The resources in this section will help you to decide whether social enterprise is right for you and identify the most appropriate legal structure for your organisation.
- Are you a social enterprise? – Decision Tree
- Legal structures for Social Enterprise
- Duties of Company Director & Secretary
- Governance and Organisational Structures for social enterprises
- New Company Checklist
Decision Tree
This route map helps you to identify whether you meet the key characteristics of social enterprise; that you trade, have a clear social purpose, are owned by identifiable stakeholders and that you reinvest profits to further your social purpose.
Thinking of Social Enterprise – Decision Tree
Set up a Social Enterprise
This guide from Business Link outlines alternative legal forms for setting up a social enterprise.
You should note that it’s the business activities and what it does with its profits that determines whether it is a social enterprise, rather than its specific legal structure. However, it is worth considering the options carefully to ensure the chosen structure is the most suitable in terms of ownership, management style and image.
New Company Checklist
We’ve written this checklist to remind you of some of the key tasks you need to do to make sure that you are fulfilling your requirements to Companies House and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and a few pointers of where you can go for further information and support.
Duties of Company Director & Secretary
This Information Sheet relates to community enterprises that have been
registered as a company, usually “not for profit” or “not for private profit” and Limited by Guarantee. Company law sets out a range of duties and responsibilities that must be carried out by the directors of the company.
Duties of Company Director and Secretary
Governance and Organisational Structures
This publication produced by Governance Hub and Co-operatives UK guides you through the different legal forms, organisation types and their characteristics.
Governance and Organisational Structures
