Policies for your social enterprise

As your social enterprise grows, it is important to have the right policies in place so that everyone knows what is expected of them and others, and what to do in certain situations. This creates certainty and consistency, which is important for good governance and to help make sure you are doing the right thing - legally, morally and to create the company culture that you want.

The first policies I generally recommend are:

• Code of Conduct

• Work Health and Safety Policy

• Delegations Policy and Schedule

For small organisations, most other things may be able to be covered in a:

• Employee Handbook, and/or

• Volunteer Handbook

I generally recommend having as few policies as possible, keeping them brief but clear, writing them in plain English so everyone can understand them, and keeping them where everyone in the organisation can find and follow them.

What not to do:

• Create 50 policies at once

• Copy other policies without reading them properly and considering whether they’re appropriate for your organisation

• Having policies that no one reads or follows

• Writing in ‘legalese’ (long sentences with tricky words that are legally sound but hard for people to understand)

• Write them once and never look at them again

Policy templates are available for not-for-profit organisations through the Institute of Community Directors’ Policy Bank.

Members can also reach out to us at SECNA:

• For a copy of SECNA’s policies

• To ask other members for copies of their policies

• For recommendations of people and organisations who can help get the right policies in place for you

Published 19 May 2026