
Our activities and impact
What started out as an annual event has grown into an organisation that provides a range of activities serving not only social enterprises but also policymakers, corporates, academics and more.
The SEWF Impact Model
Social enterprise is part of a global response to a broken economic system that is increasing inequality and causing a climate emergency. SEWF’s goal is to strengthen the global social enterprise movement to accelerate our transition to a new economy. We do this using a three-pronged approach to increase our impact, reach and authority.

Influence
Championing the potential of social enterprise to bring about inclusive and sustainable economic development.
- Working with policymakers to develop and introduce policies and initiatives.
- Engaging more corporate partners to develop social enterprise supply chains.
- Working with social enterprise agencies and governments to develop social enterprise ecosystems.
Connectivity
Strengthening the social enterprise movement by providing opportunities for global community building and networking.
- Delivering SEWF events and supporting partner events.
- Developing partnerships with social economy agencies.
Capacity & Capability
Building a bank of accessible social enterprise resources and working in partnership to increase capacity within the sector.
- SEWF Resource Library and video archive.
- Improving social enterprise education and research.
- Developing partnerships with capacity-building agencies.
Our activities
Events
Events remain the backbone of the work we do at SEWF. Having proven that a digital event model can work, we have expanded our event offering to provide even more opportunities for networking, idea sharing, inspiration and learning throughout the year. We are now exploring hybrid options to make our events more accessible to all online and in-person.
Policy
Effective government policy has the greatest potential to grow the social enterprise movement and help transition the world to a global impact economy. SEWF is involved in a number of activities designed to support the development of effective social enterprise policy and strategy.
Resources
A large part of how we support social enterprises and policymakers is through our extensive bank of resources. These include our global mapping project, video archive, database of strategies (country, state, provincial and municipal) and research. These are available to access free of charge.
Social Enterprise Verification
SEWF Verification was designed in consultation with partners around the world. It recognises existing regional and national social enterprise verification systems, builds on existing knowledge and expertise and provides accessible, affordable and culturally responsive social enterprise verification in places where such options do not exist. The service aims to support the growth of the global social enterprise ecosystem and expand market access for all social enterprises globally.
Get involved
Whatever your involvement or interest in social enterprise, find out more about how you can get involved with our mission to champion the social enterprise sector and accelerate the creation of a global impact economy.
Get involved