A social enterprise is a business that aims to achieve a particular public or community mission (social, environmental, cultural or economic), and reinvests the majority of its profits into achieving that mission. In other words, a social enterprise applies an entrepreneurial approach to addressing social issues and creating positive community change.

Because social enterprises are structured differently from a traditional charity or business, they may obtain funding from grants, investments, or a combination of both. In recent years, a number of new, hybrid options for financing social impact organisations have also been developed, which attend both to profit motivation and to social impact.

An impact-led organisation is one that has ‘identified’ the key areas of their business so that they are delivering maximum impact for each individual that they support. In other words, they have a model that maximises impact for the people they support at scale. The impact of social enterprises can be amplified by being impact led.

Thus, a diverse collection of collaborating impact-led social enterprises is a highly effective way to rapidly transform society. The RegenCAN Co-operatives and the bioregional development co-operatives are impact-led social enterprises that are collaborating for the greater good by maximising their collective impact.