Last week, 250 social enterprise practitioners and thinkers gathered in Halifax for the 4th Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise.  I wanted to share three exciting updates with you*:

Vancity’s Community Capital team formally announced the launch of a new business investment product called the Resilient Capital Program. The unique, high-impact investment program will make up to $15 million available for qualifying social enterprises and has been designed to build resilient communities. The program is made possible by a partnership between Vancity and Vancouver Foundation.  Premier Christy Clark, who announced the program at the B.C. Non-Profit Partnerships Summit says, “The Resilient Capital Program is an excellent example of what can happen when people put their minds into finding solutions to the social and economic challenges in our communities.  This news release from Vancity provides more information.

Nova Scotia support for Social Enterprise announced at Fourth Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise.  Supports outlined in the Premier’s speech included: Improving access to capital for social enterprises; Support for more non-profits to engage in social enterprise; The removal of barriers to social enterprise from provincial legislation and policies. For example, business registration and provincial procurement of goods and services. To read a copy of the speech in its entirety, visit: http://premier.gov.ns.ca/speeches/national-conference-on-social-enterprise

The Social Enterprise Exchange (Scotland): The Social Enterprise Exchange is happening on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow.

* Thanks to Enterprising Non-Profits for highlighting these for us to share.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt as inspired as I did on Thursday, November 17th. On this day, I had the opportunity and privilege to attend the Trico Enterprising Spirit Conference in my role as the Executive Director of a Calgary-based charitable organization – Highbanks Society (www.highbankssociety.ca). This agency has been providing subsidized housing with wrap-around support services to parenting youth since 2003. The Society was formed in 2001, and in the two years leading up to opening its doors, founder Bette Mitchell and her Board of Directors worked as true social entrepreneurs to secure the perfect real estate to realize the vision of housing, employing and educating young mothers in Calgary.

This conference broadened my knowledge of how to effectively grow a strong organization through social enterprise. It exposed me to a network of leaders in the field, with whom I otherwise may not have connected. And, it ignited a desire to learn more so that I may do my part in building a more sustainable organization and healthier community. Tasked to lead Highbanks through its current stage of growth, I feel invigorated to explore the feasibility of many potential innovations which have organically been derived from the needs of parenting youth in our city. I feel encouraged to take some measured risks, by leveraging our Community Assets (www.vancity.com/MyCommunity/Impact/Stories/Community/) and years of operational experience, for a cause much greater than that of a financial bottom-line. Lastly, I feel rather animated (http://socialinnovation.ca/about/theory-of-change) to explore potential partnerships and synergies with others committed to making the world a better place.

I want to take this opportunity to commend Katherine Harmsworth and her team for their hard work in putting the day together! Thank you also to Wayne Chiu and his fellow Board Members of the Trico Charitable Foundation(www.tricofoundation.ca) for their passion and vision. The experience was truly inspirational and I look forward to the next conference!

Cecilia de la Rocha
Executive Director
Highbanks Society

Social enterprise experts and practitioners from across the country gathered in Calgary on November 17th to attend Enterprising Spirit: Creating Value and Social Good. Hosted by the Trico Charitable Foundation, the conference featured a day of interactive workshops and experimental problem solving related to planning, practicing, and fine tuning social enterprise.

The Enterprising Spirit Conference opened with an inspirational keynote address by Tonya Surman, Executive Director of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI). Tonya describes herself as a community animator, which she explained involves creating collisions between people to foster the connections that lead to social innovation. If there was any doubt about Tonya’s assertion that the process of engagement is the point, it was quickly dispelled by the palpable buzz her insights and passion sparked among the conference attendees.

The Enterprising Spirit Conference was divided into a number of workshops that were aimed at providing practical and experiential guidance for aspiring and established social entrepreneurs. The following offers a summary of the breakout sessions:

In The What and Why of Social Entrepreneurship, David LePage (enp) led a hands-on workshop exploring the ways in which non-profit organizations can blend mission and business to achieve their goals. The session was punctuated with examples drawn from David’s 30+ years of experience in the social economy and non-profit sectors. Newbies and experienced practitioners alike gained an in-depth understanding of the what, why, and how of social enterprise.

The True Confessions in Social Entrepreneurship panel included Jane Bisbee (Social Enterprise Fund), Michele Cherot (Greater Trail Community Skills Centre), Linda Huffman (Arts Habitat Association of Edmonton) and Jessie Radies (Live Local). Attendees were exposed to a discussion filled with illustrative examples of what it’s really like in the trenches of social enterprise. While earning revenue is one of the obvious goals of social enterprise, Linda Huffman emphasized that the biggest reward is connecting to the community.

Show Me the Money – Solutions to Challenges of Growing Your Social Enterprise featured some of Canada’s foremost social enterprise experts, namely Derek Gent (Vancity Community Foundation), David LePage (enp), Tonya Surman (Centre for Social Innovation), Bill Young (Social Capital Partners), and Gerrad Oishi (Lodestone Social Ventures). The conversations ranged from navigating legal structures, to mobilizing pools of capital, to the importance of social enterprises finding champions within financial institutions. As Tonya Surman and David LePage explained, money follows good ideas, so it’s crucial to know what social and business objectives your organization is trying to accomplish.

In Profits + Purpose: Demonstrating Value, Jocelyne Daw (JS Daw & Associates), Derek Gent (Vancity Community Foundation), and Stephanie Robertson (SiMPACT Strategy Group) emphasized that demonstrating value is a must for social enterprises. Impact, however, is extremely difficult to determine if you neglect to ask the questions, ‘What do we need to know?’ and ‘What do we want to show?’ The key to maximizing and optimizing a social enterprise’s mission and revenue is to couple storytelling with benchmarks, metrics, and data analysis.

For me, the key takeaway from the Enterprising Spirit Conference was the importance of social enterprises remaining solidly concentrated on the macro-level issue(s) they aim to alleviate. As Tonya Surman argued, social innovation is about addressing root causes, and not just the treatment of symptoms.  Knowing what your social and business goals are is crucial because it ensures the focus of your enterprise is on community impact, rather than on the individual non-profit organization.

At the conclusion of the Enterprising Spirit Conference, an awards reception was hosted by the Trico Charitable Foundation to present the inaugural Social EnterPrize Awards. The goal of the award program is to recognize individuals and organizations who demonstrate excellence and innovation in Canada’s social enterprise sector. Mission Possible and Potluck Cafe and Catering each won an organizational Social EnterPrize, and Caroline Arcand of Groupe Convex was awarded the individual Social EnterPrize. While it can be difficult to conceptualize a social enterprise’s effects, videos featuring the work of the Social EnterPrize winners vividly illustrated the impact of their ventures. Coupled with a thought-provoking keynote address provided by Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, the reception offered an uplifting ending to an already inspirational day.

Visiting a mall in the next few weeks is bound to be a trying experience. If you’re looking to skip the hassle this year and purchase gifts from the comfort of home, you should take at look at The Promise of a Pearl’s online store. There’s sure to be someone on your shopping list who would love to receive a piece from their high quality, affordable jewellery line.

Based in Halifax, The Promise of a Pearl is a social enterprise operated by Autism Nova Scotia. The handmade items they sell are produced by craftspeople on the autism spectrum who are paid per piece for their work.  In addition to earning income and being supported by a job coach, the artisans receive job training and instruction in jewellery making and design. Friends and family are also encouraged to participate in the project by contributing their time to make jewellery sold by the social enterprise. As their website states, “the vision of the Promise of a Pearl is to increase awareness, and to share the inspiring message that the pearl represents the strength, beauty and promise of people with autism.”

To find out more about Promise of a Pearl, check out their website and follow their updates on Twitter via @PromiseofaPearl.

Ps. If you have a favourite Canadian social enterprise to share with us, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

The Enterprising Spirit: Creating Value and Social Good Conference is now sold out!

If you missed registering for the full conference day, but would like to join us in celebrating social entrepreneurship, please register to attend the Social EnterPrize Awards.

The Social EnterPrize Awards Reception will be held on the evening of Thursday, November 17th at the Delta Bow Valley Hotel from 5:30 – 7:30. Winners of the inaugural Social EnterPrize Awards will be announced at the event, and Mayor Nenshi will be providing the Reception Address.

This is no charge for the Awards Reception, but you must register via Eventbrite to attend.  Hurry before that sells out too!

Looking forward to seeing you on November 17, 2011.