A recent (2007) baseline survey of social enterprise in the Birmingham and Solihull area reveals that:

• There are about 320 social enterprises trading in sub-region
• They employ almost 12,500 staff
• About 60% of staff are employed by larger social enterprises (over 100 staff)
• About one-third are branches or arms of larger organisations
• Just over half have turnovers of between £100k and £1m per year
• The largest have turnovers of around £5m a year
• Almost half earn 50% or more of income from public and private sector contracts
• Grants and donations remain a significant part of income for just over one-quarter of these enterprises

A growth sector

Social enterprise in Birmingham and Solihull is a growth sector:

• Staff numbers have increased in the past year amongst 11% of enterprises
• Over one-third anticipate employing additional staff in the coming year
• Turnover in the past year has increased in 17% of enterprises

Sector breakdown

The trade or service sectors most heavily populated by social enterprises are:

• Training 55%
• Counselling/advice services 51%
• Education & research 43%
• Services for people with disabilities 41%
• Health and social care 37%
• Youth services 37%

Management & performance

There is a strong commitment to improving performance and good management in the social enterprise sector. For example:

• 91% of enterprises have a written business plan
• 68% have a training plan
• 79% have a training or staff development budget
• Over 60% have achieved some form of sector or industry quality standard

Notes: The survey was funded by Birmingham Strategic Partnership with support from the Learning & Skills Council, b:cen, Localise West Midlands, BSSEC and Advantage West Midlands. It focused on identifying organisations that: are engaged in economic or trading activities; that do this on a ‘not-for-personal-profit’ basis (i.e. they are ‘non-profit distributing); and earn 25% or more of their income from these activities.

Click here for The Social Enterprise Sector in Birmingham & Solihull:
Key Facts & Figures

Click here for The Social Enterprise Sector in Birmingham & Solihull:
Full Baseline Survey

Click here for The Social Enterprise Sector in Birmingham & Solihull: Literature Review

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