Digital transformation is a key lever for growth, structuring, and scaling for social enterprises (SEs) and their support organisations (SESOs). However, their ability to effectively use digital tools varies significantly across Europe: while some organisations are developing advanced strategies around data-driven decision-making or automation, others remain in a state of digital “patchwork”. This reveals an essential truth: digitalisation is not first and foremost about technology, but about skills, culture, resources, and strategy.

This report is part of the European project Digital Scaling for Social Enterprises: Empowering Impact and Innovation, which brings together eight academic and civil society partners. It constitutes one of the central deliverables of Work Package 2 – Skills Mapping & Needs Assessment, alongside four national reports from France, Belgium, Greece, and Sweden. Its goal is to provide a cross-cutting mapping of digital practices, maturity profiles, skills (developed or lacking), and existing or expected training offers, to help SEs in Europe undertake a digital transition that is coherent, frugal, and strategically aligned. This mapping also serves as a foundation for the co-design of future training programs on digitalisation, which will be developed by the consortium in the next phases of the project.

The findings are based on in-depth analysis of over 50 semi-structured interviews with leaders of SEs and SESOs in the four partner countries. These interviews allowed the research team to cross-reference day-to-day operational realities with critical and forward-looking perspectives on digital transformation. They also highlighted the diversity of profiles, tools used, barriers encountered, and needs expressed.

The ambition of this document is not to provide a one-size-fits-all solution, but to identify key trends, tipping points, and concrete recommendations — for field practitioners, support organisations, and public decision-makers alike. It aims to empower ecosystems to choose, learn, test, and build their digital strategies based on their current level of maturity and social purpose.

Methodological note :

The findings presented in this report are based on a qualitative and quantitative study. It includes insights from 50 interviews with social enterprises and support organisations, and 69 responses to an online survey disseminated via the networks of project partners.

While this does not constitute a representative sample of the European social enterprise ecosystem, the data provide a valuable snapshot of current practices, needs and challenges in relation to digitalisation. The organisations consulted were selected through direct outreach and existing networks, which may introduce a certain bias toward more active or connected actors.

As such, the report aims to highlight emerging patterns and contrasting situations, rather than statistically generalisable results.