agents, which works to cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets in schools, is partnering with Who Gives A Crap to offer 10 student scholarships worth $5,000 each. The Impact Boss scholarships will guide students to identify a problem in their community and frame a social enterprise solution with a business model, pitch, and plan for growth. Find out more here.
Presented by the Settlement Council of Australia, the 2025 National Settlement Conference will take place on the Sunshine Coast on 19-21 November 2025, bringing together leading voices shaping inclusion and belonging in Australia. The organisers are offering an exclusive offer for Social Enterprise Australia subscribers - use SEA50 to buy one registration and get one free (pending availability). Enter the code when registering yourself first. Find out more here.
SECNA has a series of events coming up for social enterprises in NSW and the ACT, from learning circles on AI and managing teams in extreme heat, to ‘find your people’ events and World Social Enterprise Day celebrations. Find out more here.
Impact North is offering a $2,000 travel bursary for Indigenous-led businesses outside of Greater Darwin. Businesses that join Impact North Community and become a Social Enterprise Member (and through reciprocal arrangements, a Member of Social Enterprise Australia) by 30 November can enter a draw to win the bursary which supports professional development, business growth, and industry-related travel that might otherwise be out of reach. Find out more here.
Jess Moore