MaRS

Thanks to everyone who attended my session last Wednesday. I tried to provide practical advice for entrepreneurs launching or participating in social enterprises. I talked about the space and my top 10 lessons learned. If you haven’t seen the lecture you can view it here.

I believe we had around 70 people in attendance – which speaks to the momentum building in the social enterprise sector. And it seemed like my messages resonated – the number of questions after the presentation and offers of people volunteering (for Better The World) were overwhelming.

I would like to comment on a few questions that were brought up repeatedly.

Pitching for a cause

You’ve got a business. It pursues social and community goals. The environment. Arts. Culture. Maybe you’re generating some money to support a parent organization whose goals are similarly benevolent. And you’re a Canadian non-profit, charity or non-share cooperative. And – gasp! – you need some funds?

Come chase some cash and get some media attention for your Canadian social enterprise at the Third Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise in Toronto. As part of this conference, (November 18-20, 2009, hosted by SECC – Social Enterprise Council of Canada) Toronto’s Social Venture Partners are hosting Social Enterprise Angels: Social Investing in Action.

Inspired by the CBC series The Dragon’s Den, social entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas to a panel of investors in hopes of securing funding.

Three pillars of social enterprise

Investors, social entrepreneurs and policy makers along with advocates of the social enterprise movement are busy moving Canada towards a new marketplace for blended value enterprises (BVE). Such enterprises have a social and/or environmental objective in combination with a financial return as an integral part of their business mission.

For a Canadian landscape to grow, we need three essential pillars to support the success of social enterprise.  One of them — policy — is a hot topic being discussed at the upcoming Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise.

Navigating Canada's non-profit maze

How is the third sector doing in the recession? After a 2007 study on the administrative and financial burdens it faces, a May 2009 report by the Wellesley Institute revisited its informants to see how conditions have changed. Entitled Canada’s non-profit maze, it surveyed 32 non-profits, charities and voluntary organizations. The findings are grim, but not for the reasons you might expect.