Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT

What Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT does

SECNA is the member-led peak body representing social enterprises across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The organisation functions as an industry association rather than a technology vendor: it advocates to government on policy and procurement settings, delivers a portfolio of member services (networking, peer mentoring, impact-measurement support, a social enterprise directory, a services directory, and editorial content), and runs a high-volume events program that includes an annual flagship Social Enterprise Festival and roughly 122 events per year. A notable 2024 addition is SECNA's role as the local verification partner for the People and Planet First social enterprise certification scheme.

The organisation operates on a grassroots scale, with only 1–10 part-time employees (led by CEO Kylie Flament, appointed November 2022) and no proprietary technology stack; the website runs on Squarespace and membership administration is handled by the JoinIt platform. Revenue is not publicly disclosed but is generated from recurring annual membership fees, event-related income, and philanthropic grants from foundations including Women NSW, City of Sydney, Snow Foundation, English Family Foundation, and Westpac Foundation. The customer base is a long tail of 550+ social enterprise members spanning work-integration, circular-economy, and profit-distributing models, supplemented by key government and corporate stakeholders (notably NSW Government, which adopted 11 of 12 SECNA recommendations in a procurement inquiry, and Westpac via Workwear Group–The Social Outfit procurement).

SECNA's competitive position rests on its regulatory recognition as the regional peak body, an accumulated advocacy track record, and a multi-stakeholder network that connects members to government procurement opportunities and philanthropic capital. Growth signals in 2024 included a roughly 68% year-on-year membership increase, the expansion of programs (Women in Social Enterprise, WISE Hub backbone support), and active participation in the national Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) initiative.

Name

Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT

Legal name

Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT

Website

https://secna.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SECNA is the member-led peak body for social enterprises in NSW and ACT, providing advocacy to government, peer mentoring, events, directories, and People and Planet First verification services to its 550+ member organisations across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Darlinghurst

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SECNA generates revenue through membership fees from social enterprises and entrepreneurs who join to access benefits including advocacy, mentoring, resources, networking events, and visibility through the social enterprise directory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SECNA is a member-led peak body for social enterprises in NSW and ACT, providing advocacy to government, peer mentoring, networking events, an annual Social Enterprise Festival, and a public services directory. The organisation funds these activities through annual membership fees, philanthropic grants, and event sponsorships, and operates a local verification partnership for the People and Planet First certification.

Product overview

SECNA operates as a membership-based peak body offering a unified portfolio of services to support social enterprises in NSW and ACT. The core offerings include membership access to advocacy, peer mentoring, and networking events (including the flagship Social Enterprise Festival), verification and certification support (as a People and Planet First partner), a services directory for discovery, and an editorial stories platform showcasing member impact. Additional programs like the Women in Social Enterprise initiative provide targeted professional development. The organization connects members with government procurement opportunities and provides practical resources and knowledge-sharing to strengthen the social enterprise ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SECNA Membership Annual member-led peak body membership for social enterprises and entrepreneurs in NSW and ACT, providing advocacy representation to government, peer mentoring, networking events, resources, and visibility through the social enterprise directory.
• Social Enterprise Festival Annual flagship festival bringing together 70+ social enterprises and 800+ attendees in Sydney for networking, learning, and celebration of the social enterprise community.
• Mentoring Program Peer mentoring service for social entrepreneurs offering guidance on business development, impact measurement, and sector-specific challenges.
• Social Enterprise Verification Local verification service for the People and Planet First certification, enabling social enterprises in NSW and ACT to obtain recognised credentials for their social enterprise status.
• Services Directory Public online directory that allows users to find and connect with social enterprises across NSW and ACT by industry, location, and impact area.
• Women in Social Enterprise Program Two-year program championing, connecting, and advocating for women in social enterprise, including peer networking, mentorship opportunities, and professional development, funded by a grant partnership with Women NSW.
• Social Enterprise Directory Public member directory allowing discovery of SECNA member social enterprises across NSW and ACT, used by government and corporate procurement teams to find verified social enterprises.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 of 12 SECNA recommendations adopted by NSW Government procurement inquiry committee
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Women NSWcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Grant partnership funding the Women in Social Enterprise program with 190 women involved targeting 500 participants. Program aims to champion, connect and advocate for women in the social enterprise sector.
• People and Planet FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SECNA became a local verification partner for People and Planet First certification, enabling verification of social enterprises in NSW & ACT.
• Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021SECNA participates in SENS alongside other state networks (ASENA), Social Enterprise Australia, Yunus Centre Griffith University, and sector leaders to develop a national strategy for Australian social enterprise.
• WISE HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECNA provides backbone support to the WISE Hub national collaboration working to strengthen work integration social enterprises (WISEs) and secure sustainable government funding for refugee employment programs.
• Social Enterprise AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational body working with federal government on Social Enterprise Development Initiative ($11.6 million) including capability-building grants and online education/mentoring for social enterprises.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS): National peak body for the broader community sector in Australia. Comparable advocacy-to-government model and membership structure, although ACOSS represents a wider scope than SECNA's social-enterprise focus.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused incubators, coworking spaces, and accelerator programs for social entrepreneurs. Comparable target audience and offerings (events, community, capacity-building) to SECNA's festival and mentoring portfolio.
• Centre for Social Impact: Australian research, education, and capability-building organisation for the social-purpose sector. Overlaps with SECNA on resources, impact-measurement tooling, and sector advocacy.

Direct peers

• Social Traders: Australian intermediary that connects businesses and governments with social enterprises for procurement, alongside capability-building programs. Highly comparable mission and overlapping member/supplier base with SECNA.
• Social Enterprise Australia: National peak body for social enterprises in Australia. SECNA operates as the NSW & ACT state-level counterpart within the same sector ecosystem and both participate in the Social Enterprise National Strategy.
• The Difference Incubator (TDi): Australian social enterprise support organisation running accelerators, capability programs, and advocacy. Targets the same NSW & ACT social entrepreneur population with overlapping mentoring and growth services.
• B Lab Australia & New Zealand: Operates the B Corp certification and local verification partner network in Australia/NZ. Comparable verification/certification role and member services overlap with SECNA's People and Planet First verification partnership.

Regional players

• Social Enterprise UK: UK national membership body for social enterprises offering advocacy, certification, and events. Closest international analogue to SECNA's peak-body operating model in a different geography.
• Buy Social Canada: Canadian social enterprise directory and marketplace supporting social procurement. Comparable directory and discovery offering to SECNA's services directory.

Others

• Yunus Centre (Griffith University): Academic and research centre advancing social business, and SENS strategy partner. Provides research, policy input, and ecosystem support that complements SECNA's on-the-ground advocacy and member services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/secouncilnswact
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secouncilnswact
• Facebookfacebook.com/SECouncilNSWACT

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT