The Hague, 1 December – EN is excited to announce the official launch of the Call for Nominations for the third edition of the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise Initiative. Join us in celebrating achievements of women leaders by nominating someone who inspires you. The selected candidates will be featured on the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise list, on ENs website and during a dedicated event.
For 15 years, Euclid Network (EN) fosters social entrepreneurship and social innovation in Europe through knowledge exchange, capacity building, networking and international advocacy. EN combines the expertise from 26 European countries to empower social enterprises in achieving positive change.
In the spirit of empowering women leaders in Europe, EN launched the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise Initiative in 2020. Through this initiative EN celebrates women in the social enterprise sector, spotlighting their impact journey and achievements, connecting them to learn from and inspire each other. By celebrating the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise every year, EN also aims to showcase the barriers women in social enterprise are still encountering i.a. regarding access to finance and investment, by sharing their stories and experiences with the wider social enterprise community.
With this initiative, EN wants to spotlight women as role models in the social enterprise sector in all their diversity. We therefore welcome nominations and self-nominations from women of all backgrounds, lived-experiences and corners of Europe. For this reason, we have made our nomination form more accessible and have set-up a help desk for people who need support in completing the nomination form.
You can learn more about the initiative and Top 100 Women List of the previous years HERE.
This year’s selected candidates will be featured in the Euclid Network Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2023 list, which will be released on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2023. Candidates will also be featured in Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2023, highlighting their achievements and will be celebrated with a public event taking place online. These are just some of the multiple ways in which the selected Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise 2023 will benefit from media exposure and gain access to EN’s vast network of impact practitioners in Europe and beyond.
Nomination Criteria
This initiative will celebrate women leaders in two categories:
- Social Entrepreneur
- Social Innovator
All candidates must meet (some of) the following criteria:
- A woman holding a leadership position (CEO, manager, director, founder etc.)
- Must work in the social enterprise* ecosystem in the European continent
- Shows personal commitment, engagement and is impact-oriented.
The following criteria are specific to each category:
- Social Entrepreneur
For women founders or managers of a social enterprise. Their work has demonstrated significant social and/or environmental impact in the past year, preferably addressing one or more United Nations Development Goals (UN SDGs). They have achieved remarkable results and impact in the social enterprise ecosystem and are driven by innovation and positive change. - Social Innovator
For public and private social entrepreneurs, leaders of intermediaries such as social incubators and national networks of social enterprise and academics. Public social entrepreneurs may work at regional, national, supranational, or international level. Social innovators have demonstrated significant impact in the past year, with an explicit mission to solve a social and/or environmental challenge in line with the UN SDGs. The business model of their organisation is accordingly resilient, realistic and impact-oriented.
*We understand social enterprises as enterprises with the following characteristics:
- The enterprise has a clear social or environmental mission that is set out in its governing documents.
- The enterprise is independent and generates revenue through trading activities.
- The enterprise sees profit as a means, not an end goal.
- The enterprise is governed and owned in the interest of the social or environmental mission.
- The enterprise is transparent about how it operates and the impact it makes.
Get involved
If would like to know more about Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise, become a partner of the initiative or need any support completing the nomination form, do hesitate to reach out!
