About Us

Social Economy Drive is a week long series of events designed to celebrate, promote and connect those organisations that exist to improve disadvantaged communities, support disadvantaged people and address social or environmental issues.

Introduction

In 2015 the Social Enterprise Initiative designed and delivered a week of activity to promote and celebrate social enterprise in Birmingham called City Drive. The campaign was a phenomenal success and continued to develop and grow for many years.

As the campaign grew so did the mission and vision and with the support of WMCA it has become the Social Economy Drive an annual series of events that take place over a week covering the whole West Midlands Combined Authority area.

Aims & Objectives

The SED is part of an overall goal, to grow the West Midlands Social Economy. It is a week of diverse events across region designed to:

Celebrate organisations across the West Midlands tackling social and environmental challenges.
Raise awareness and the profile of these organisations by providing platforms for them to engage with other SE’s, Public Bodies and Corporate Organisations.
It’s an opportunity for everyone in the Social Economy to connect, collaborate, secure investment and thrive.

The Social Economy

The Social Impact Economy is a collective term for all ‘not for personal profit’ organisations that exist to improve disadvantaged communities, support disadvantaged people and address social or environmental issues but do so using a trading (business) model to generate the majority or all the funds they need.

This includes Social Enterprise, Co-operatives, Community owned businesses, Charity trading arms and more.

In the West Midlands, these +11,000 or so organisations that:

Generate £3.5 billion a year for the region’s economy
Employ around 30,000 people
Engage around 70,000 volunteers
Improve the lives of 150,000 people each year.

Growing the Social Impact Economy

Recognising the contribution these organisations make to creating an inclusive economy, the West Midlands Combined Authority set itself the goal of doubling the size of this economic sector within 10 years.

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Sponsors & Partners

Social Economy Drive is a Social Enterprise Initiative, building on 10 successful years of annual events and activities celebrating the power of social enterprise, community businesses and the social economy in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority.