Our Co-op is a social enterprise, it means we do things differently
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It’s Social Saturday on 13 October and we’ve partnered with Social Enterprise UK to celebrate how our Co-op and other social enterprises do things differently.
What’s a social enterprise?
Social enterprises are businesses that are changing the world, for the better. Co-operatives, like us, are social enterprises, owned by their members.
Like all businesses, we aim to be commercially successful, but what we do with that success is what makes us different. Our Co-op, for example, is working toward building stronger communities in the UK and around the world. So, a stronger Co-op means stronger communities too.
Social enterprises, like co-operatives, exist in all areas of business. From grocery to healthcare, to energy, chocolate and even the Eden Project.
- Find out more about the contribution social enterprises make to the UK economy in our Hidden Revolution report with Social Enterprise UK
- Encourage other businesses to follow our lead and do more to build an equal society by signing Social Enterprise UK’s change.org petition
Get involved in #SocialSaturday2018
Celebrating how co-operatives and other social enterprises do things differently is simple:
- Share this blog post
Help educate your social community about the difference, social enterprises can make.
- Host your own #SocialSaturday2018 celebration
Just a pot of Co-op Fairtrade 99 Blend Tea, some Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade Chocolate cookies and a chat with others about how there’s a better way of doing business, highlighting the Co-op and other social enterprises in your area, would do the trick.
Contact your local Co-op Member Pioneer to see if they could lend you a hand too.
If you’re hosting your own #SocialSaturday2018 celebration or just taking the opportunity to learn about a new social enterprise or ethical product, I’d love to hear about it. Share with @coopuk on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using #TheCoopWay and #SocialSaturday2018.
Russell Gill
Head of Co-operative Relations
At the moment in a social enterprise graduating graduating from the Dartington collage of social enterprise I’ve been running over 6 years and graduate 5 years just over ago , I’m a sole trader and find I want to go in to be a coop now as I want to and so do our committee want to help the community but in the long run make profit , the route of CIC yes is good but we want to not just give back as we do now as a sole trader but want to grow and expand for the better of us and the community, is this a easy route and I know we need so many members and stake holders but is this easy to do .
Kind regards
Russell’s Muay Thai and contact sports social enterprise