We've built the Deloitte Social Innovation Pioneers programme around showcasing social businesses and social innovations that demonstrate real potential for growth. We are then taking them on, as clients, to provide support and guidance to help them achieve scale and mainstream their businesses.

We wanted to create an approach that utilised our expertise and capabilities to really make a difference to small and medium sized businesses, "the engine room of the UK economy," that are also tackling fundamental social and environmental issues; such as supporting offenders and the disabled back into work, helping the most disadvantaged members of society access social finance, or raising the hopes and aspirations of our young people, to name but a few. So far over 200 people from across Deloitte have been involved in selecting the Pioneers. Going forward, 90 of our most talented individuals will be responsible for managing the Pioneer relationships.

But why work with social businesses in this way?

It is becoming increasingly important for the UK business community to recognise the impact that social enterprises can have and embrace them as part of the business community. There are many benefits to be gained – we've seen the innovation generated from social enterprises, their positive contribution in the supply chain and in service delivery, and they are demonstrable evidence that business is and continues to be a force for good. Working with social enterprises can form a valuable part of the commitment of the next generation of leaders.

Through the Pioneers programme, we have selected thirty social enterprises from the industries that we work in – financial services, healthcare and telecommunications among others, to partner with social innovation in these sectors. According to research carried out last year for Social Enterprise UK (one of our programme partners), social enterprises outstrip other SMEs for growth; 58 per cent of social enterprises grew last year compared with 28 per cent of SMEs. This was reflected in the demographics of the 330 organisations that applied: 78% of trading organisations that applied grew last year and the total revenue of organisations grew by 30%.

These are impressive statistics, and we want to be a continued part of helping the growth and influence of the sector. Through our package of support, including a Deloitte Support Team, pro-bono projects, skills master-classes, mentoring and promotion, we are aiming to significantly increase the social impact of the organisations that we work with. We believe it will be a fascinating journey for both the Pioneers and for us.

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