Benefits of Social Enterprises

There are several benefits associated with the growth and development of social enterprises. Besides the generation of revenue for sustainability, these enterprises also serve social and environmental objectives. Even though there are difficulties in achieving the triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial aims, the ability to bring positive changes in the society can be very rewarding.

One of the most important benefits of running a social enterprise is to offer employment to local people. There are many people who find it difficult to get a job in the market. This is the point when social enterprises play a very important role in offering employment. Local people who have remained unemployed for a long time, belong to a minority group or are disabled can easily find a good job in such enterprises. Not only unemployed but employed people who don’t want to be a part of the traditional work environment can also join a social enterprise and make a difference to the society and environment. It offers a platform where an individual can make a difference within a flexible work environment and even encourage people to do the same. Since these organizations work on the concept of combining commercial practices with social values and goals, anyone looking for making a difference to society can achieve success.

It is important for social enterprises to be competitive, no matter which environment they operate in. Only by offering products and services of high quality in an innovative manner, such enterprises can attract more customers. Apart from focusing on environmental and social aims, social enterprises are also involved in revenue for sustainability practices. But the big question is – does every company that follows socially responsible practices can be considered a social enterprise? The answer is no. There are several companies that have integrated the concept of corporate social responsibility in their business operations but it doesn’t mean they are meeting social and environmental concerns more than profit making. There are several non-profit traditional investment firms that don’t prefer to invest money for the growth of social enterprises, but this certainly doesn’t mean that these enterprises don’t have long term benefits.