FAQs

Who are Pollinators Inc?

We are a growing community of social entrepreneurs. We are creative, welcoming, honest and connected. We are passionate about innovation, learning, sustainability and generative communities.

Am I a social Entrepreneur?
A social entrepreneur is someone who works in an entrepreneurial manner, for social good. Social entrepreneurs may work in ethical businesses, governmental or public bodies, NGOs or the voluntary and community sector. They are people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change their community and the world for the better. Sound like you?

What are the benefits of membership?

  1. Meet new friends: meet new people with similar ideas and aspirations, and skills and experience. You’d may be surprised at how many of people you don’t know but want to, in Geraldton.
  2. Get smarter: access to newsletters, events, training and workshops will add to your skills, creativity, knowledge and effectiveness as a citizen and entrepreneur.
  3. Collaborate: access to tools and events that enable members to support each other and their projects. You’ll also be able to connect with new statewide, national and international networks.
  4. Find fresh opportunities: through our collective networks and experience we can share information about the latest training, funding, support, tools and opportunities.
  5. Practical support: access to experts, coaches, peer support and workspace. Pollinators is THE network for all you need to go from idea to impact, and to enjoy the journey along the way.

What does it cost?

Pollinators Inc membership is currently free. As our services develop, including development of CityHive, members will be able to choose membership options priced to reflect the additional value offered.

What Has Pollinators Done Already

Pollinators Inc has enabled the following projects to already happen, and we’re just getting started:

  • CityHive – a new coworking, innovation and collaboration space in the CBD (coming soon)
  • PickupPal – join more than 50 people in our ridesharing community
  • Wholefoods Co-op – members enjoy organic and wholefoods at half the cost of retail
  • Bike Hubbub – dozens of people have benefitted from free bike repair workshops

Who’s behind this?

We have a board that have been developing Pollinators since December 2010. Our experience and interests include design, research, health, investment, policy, community development and sustainability.

How can I find out more?

  • Call 0466694702 to speak to the Executive Officer, Andrew Outhwaite
  • Join Us

What is your legal structure?

It is an non-profit distributing organisation – a hybrid between a business and a non-profit to create a ‘social business’ that is ‘more than profit’. There are already many organisations in Geraldton with this same legal structure, though different aims. Legally, we are an Incorporated Association, registered for GST, and Income Tax Exempt. We do not yet have Deductible Gift Recipient Status.

As stated in the Rules of Association, the Aim is growing social innovation and social entrepreneurship as means to create healthy, resilient communities and solve social and ecological challenges.

The objectives are to

  1. Raise public and institutional awareness of social business, social entrepreneurship and social innovation.
  2. Provide practical support, training, financial investment and other resources to pilot projects and start-up organisations that demonstrate social innovation.
  3. Research, document and share case studies, tools, knowledge and resources in service of the Aim.
  4. Provide the means and opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, supporters, professionals and customers to meet, learn together and collaborate in service of the Aim.
  5. Partner with other individuals and organisations with similar aims and objectives.

This all sounds quite bold, but why is it different?

Pollinators is based on some fundamental assumptions that are different to the mainstream thinking in business, or charity sectors.

Some of Pollinators assumptions are:

  • A creative, beautiful city and culture already here (we don’t have to wait for the future).
  • The future WE want needs to be created by US, and we CAN create it ourselves – we have everything we need.
  • Organisations that are small, local, open, connected and ‘social’ are the most important organisations in our region (and will be even more so in the future).
  • If you are doing social good, but not financially sustainable, that’s probably not going to last. If you are making money, but degrading the social and ecological systems that support your money-making, that’s probably not going to last. If you are contributing positively to social, cultural, ecological development, and financially independent and sustainable, that’s GREAT, and is sure to last!

The ideas and language are not entirely new though, and many of our current organisations already do ‘social innovation’ and we already have ‘social entrepreneurs’. It’s just we haven’t paid as much attention to them as they deserved, perhaps we have been distracted by the ‘mining boom’ or perhaps we just never (until now) appreciated how many amazing people and organisations there are working for social good.

What’s an example of this social innovation and social entrepreneurship you are talking about?

Globally and across Australia, there are many examples of organisations that are what’s called ‘social businesses’. That is, they make a profit from trading, but that money goes back into the social cause. Their earning capacity helps them stay independent and on-mission instead of chasing grants and hand-outs all the time:

There are whole networks of social entrepreneurs and innovators, like:

Locally, there are also some great social entrepreneurs and social innovators. Some are businesses, some are charities, and some are in-between, but all are seeking to change the dynamic

…if you have more suggestions, just send them through as we are continuously adding links and doing case studies on local organisations.

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