Seventy third sector organisations in Birmingham have signed a pledge to trade with each other as a way to combat the harsh economic climate.
The Shop for Change campaign was established by the Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs, which provides support and capacity-building activities for the third sector.
The campaign encourages not-for-profit organisations from the Birmingham area to sign a pledge to buy business goods and services from other organisations in the sector.
The pledge is not a legally binding contract, but is described by the campaign as a “public statement of their commitment” to source their suppliers from social enterprises where possible.
A spokeswoman for the ISE said she hoped the campaign would encourage third sector organisations to behave more like private sector companies.
“We don’t want third sector organisations to rely so much on funding but to trade instead,” she said.
She said she hoped the campaign would raise awareness in the not-for-profit sector that goods and services that are available from other social enterprises.
The ISE will be producing a report on the impact of the campaign in March next year.
Source: Third Sector news
