Social impact, entrepreneurship, and innovation — if it’s interesting news, you’ll find it here. These stories may not be the ones on top of your news feed, but chances are they’re the ones you’ll actually want to read. Whether it’s opinions on creating positive social change – or the simply the valuable lessons learned along the way, here’s a round up of the past month’s most interesting articles.

Best Books for Social Entrepreneurs

Looking for literature that examines multiple ways for entrepreneurs to give back through corporate social responsibility initiatives can be challenging. Sure, tons of articles touch upon the topic, but finding works that take a deep look into the world of social corporate responsibility, nonprofit creation and self-sustaining social initiatives can take more digging.

The HR Health Check: An Essential Checklist For Any Growing Social Enterprise

Whether you’re about to hire your first employee, or you’ve already got a team, it’s well worth making sure your HR policies and procedures are in good health. Understanding what’s required can be daunting – so Pioneers Post's partners at Buzzacott have drawn up a handy checklist to keep you on track.

Why We Need a Peak Body for NSW & ACT Social Enterprises

The creation process for a Social Enterprise Council or Network for NSW and ACT has kicked off with an Expression of Interest round, where those social entrepreneurs and enterprises keen to become founding members are invited to express interest and provide input on how the process of selection should be undertaken.

Co-operatives and Social Enterprises May Hold Key to More and Better Jobs

Co-operatives and social enterprises achieve employment growth at least on a par with other types of organisation, and also create good quality jobs, according to a new report for the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), the Dublin based EU Agency.

Social Enterprises Sector Worth £645m to Northern Ireland Economy Says Report

Social enterprises are now a "significant growth area" and has become a fundamental element of a re-balanced and more plural economy in Northern Ireland, being worth £645 million to the region's economy and employing around 25,000 people, a new report has found.

Why Social Entrepreneurs Are Getting Real About Mental Health

Mental health struggles are affecting social entrepreneurs – and it’s a global issue. At last month’s Good Deals + Beyond Good Business, Pioneers Post spoke to entrepreneurs and leaders from across the world about the often high levels of emotional pressure that come with running a social business, and how people are dealing with it.

How to Escape the Grip of Imposter Syndrome

Kate Crowhurst and Ben Gill were participants in the 2017 intake of the Young Social Pioneers (YSP) program, The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) incubator program for young social entrepreneurs. In the first meeting with their fellow YSPers, in a room teeming with smart, capable young people who were specifically chosen to be there for their skills and abilities, one thing stood out.

From Drab to Glam: The Evolution of the Social Sector in India

India is the 14th best country to be a social entrepreneur. What are the factors fuelling this growth and how can the unorganised social sector become more mainstream?

Impact Investment: The 5 C's of Lending Every Social Entrepreneur Should Know

Attracting Impact Investment requires not only your evidenced theory of change and impact measurement, but necessitates a robust, sustainable business model. Feeling confident you have all the pieces of the puzzle together in your business plan and pitch deck – fabulous! Confidence in yourself and your enterprise is essential when approaching investors but there will always be some curve balls, so before hitting the pavement, taking the time to assess yourself though potential investors eyes can help prepare you for the questions that inevitable follow a pitch, ensuring that to the best of your ability investors are hearing/seeing what you believe you are saying. One way to do this is to check your business plan and pitch deck against the 5 classic C’s of lending.

5 Standout Refugee Initiatives That Harness the Cultural Power of Food

Food, storytelling and cultural diversity are powerful partners that can promote social connections for refugees and asylum seekers living in Australia. Here are a few of the standout initiatives across the country that use food as a foundation to advance the wellbeing of refugees.

New Standards for Social Enterprise Certification in Australia

Social enterprise advocates believe greater recognition of the sector’s diversity is needed to help more for-purpose businesses win corporate and government contracts.

Three Tips to Help You Slay Any Scholarship or Grant Interview

A crucial aspect of any scholarship or grant application is the interview component – this is where the what and the why of your application come together and intertwine with the most important of the W’s – the Who. Too often we’ve seen exceptionally high-quality applications spoiled when the candidate is unable to suitably represent themselves, showcase their personality and/or clearly articulate or justify their reasons for appealing for a Fulbright Scholarship. Here are three tips that you can apply to any interview situation if you’re looking to get ahead.

We Need More Social Enterprises to Deliver the Long-term Plan

New research has highlighted how social enterprises are in many ways outperforming traditional providers, arguably offering a blueprint of a better way of doing things, notes Alison Reid.

Gender Equality and Social Entrepreneurship

I’m concerned that the zeitgeist of our time is that if a woman is saying she is going to change the world, the assumption is that she’s launching a not-for-profit organisation, a charity. People don’t assume the same for men.

How Can a Fashion Brand Create Social and Environmental Impact

The recent Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019 update report highlighted that 75 percent of consumers believed sustainability was either ‘extremely’ or ‘very important’ to them. Over 33 percent of shoppers revealed they switched brands to support those that back environmental change. 50 percent of consumers reported their intention to switch brands in favour of those embracing eco-friendly practices. People are questioning how things are produced and how they affect the world's ecosystem. Fashion is still one of the most polluting sectors in the world and so sustainable fashion is not a trend to highjack but a practice that should be at the foundation of any brand.

Five Insights Into How Social Entrepreneurs Learn

How can social enterprise support organisations help entrepreneurs learn – and what skills do they need most? Ian Baker, head of learning at the School for Social Entrepreneurs, has sifted through the findings of SSE’s latest evaluation report. Here’s what they’ve discovered.
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