Social Enterprise Scotland

Social Enterprise Scotland Social Enterprise Scotland is the voice of social enterprise. Social Enterprise Scotland is the collective voice of social enterprise.

We're an independent, Scottish, member-led organisation, built and controlled by social enterprises. Social enterprise is a dynamic way of doing business that transforms communities and drives profound and lasting social change. Social enterprises are businesses that trade specifically for social and/or environmental purposes. It is a membership-led organisation representing the needs and interests of social enterprise to politicians, policy makers and the public.

We're delighted to announce that Elevator have signed the ! 🎉Elevator has become the latest organisation to sign the Bu...
15/09/2026

We're delighted to announce that Elevator have signed the ! 🎉

Elevator has become the latest organisation to sign the Buy Social Pledge, reinforcing its commitment to supporting social enterprises and delivering positive social value through its supply chain.

The Buy Social Pledge brings together organisations looking to make a commitment to bring social enterprises into their supply chains, allowing them to harness their purchasing power for good and contribute to positive social change in local communities.

Organisations who sign up to the Buy Social Pledge commit to fostering inclusive economic growth. The pledge signifies a transformative approach to doing business, where businesses become catalysts for positive change in communities.

🗨️ Speaking of the announcement, Rachel Ross, Chief Executive of Elevator said: "Across all our business support delivery, we are committed to working with high-quality local consultants and suppliers. We have a rigorous supplier procurement framework, with our suppliers working alongside us to support Community Wealth Building wherever we deliver across Scotland. Signing the Buy Social Pledge reinforces that commitment and reflects the importance we place on community and place in our purchasing decisions. We want the money we spend to create value beyond the immediate service being delivered, supporting strong local economies and creating positive impact in the communities we serve."

Find out more 👉 https://zurl.co/KBLaM

Young People and Their Involvement with AI 🖥️ AI and data centres are a hot topic right now, with real-life impact and c...
14/09/2026

Young People and Their Involvement with AI 🖥️

AI and data centres are a hot topic right now, with real-life impact and consequences for everyone, but perhaps most notably, the youngest generations.

That's why the YouthSEN's next meeting will focus on the practical applications and ethical considerations of AI. We'll be joined by guest speakers from YWCA Scotland - the Young Women's Movement and Kanzen for Life, who will share their insights. We would love for this to be an open conversation where you can share opinions and thoughts, so please come along if you're interested. 💬

📅 22 September at 1 pm
📍 Online
🔗 https://zurl.co/FSnLe

This event is open to any young people involved in social enterprise, so please come along and share it with anyone who may be interested. 📢

Digital transformation does not have to mean expensive systems or wholesale change.Next week, we'll be joined by Christo...
11/09/2026

Digital transformation does not have to mean expensive systems or wholesale change.

Next week, we'll be joined by Christopher Graham, CEO of The Marketing Department for the first in a series of practical sessions for our members, covering digital strategy, how to diversify your income, marketing plans and crisis communications.

This particular session is designed to help social enterprises take a clearer, more strategic look at how they use websites, CRM systems, data, online payments, digital services and AI.

Together, we'll explore where digital tools can save time, improve services and help you achieve more with limited resources, before helping participants identify their own priorities and begin a practical 90-day improvement plan.

📆 Wednesday 16 September
🕛 10.30am - 12pm
📍 Online

Book your spot 👉 https://zurl.co/8DIoL

This session is open to Social Enterprise Scotland members only. If you're not a member, visit the link in the comments to find out more about joining 👇

🏆 People's Choice voting is now open 🏆We're delighted to bring back this popular award that gives you the power to decid...
10/09/2026

🏆 People's Choice voting is now open 🏆

We're delighted to bring back this popular award that gives you the power to decide a winner from this year's awards finalists.

Our finalists represent the incredible impact, ambition and diversity of Scotland's social enterprise community. Whether you have worked with one of our finalists, benefitted from their services, or have simply been inspired by what they are achieving, make sure to use your vote!

Head to the voting page to explore this year's finalists and cast your vote for the organisation, individual or partnership that you believe deserves to win.

Voting closes on Monday 28th September. Cast your vote today 👉 https://zurl.co/DidC7

A big thank you to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise for sponsoring this award!

Our team have been in Glasgow today for a day of shared learning with South Korean social economy leaders, Scottish Gove...
09/09/2026

Our team have been in Glasgow today for a day of shared learning with South Korean social economy leaders, Scottish Government and the private sector to explore how we can strengthen and grow Scotland's social economy.

This morning, we were delighted to convene a meeting between Tom Arthur, Minister for Business and Fair Work, Gayoung Imm and Dr. Myung-Eun Jeong from Center for Social Value Enhancement Studies (CSES), SK Group, Arianne Knowles from Scottish Government and Gerry Higgins from SEWF to understand South Korea's approach to developing its social economy, as well as the opportunities Government can take to create the conditions needed for Scottish social enterprises and other inclusive and democratic businesses to thrive.

In the afternoon, we visited and adopter, McTaggart Construction to understand how mainstream businesses can use procurement, training and community benefit to create wider social impact.

Thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences and perspectives, and look forward to continuing discussions this evening at the annual Social Economy Today delivered this year by Gayoung Imm.

📣 Help buyers discover your business!Are you a social enterprise, co-operative or employee-owned business providing B2B ...
09/09/2026

📣 Help buyers discover your business!

Are you a social enterprise, co-operative or employee-owned business providing B2B services or products?
Submit your details for inclusion in the next edition of our Buy Social Scotland Suppliers’ Catalogue.

The catalogue is designed to help buyers discover businesses that are putting social, environmental and community impact at the heart of what they do.

If you’d like your organisation to be included, submit your details before 28th September 👉 https://zurl.co/qDOQv

We were in Dunfermline yesterday with Shirley-Anne Sommerville MSP to visit Furniture Plus Ltd and to find out more ab...
08/09/2026

We were in Dunfermline yesterday with Shirley-Anne Sommerville MSP to visit Furniture Plus Ltd and to find out more about the brilliant work they are doing in Fife.

Furniture Plus is Fife's largest furniture re-use, recycling and repair organisation. Established in 2001, and with two sites in Dunfermline and Dysart, it works to combat poverty and social exclusion through re-using, recycling and repairing furniture and household goods which may have otherwise gone to landfill. All profits from its sale of goods are re-invested back into the organisation and allow it to provide furniture and household items free of charge to those most in need.

Across the country, social enterprises are creating good jobs, delivering social and environmental impacts and making a difference to people's lives. Visits like this are invaluable because they allow MSPs to see first hand the impact our sector is creating.

Thank you to Furniture Plus for hosting and sharing your work.

What can Scotland's social enterprise sector learn from South Korea? There's just under a week to go until this year's S...
03/09/2026

What can Scotland's social enterprise sector learn from South Korea?

There's just under a week to go until this year's Social Economy Lecture which we are co-hosting again with the Yunus Business Centre, Glasgow Caledonian University.

For this year's lecture we will hear from Gayoung Imm, Associate Principal Researcher with the Centre for Social Value Enhancement Studies (CSES), SK Group, who will share insights from Korea’s impact economy journey and explore what Scotland can learn as we think about social value, Community Wealth Building, social enterprise and the wider social economy.

Following the lecture, there will time for networking and is a brilliant opportunity to meet other working across the social economy, policy, research and practice.

This event is hybrid but in-person tickets are limited.
📆 Wednesday 9 September
🕕 5.45pm - 8pm
📍 Glasgow Caledonian University and Online

Book your in-person ticket here 👉 https://zurl.co/zxFwp

Unable to make it in-person? Find the online ticket link in the comments 👇

Our response to yesterday's Programme for Government The Scottish Government's Programme for Government was published ye...
02/09/2026

Our response to yesterday's Programme for Government

The Scottish Government's Programme for Government was published yesterday and, as Scotland's ten-year Social Enterprise Strategy reaches the end of its planned lifespan, we strongly welcome the commitment to a new Social Economy Strategy.

The language is significant. Government talks about supporting social enterprises and other “socially oriented business models”, alongside co-operatives, employee-owned businesses and the wider social economy. That points towards a broader family of organisations and a bigger opportunity than simply replacing one strategy with another. This is why Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDBMs) are so important. Social enterprises, co-operatives and employee-owned businesses give more people and communities a stake in our economy, broaden ownership and help keep more of the wealth we create circulating here in Scotland, putting people and planet first. We must ensure we do not drift away from these democratic economic drivers.

It is also notable that the commitment sits within the Government's plans for regional growth. That makes sense as social enterprises are rooted in communities across Scotland, creating jobs, trading locally, delivering services and retaining wealth in the places where it is generated. The social economy should therefore be seen not as an alternative to growth, but as one of the ways Scotland can achieve stronger and more widely shared regional growth.

This is where the new strategy could be genuinely important. Let's connect social enterprise and the wider social economy much more clearly to Community Wealth Building, procurement reform, public service reform and regional economic development. At present, those connections are present in the Programme for Government, but they are not yet brought together into a coherent economic proposition.

Scotland has already set an ambition to significantly increase the number of Inclusive and Democratic Business Models. But the latest Social Enterprise Census suggests that growth has slowed, and achieving a step change will require renewed investment, stronger infrastructure and some bold new ideas.

There is also a question about how progress will be measured. If the latest Social Enterprise Census was the final one under the ten-year commitment, we risk beginning a new strategy without a clear baseline or a way to track the future trajectory of the wider social economy.

So the commitment is welcome, but the next test is delivery. We need to see the timetable, the evidence base and, critically, the financial commitment behind the ambition. Social Enterprise Scotland, working though the IDBM Alliance, are ready to work with Government, our members and partners across the wider social economy to turn it into action.

We're proud to support the launch of a new report mapping the support for Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDB...
31/08/2026

We're proud to support the launch of a new report mapping the support for Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDBMs) in Scotland.

Launched today by the IDBM Alliance Scotland, 'A Patchwork not an Ecosystem' explores the landscape of support for IDBMs and their role in building a fairer economy in Scotland. But, the research warns that Scotland will struggle to meet its ambition to triple their number by 2034 unless a fragmented landscape of support is turned into a coherent national system

The report has several key recommendations for Scottish Government and include:
✔️ Strengthen national infrastructure
✔️ Embed IDBMs in Community Wealth Building and mainstream economic development
✔️ Create a lifecycle-based advisory system from start-up to growth
✔️ Reconfigure finance so businesses can explore and adopt democratic models
✔️ Expand specialist support and integrate it into mainstream provision
✔️ Tackle unequal access by strengthening regional expertise

🗨️ Neil McInroy, chair of the IDBM Alliance Scotland, said “As a pan‑Scottish Alliance spanning social enterprises, development trusts, co‑operatives and employee‑owned firms, we speak with one voice. For too long, Scotland has talked of a ‘social economy’. This implies something separate or partial — worthy, but somehow outside the real economy. Inclusive and democratic business models are mainstream economic actors: they anchor community wealth, drive productivity, build resilience and strengthen democracy. That’s why we must take forward our recommendations and build a coherent national ecosystem rather than today’s patchwork. Unless we do, we will keep holding back the very businesses that can help deliver Scotland’s positive future.

Read the full report 👉 https://zurl.co/PN9MX



The IDBM Alliance Scotland brings together membership and representative bodies to share intelligence and evidence, advocate for supportive policy and funding environments, champion pluralism and protect distinctiveness of each model, and collaborate on practical actions that grow impact across Scotland.
Current members include Co-operatives UK; Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS); Employee Ownership Association (eoa); Scottish Rural Action; Social Enterprise Scotland and workers coop

Address

5 Rose Street
Edinburgh

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Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

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0131 243 2650

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