Standing strong together for better newcomer policies - tailored lobbying process for social entrepreneurs

Social enterprises want to solve a societal problem. In many cases, they encounter obstacles; laws that backfire, administrative rules that create unnecessary complexity, large established parties that are primarily concerned with their own interests, and governments that seemingly do not put their social responsibility first. The system gets in the way. 

This requires changes in laws and regulations, policies and/or the behavior of governments. Lobbying, in other words. But influencing policy and decision-making is not always easy, especially when you have little time and capacity as an entrepreneur. That is why Social Enterprise NL, with the support of the Oranje Fonds, developed a customized lobbying process with and for social enterprises that are jointly committed to better newcomer policy.

How did the lobbying process come about?
The trajectory is a result of an organic and demand-driven approach to increasing the lobbying capacity of social entrepreneurs. It grew out of the deepening program The Lobby. The process arose from the desire of an entrepreneur to speak out more strongly in the political debate surrounding newcomers. With her initiative, a coalition of five social enterprises was formed, which jointly carry out lobbying activities and feel connected by a shared mission.

The phases of the process
The process consisted of five phases. Phase 1 was about bringing together social entrepreneurs who come together on a common social issue. Phase 2 was about forming the coalition and setting common goals. During phases 3 and 4, efforts were made to implement the coalition and arrive at a shared narrative, to which a concrete action was attached in phase 5: sending out a letter for the 2026 municipal elections. The visualizations below provide a more comprehensive look into this process.

What does it provide?

• A sustainable coalition of social enterprises that together stand up for an important social issue. Participants continue to encourage and support each other to continue active lobbying even after the process is over.
• A concrete and tangible lobbying result (sending letters to program committees in various Dutch municipalities). The coalition drafted three different letters to three different political movements.  Read the letter for social-progressive groups here (dutch only).
• Strengthening the voice and influence of social entrepreneurs in policy around newcomers.

We see that it is often challenging for social entrepreneurs to engage heavily in lobbying activities. Lobbying simply takes a lot of time, and that time is scarce. This trajectory shows that when you bring entrepreneurs together around an impact area and design the trajectory to be flexible and demand-driven, they are able to make their voices heard and actually influence policy. This is an important example of how coalition building and targeted support can make a difference in empowering social entrepreneurs at the decision table. We zijn blij met de steun van het Oranje Fonds, die deze begeleiding mogelijk maakte.

Jorien van Lookeren Campange – Public Affairs at Social Enterprise NL

Interested in a customized program?
Do you want to increase your influence as a social entrepreneur together with others? We encourage this and would like to think with you about how we can be supportive in this. We have a master class but can also explore similar guidance. You can contact jorien@social-enterprise.nl