October 2016
 With the nights continuing to draw in, our thoughts are already turning towards the not so distant festive season... We are busy planning our ‘Christmas with a Conscience’ brochure, which will encourage consumers to buy from accredited social enterprises this festive season.
The brochure will be published by the start of November and will be regularly updated with new listings right up until the Christmas break.
Use your purchasing power this Christmas to make a positive difference for society - support businesses that put People & Planet first!
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We invite you to get involved in developing a robust and credible standard for social enterprise that works for the sector!
Please spare 15 minutes to complete our stakeholder survey, to help us understand your requirements and perceptions of our products are services.
Your feedback will inform the strategic direction of the Social Enterprise Mark and Gold Mark.
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Still time to be featured in Christmas brochure
Interested in getting your business featured in our Christmas with a Conscience brochure?
All Social Enterprise Mark/Gold Mark holders have the opportunity to promote their products/services in the brochure - start your application today and you could be approved in less than a week!
Complete the short registration form to get started and we will be in touch within 2 days
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Credibility, differentiation from competitors, opportunities for collaboration and peer learning....
Just a few of the benefits available to businesses that are accredited with the Social Enterprise Mark.
Visit the website to find out how Social Enterprise Mark/Gold Mark accreditation could benefit your business and help you stand out from the crowd as an independently guaranteed social enterprise.
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Setting up a social enterprise?
In partnership with Stone King LLP, we have produced a Social Enterprise Resource Pack, with guidance on setting up your social enterprise and achieving Social Enterprise Mark accreditation.
Receive a free 30 minute consultation with Stone King when you purchase the pack.
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The UK is considered something of a pioneer of social enterprise, and Social Enterprise Mark CIC are the world pioneers of social enterprise accreditation.
We champion credible standards for social enterprise on a global scale, offering international consultancy services, to advise counterparts looking to set up social enterprise accreditation schemes.
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 Furniture Resource Centre - Making a Mark
Richard Cobbett, Assessment & Compliance Manager
This month’s featured set of social impact statements comes from Furniture Resource Centre (FRC).
Their stated mission helps illustrate how social enterprise can be used to address all manner of causes, many of which the UK general public may be unaware represent a social issue: in this instance, FRC are primarily focused on addressing concerns of “furniture poverty”.
The measures they provide regarding the number of housing tenants and families they have helped across the UK provide an indicator of their scope of output, highlighting an aspect of poverty that manifests itself in the absence of simple homely comforts and other essential furniture items that most of us take for granted.
FRC also show how in focusing on one social benefit, a social enterprise can also contribute to others. In conjunction with their other social businesses, such as Bulky Bobs, they address furniture poverty through recycling and providing opportunities for work experience and employment to disadvantaged adults, by themselves worthy objectives, through which the organisation ensures all surplus income and profits are used to maximise social impact and value being created.
To view this, and other examples of how Mark holders are demonstrating their social impact, please visit the Making a Mark page on the website.
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Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th June 2017
University of Winchester
Get the dates for our 2017 annual conference in your diaries now - the event will be held in Winchester on 5th and 6th June 2017, kindly hosted by University of Winchester.
Further details will be announced in early 2017 and tickets are expected to be on sale from February 2017.
Cosmic Digital Leadership sessions
 Various dates 2016 & 2017
Honiton
Investing in digital skills is a must for every business at this time, but many businesses are yet to address this issue at senior executive and Board levels. Mark holder Cosmic is currently running a Digital Leadership programme that aims to provide an effective and successful means of achieving those skills.
Several businesses have signed up to the programme, but they are also opening up the individual workshops to all businesses to attend.
To find out more and to book onto any of the sessions, please visit the Cosmic website.
 North East Social Enterprise Festival
29th October 2016
Gateshead
Mark holder Social Enterprise Acumen is pleased to announce the second North East Social Enterprise Festival will take place in Gateshead on October 29th 2016.
Following the success of the event in 2015, Social Enterprise Acumen are anticipating at least 120 social enterprises and support organisations to attend this year's event. They welcome social enterprises from outside their region, and welcome any input from the sector to ensure the success of the event.
For more information, please visit the website.
Mark Holder News
Welcome to new Mark holder
We are delighted to welcome another new Mark holder this month.
 Beacon4Life is the social enterprise trading arm of Mark holder Beacon Centre, supporting people with visual impairment and preventing sight loss in the West Midlands. It is the first social enterprise in the UK to offer Ophthalmic Optician services through Beacon Opticians+, which offers eye tests and vision support.
Beacon4Life also operates a network of retail and Reflections coffee shops across the Black Country, catering and conferencing facilities at the Beacon Centre and sales of aids and adaptations from our Vision Advice Centre.
*AWARDS SPECIAL*
Social enterprise universities shortlisted for prestigious awards
Congratulations to Mark holder Coventry University, and Gold Mark holders University of Salford, and York St John University on making the shortlist for the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards.
 Coventry University, winner of the 2015 University of the Year award, are this year shortlisted for two awards - Entrepreneurial University of the Year and International Collaboration of the Year - while University of Salford is shortlisted for Research Project of the Year, and York St John University is shortlisted for Most Improved Student Experience.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony and gala dinner in London on Thursday 24th November.
Fusion21 wins CIPS Supply Management Award
 Mark holder Fusion21 has won the award for ‘Best Contribution to the Reputation of Procurement’ in the prestigious Chartered Institute of Procurement (CIPS) Supply Management Awards 2016.
These awards honour UK organisations and individuals working within the procurement and supply chain industry, and are respected as a benchmark for excellence. Fusion21 was selected for showcasing how procurement can be a key enabler in delivering long-term positive social impact as well as financial contribution.
For more information please visit the website.
Real People HR shortlisted for Personnel Today awards
 Mark holder Real People HR has been shortlisted in the Consultancy of the Year category of the Personnel Today Awards 2016.
These awards recognise HR teams and individuals that have made an impact with their people policies and have delivered tangible benefits to their organisation.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 22nd November.
John Taylor Hospice shortlisted in Birmingham business awards
 Gold Mark holder John Taylor Hospice has been shortlisted in the not for profit category of the Birmingham Post Business Awards. The news came just days after the hospice reached the finals of the UK Private Business Awards.
These awards aim to celebrate success, recognise achievement and highlight the innovative people and companies in Birmingham which put the region on the map by boosting the economy while making a positive contribution to the local community.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre on 26th October. For more information, please visit the website.
University of Salford recognised for entrepreneurial support
 Gold Mark holder University of Salford has been recognised for its efforts in engaging students in enterprise activity.
The university's Enterprise team won the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) Award for Entrepreneurship, in recognition of the services that the enterprise team offer to students, both within the curriculum and within its extracurricular support opportunities.
AGCAS is the professional body for careers and employability professionals working with higher education students and graduates and prospective entrants to higher education.
For more information, please visit the website.
Julie Hawker awarded Society of Leadership fellowship
 Social Enterprise Mark Ambassador and CEO of Mark holder Cosmic, Julie Hawker has been been presented with the role of Society of Leadership Fellow of St. George’s House, Windsor Castle.
2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of St. George’s House, which is being marked by the establishment of a new leadership community that will become a permanent feature of the way the House works. The leaders are chosen from every sector of society and economy and support each other with their own leadership development. Julie will now be part of a great team of fellows who meet at least once a year at Windsor castle for Leadership conversations.
For more information, please visit the website.
Unlimited Potential shortlisted in Living Wage Champions awards
 Mark holder Unlimited Potential has been shortlisted by the Living Wage Foundation for the Living Wage Champion Awards 2016, which recognise Living Wage employers that have made great contributions to communities and industries by implementing and celebrating the Living Wage.
The award winners will be announced during Living Wage Week, which starts on 31st October, with one winner announced for each region of the UK.
For more information, please visit the website.
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Sector News
Celebrating 5 years of the Living Wage
 Lucy recently joined the Living Wage Foundation to celebrate 5 years of the Living Wage, an hourly rate set independently and updated annually, which is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ forv the UK.
 The Living Wage Foundation is a fellow accreditation body that recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK. Social Enterprise Mark CIC is proud to be an accredited Living Wage employer, a recognised sign of good practice in employment.
Living Wage Week is a UK-wide celebration of the Living Wage and the network of Living Wage leaders, which runs from Sunday 31st October to Saturday 5th November.
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