According to the government’s ‘Strategy for Success’, the official definition of a social enterprise is “a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.” Or simply ‘a not-for-profit organisation.’

Suffolk ACRE are one local organisation that support social enterprises through their Suffolk Community Enterprise project. This aims to encourage communities to establish community-owned and community run businesses and promotes awareness of the opportunities offered by the social sector. The project provides free professional business advice and support to clients in Suffolk through business advisors who are accredited by SFEDI (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative).

Contact the Community Enterprise Team on Tel: 01473 242534 or visit www.suffolkacre.org.uk  for further information.

Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services (NWES) also offer support to social enterprises including one-to-one business counselling, business start-up courses and grant funding advice.
Contact NWES on 01493 850204 or email paul.griffin@nwes.org.uk  

The Social Enterprise Training & Support Consortium (setas) have developed a useful website providing links to training and support providers, and specialist publications specifically about social enterprise. Refer to www.setas.co.uk .

The Social Enterprise Unit (SenU) which is part of the Small Business Service (an agency of the Department of Trade & Industry) act as a focal point and co-ordinator for policy making affecting social enterprise, as well as promoting and championing social enterprise. Their website has a wealth of information and links relating to social enterprises, www.berr.gov.uk .

Social Enterprise Network Suffolk (SENS) is the county mouthpiece for the social enterprise movement linking national, regional and local social enterprise strategies. SENS exists to build and strengthen the platform for a thriving social enterprise movement to ensure the growth and increase of the diversity, prosperity and sustainability of the social enterprise sector and partners in Suffolk. Contact www.sens-suffolk.co.uk