At Social Traders, we bring our members around 150 events and learning opportunities each year. From maximising your membership to social enterprise showcases, social procurement masterclasses, and our prestigious awards- there’s something for everyone.

This year, we've partnered with more organisations than ever before, expanding our offerings to support and connect our vibrant community.

We’ve hosted a wide array of programs, including:

• Sefa’s debt demystification session: Helping social enterprises achieve their financial goals.
• Communiteer’s platform showcase: Demonstrating how their platform connects social enterprises with volunteers.
• Taylor & Grace’s purpose-driven storytelling: Mastering storytelling to create impactful narratives that drive profit and purpose.

We held social procurement masterclasses in Brisbane and Melbourne, and showcases in Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. And the year is far from over—there’s still so much more to come!

A word from Selina Arnall, Events Manager, Social Traders

“Seeing our events calendar grow year on year, and the number of attendees rising, gives me the biggest level of satisfaction in my Event Manager role at Social Traders. This means we’re providing more opportunities for sector development and growth, and more opportunities for connections to come to life. It’s a pretty big deal, one of my favourite sessions this year was courageous communication – how you can be pitch perfect. There really was something for everyone in this session."

Selina chatted with Leanne Butterworth, from certified social enterprise Empathy First, and Nicola Shaw, Senior Social Procurement Advisor on the importance of attending and pitching at a social enterprise showcase

Courageous communication - How can you be pitch perfect?

Leanne Butterworth from Empathy First recently helped Social Traders certified social enterprises find their most authentic voice, how to communicate their social story in one-minute or less, and how to tell it with empathy.

Organisations across Australia are exploring innovative new approaches to achieving social objectives through social procurement, social enterprises knowing how to communicate their impact and outcome is a game changer when building connections to further scale their impact.

Social Traders regularly hosts online, and in-person social enterprise showcase and networking events for our members, bringing together certified social enterprises with business and governments members seeking to increase their impact spend.

(Selina) Why are the social enterprise showcases so important?

Nicola: One of the most effective ways for certified social enterprises to meet business and government members is at our Social Traders showcase and networking events. These events connect social enterprise with business and government members who are actively seeking social enterprise procurement opportunities.

(Selina) How can attending a pitch session help certified social enterprises to build connections and network with members wanting to create meaningful impact?

Nicola: Our pitch sessions help social enterprises sell their vision, mission and value. We know what our business and government members want to hear for connections to be made. These small group workshops help social enterprises to present their impact and story, giving them the best chance at success. This workshop will get you ‘pitch ready’ for any occasion!

(Selina) Why is a succinct pitch important?

Leanne: Crafting a succinct pitch allows us to concentrate on presenting the most clear, concise, and compelling information that resonates with each unique audience. Short pitches force us to stay on message and acknowledge the value of our audience's time and attention. Well-crafted, concise pitches are captivating and memorable as they demonstrate empathy and respect for both potential clients and our fellow presenters.

(Selina) What makes a good pitch in five words?

Leanne: Clear, Concise, Captivating, Compelling and Confident.

(Selina) Why is empathy so important when pitching?

Leanne: Empathy in pitching lets us authentically and respectfully share the stories of our beneficiaries, demonstrating our commitment to social or environmental causes and capturing the audience's hearts and minds. Understanding our audience, including their motivations, needs and knowledge, helps engage new customers and supporters for our social enterprise. On a personal note, recognising our personal connection to our work enhances our credibility and passion, making us more confident presenters.

(Selina) Why should certified social enterprises attend a pitch session?

Nicola: This is a hands-on and interactive, practical workshop – listen, learn and practice with the Social Traders team so you can instantly apply learnings.