Social Enterprise Advisory Panel Reports
The Social Enterprise Advisory Panel (SEAP) is our initiative to regularly collect data and insights from social enterprises – helping to grow understanding of the key issues facing the social enterprise community.
The SEAP involves a short regular survey of social enterprises (and support organisations) providing information about their needs, issues and positive impacts.
This data is used to influence policymakers, inform useful product and service delivery, promote social enterprise and drive more relevant investment and funding.
Findings are published quarterly in our SEAP Barometer report.
Social Enterprise Barometer – Summer 2022
Social enterprise performance in July 2022 looked relatively positive, having recovered from a dip in January and in spite of challenges of creeping operating cost increases and supply chain constraints. However, the anticipated hike in energy costs and the likelihood of recession put this progress in jeopardy.
Whereas other businesses might increase prices or cut staff to offset rising prices, we are seeing, as we did during COVID, that social enterprises are picking up the slack in ways which remain commercially viable, at least in the short term. Yet there are clear signs of strain – financially, but also in terms of leadership and staff capacity and wellbeing.
Social Enterprise Barometer – Winter 2021/2022
The Winter 2021/2022 SEAP Barometer focused on the fallout from the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the easing of COVID restrictions. 55% of social enterprises told us that COVID-related uncertainty was one of their biggest worries for the first half of 2022.
Concerns were not just about restrictions, but also staffing (including ill health), demand, and general inability to plan and to secure income. The research also found that social enterprises were less likely to be making a loss than other businesses and that cashflow positions had remained steady.
Social Enterprise Barometer – Autumn 2021
The Autumn 2021 Barometer showed that the majority of social enterprise (61%) made a profit or broke even in the last quarter. Staff numbers increased slightly or significantly for 36% of social enterprises in the previous quarter.
The vast majority of social enterprises (73%) expected staff numbers and turnover to stay the same or grow over the following three to six months.