The landscape of business and entrepreneurship has changed massively over the last two years, and many businesses struggled to cope. The Social sector, however, stepped up to the plate, serving their communities and adapting to their changing needs and protecting the most vulnerable - doing what they’ve always done. Value-driven and acting in the long-term interests of people and the planet, social enterprises already operated in a way that many businesses have had to adapt to over the pandemic period, and their preparedness has clear benefits: 44% of social enterprises reported an increase in turnover and 35% reported a decrease, compared with 18% and 55% respectively across the rest of business, 47% of social enterprises are less than 5 years old, compared to 10% of SME’s. This has knock on effects as well with diversity and fair pay at the forefront of how social enterprises operate, 47% of social enterprises are led by women, 31% have directors from BAME backgrounds and 72% of social enterprises are Living Wage Employers. It’s not all just people and money either, 84% believe that the social and environmental implications of their purchases are just as, if not more important than cost, 67% of social enterprises have or plan to have tackling the climate emergency as part of their constitutions. As well as ethical employers and business operators, the social sector are also great innovators, three out of five social enterprises have created products or services new to them whilst two out of five have done this with completely new products or services, showing that social enterprises aren’t just prepared for change - they’re driving it as well. This certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed amongst the wider population, particularly in young people - Barclays found 64% of young Brits would be more likely to support brands that had a social message. It isn’t just consumers that have noticed the sea change, in three years time the share of investment funds and portfolios that incorporate environmental, social and governance factors (ESG funds) into their investment considerations and processes will outweigh those that do not. It seems as though the pandemic has brought into focus just how businesses operate, and where consumers want to spend their money, the writing on the wall is clear - operate your business morally, or you’ll find it tougher to survive. At Zync Digital, ethics has always been at the core of what we do, we believe in providing authentic, innovative and quality digital marketing solutions to all of our clients, whilst providing a fair and comfortable working environment for our team, so it's nothing new to us or our clients that ethical business is the way forward, and if you’ve found yourself here it’s unlikely that it’s news for you either. So with the social sector poised to take over in 2022, we’ve put together a roundup of our top events, best resources & organisations to be a part of and to keep an eye out for in the coming year! Top Events
Social Value Uk Sectoral Conference. Where: Online When: 20/01/22 09:00-12:30 Join Social Value UK and guest speakers whilst they demystify ESG funding from a social value perspective. Network with like-minded individuals and find out how ESG funding could help you or your social enterprise.
Euclid Network Impact Summit Where: Online When: 24/3/22-25/3/22 Join impact leaders at the summit and address global societal challenges, define innovative, sustainable solutions and form partnerships for the future.
Skoll World Forum Where: Oxford & online When: 05/04/22-08/03/22 Connecting global innovators and advancing progress, the physical event in Oxford is fully vaccinated.
ChangeNow Summit Where: Paris & online When: 19/05/22-21/05/22 "The world’s largest event for the planet” ChangeNow is a three-day accelerator event showcasing the most innovative solutions that benefit our planet. Over 1,000 solutions and 500 speakers from some of the biggest social enterprises in the world put this event at the cutting edge of innovations that benefit us and our planet.
Impact Summit Where: TBC When: May 2022 A celebration of the “emergence of individuals and organisations building and rethinking models for success”, with past guests such as Facebook, eBay, Oxfam and Ecosia the event attracts some of the biggest brands in the world, as well as those leading in the social sector. Top organisations
Social Enterprise UK The national body for Social Enterprise in the UK - whether you’re looking to join as an accredited member, see what events are available throughout the year or you’re looking for resources and information relevant to social enterprise, SEUK has got it all and is an absolute must-follow for any social enterprise. Keep an eye out for their yearly state of social enterprise survey, a yearly rundown on how the social sector has performed.
Social Value UK The professional body for social value in the UK, a place for anyone interested in social value and social impact, working together with members to quantify these whilst broadening the definition of value to positively impact decision making, inequality and environmental degradation.
Social Enterprise Mark CIC
An award-winning international social enterprise accreditation body. With over 10 years experience in providing clear standards for social enterprises and defining what it means to be a genuine social enterprise, Social Enterprise Mark CIC helps aspiring and established social enterprises navigate remaining ethical, credible and commercial whilst continuing to grow.