Celebrating Social Enterprise Day!
Today is Social Enterprise Day – a moment to raise awareness of our pioneering business model and celebrate the more than 100,000 social enterprises in the UK working to benefit people and the planet.
Social enterprises are businesses that trade for a social or environmental purpose. Like any other business, we look to make a profit, but it is what we do with that profit that sets us apart: reinvesting the majority to further our vital mission; providing first-rate early years education whilst supporting community organisations.
Since we started trading in 2017, we’ve opened four Raised in Bristol nurseries, paid over £500k in long-term rent to our community partners, supported over 600 families and gone from two Raised Bristol team members to nearly 100!
An essential part of our mission is building a circular economy here in Bristol. At least 50% of a social enterprise’s income should come through trading; our’s is almost 100%. Any profit we make is ‘purposeful’ – reinvested into our communities for the benefit of all. We aren’t backed by private equity and remain proudly independent, able to make business decisions against the triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. We want all our work to contribute to helping futures flourish - for everyone!
We prioritise the procurement of ethical, local and environmentally sustainable goods and services. By purchasing from local suppliers and creating meaningful employment for local people, we’re directly investing in and feeding the local economy. This keeps the money we spend in our local areas, creating local jobs, buying local products and sustaining local high street and family-run businesses. Many of these businesses are growing independents like us, and we want to help them grow.
Another core part of our ethos as a social enterprise is that the Raised In team are paid at least the Real Living Wage – including our apprentices! We are one of only two nurseries and childcare providers in Bristol accredited as a Real Living Wage employer, but hope to welcome more to the club in the future.
With lots of us shopping for the festive season, why not look for presents with purpose and buy local and second hand where possible. Our previous Festive Gift Guides have been well received, but this year we wanted to share Social Enterprise UK’s list! Raised In is a member of SEUK, and proud to be a social enterprise. All the gifts on this list are from UK based social enterprises making a difference to communities or the environment. Find ethical Christmas inspiration here.
Whether it’s creating jobs and opportunities for people on the margins, delivering people-powered public services or taking on the climate emergency, social enterprises are showing us that another way of doing business is possible – one that puts people and the planet first. We are proud to be part of this movement.
