Social Enterprises Shortlisted for National Awards

The finalists for the 2014 Social Enterprise Awards have been announced, including businesses that turn household waste into wages, employ the disadvantaged through the baking of artisan breads, or transform the purchasing power of toilet paper into life-saving sanitation.

Now in its second year, the ‘SE Awards’ hosted by specialist social enterprise development organisation Social Traders recognise those investing and buying in the social enterprise sector.

Winners, to be presented on June 12 at an event led by international guest Nancy Neamtan, are set to receive financial rewards and international conference trips as prizes.

Neamtan is the President and Executive Director of the Quebec Chantier de l'économie sociale, a Not for Profit organisation administered by 28 representatives of various networks of social enterprises (cooperatives and Not for Profits), local development organisations and social movements.

The Social Enterprise Awards received 87 applications across the six categories.

Each category was assessed by a panel of sector experts.

Winners will be selected by a judging panel including including global strategy advisor, Simon Gillies, development anthropologist, Dr Robyn Eversole; Director, Institute of Regional Development, University of Tasmania social enterprise practitioner, Peter Ball, corporate sustainability manager, Annette Ruhotas and Michael Dawson, CEO of CBB the not4profit people.

Ben Gales, CEO of Social Enterprise Finance Australia and assessor for both the Large and Small categories for Social Enterprise of the Year, said he was impressed with the quality of social enterprises, and found it an education going through the applications.

“These are extremely innovative organisations and we can learn from their experience of how to build sustainable ‘for-purpose’ businesses," he said.  

The Social Enterprise Awards shortlist:

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR (SMALL)

• SEED PPM employs previously long-term unemployed people in North Brisbane to deliver commercial landscape maintenance, residential gardening and commercial cleaning services. (QLD)

• Salvos Legal Limited and Salvos Legal (Humanitarian) Limited Salvos Legal is wholly owned by The Salvation Army and delivers property and commercial transactional law services for profit. All proceeds are directed into the Salvos Legal Humanitarian, which provides a free legal service for the disadvantaged and marginalised throughout New South Wales and Queensland. (NSW)

• Nundah Community Enterprises Cooperative create meaningful and sustainable long-term employment opportunities for its members, largely made up of people with an intellectual disability, through their Espresso Train Café and the NCEC Parks and Maintenance Crew. (QLD)

• Kokonut Pacific Pty Ltd generates fair trade opportunities for rural communities in the Solomon Islands and the surrounding area in a two-step process. Firstly they export equipment developed to extract Virgin Coconut Oil, and then import and sell the coconut oil. (NSW)

• The Abbotsford Convent Foundation manages the Abbotsford Convent to create an exemplary arts, cultural and learning space that encourages collaboration and social interaction at all levels. The Foundation owns the title to the 6.8ha of land that the Convent sits on and manages the precinct. (VIC)

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR (LARGE)

• Clean Force Property Services is a commercial contract cleaning service providing employment for people from disadvantaged backgrounds including those with disability and mental illness. The social enterprise is a subsidiary of WISE Employment Ltd. (VIC)

• Softlanding Mattress Recycling (a subsidiary of Mission Australia) employs people often excluded from the open labour market into entry-level positions to recover and recycle mattress parts. The business also redirects a considerable amount of waste away from landfill. (NSW)

• The Work Group operates to break generational cycles of high disadvantage and welfare dependency by supporting individuals through their employment services arm to work in their commercial gardening, traffic management and labour hire operations. (VIC)

• The Smith Family Recycling Operation is a Charity Clothing reuse organisation, focusing on sustainable scalability to increase financial return to The Smith Family. Profits raised from operation delivers support for more than 200,000 disadvantaged Australians. (NSW)

ONE-TO-WATCH AWARD

• Ability Enterprises Ltd was established in 2011 by local community members to provide people with disabilities employment opportunities through the management of gatehouses at 13 waste facilities throughout the Toowoomba Regional Council area. (QLD)

• The Bread & Butter Project (TBBP) is a wholesale, artisan bakery established in 2013 that provides training and employment pathways for refugees and asylum seekers. (NSW)

• Good Goods (also known as Who Gives a Crap) sell eco-friendly, 100 per cent recycled toilet paper online, direct to the public and through a small number of third party retailers. 50 per cent of profits earned are directed to WaterAid, an organisation that builds toilets and improves sanitation in the developing world. (VIC)

• Good Cycles is a Not for Profit social enterprise that trains and employs people experiencing long-term unemployment and disadvantage to repair and maintain bicycles for commuters in Melbourne’s CBD. (VIC)

• The 40 Group delivers training programs to Australian students and corporate organisations to operate more socially minded businesses. Profits from these programs are invested into delivery of education in India. (NSW)

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT AWARD

• The Integrated Medical Clinic, investment by Social Ventures Australia and Social Traders. (VIC)

• Inside the Brick, investment by Social Ventures Australia. (VIC)

• Who Gives a Crap, investment by crowdfunding and an undisclosed individual investor. (VIC)

SOCIAL INNOVATION AWARD

• Ability Enterprises Ltd (QLD)

• Pollinate Energy Ltd trains (VIC)

• SORT Recycling (QLD)

• Thankyou Group (formerly Thankyou Water) (VIC)

BUY SOCIAL AWARD

The City of Gold Coast has developed a procurement strategy and implemented new processes to directly deliver social outcomes to their community. (QLD)

The South Australian Government Department for Communities and Social Inclusion is working to improve the buying environment to enable increased expenditure with Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs), Aboriginal Business Enterprises (ABEs) and socially responsible organisations. (SA)