This Sunday, April 22nd is Earth Day. This year Earth Day Canada is encouraging everyone to take up a new habit that is good for the planet and you. Have you decided what your new habit might be? How about supporting an environmental social enterprise or an environmentally conscientious social business?

Green Calgary is a social enterprise that is a wonderful resource; they provide knowledge, workshops, volunteer opportunities and the healthy homes program. The Ecostore operated by Green Calgary is a great place to stock up on earth friendly products and the funds raised are then re-invested in community environmental programs. To find out more on Green Calgary and the Ecostore visit their website at http://www.greencalgary.org/ and follow them on twitter @greencalgary

Another environmental social enterprise located in Cochrane, Alberta is Home Reno Heaven. Home Reno Heaven accepts donations of home renovation products, appliances, tools and landscaping products and resells them to generate revenue for self sustaining affordable housing. If you have been thinking about acquiring new appliances, you can donate the old ones to Home Reno Heaven. They will resell them, use the proceeds to support the Cochrane Society for Housing Options and best of all there is no waste! Make sure you follow the donation guidelines, they only accept donations of products that they can resell. To learn more about Home REno Heaven and their donation program vist their website at http://www.homerenoheaven.com

Join Alex Bruton, President of The Innographer and Professor of Innovation at Mount Royal University as he facilitates us through an ideas generation workshop.

This experiential workshop helps you design really big value ideas – the kind that can’t help but make significant change in the world around us because they’re highly impactful, highly feasible, and highly passion-nourishing. In a safe, supportive and practical learning environment, you’ll experience coming up with an idea and designing a simple enterprise model that aims to build genuine wealth in society. And you’ll take away the DIY tools for doing it again, either on your own  whiteboards or on the back of the next napkin you run into.

 The Trico Charitable Foundation and Enterprising Non Profits-Alberta (enp-ab) recently celebrated our one year anniversary. During the last year we granted $92, 500 in funding to ten non-profit organizations in Alberta. To raise awareness of these organizations and their social enterprise endeavors we will be featuring them on our blog.

 Our first feature grantee is the Association for the Alberta Network of Immigrant Women (ANIW). This organization was founded in 1986 and recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary. ANIW focuses on researching issues that impact the settlement of immigrant women in Alberta. This research is used to develop programs that support and empower these women.  

 ANIW like many not for profit organizations is considering pursuing a social enterprise. They understand and appreciate the value of diversifying their revenue sources to ensure the continuity of their programs. The Executive Director, Kamal Seghal, is familiar with social enterprise and has thought about it as a possible opportunity for ANIW. She has seen examples of social enterprise working in Calgary but was unsure of how to start developing a plan for her organization.

  In 2011, a representative from ANIW attended the Trico Charitable Foundation and enp-ab’s Building Your Social Enterprise Workshop. ANIW realized that many of the social enterprise endeavors they had been contemplating for their organization were possible and that there was support for organizations pursuing social enterprise. Kamal Seghal said that “The stimulus for us to move forward was the support”.

(This Photograph features ANIW‘s staff, from left to right: Nizar Allidina, Chido Samantha Mbavarira,  Rooh Khan, Rosa Martinez-Suarez).

Are you a non-profit or charitable organization interested in learning more about social enterprise? Join us in Edmonton on April 30th, for our last spring 2012 enp-ab Building your Social Enterprise workshop.

Enterprising Non-Profits Alberta (enp-ab) provides workshops, technical assistance and grants to non-profit organizations supporting the development or growth of their social enterprises. The workshop is for all organizations, regardless of cause, to learn more about social enterprise or to refresh their knowledge. The workshop content covers the foundational elements and development path of social enterprise. Attendance at the workshop ensures that staff and board members have a thorough understanding of the issues involved in enterprise development and is a pre-requisite of prospective grant applicants.

The workshop runs from 9:00am until approximately 3:30pm, including lunch and coffee breaks. Lunch will be provided, as will a copy of the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide.

When I joined the Trico Charitable Foundation three weeks ago, I thought that I had limited knowledge of social enterprise. However, today I am realizing that working for a non-profit organization really is a hands on experience in social enterprise.

Previous to my position with the Trico Foundation, I had worked at a non-profit art gallery and museum. This non-profit organization sold artwork on behalf of artists, while retaining a commission to be re-invested in the organization. The art gallery and museum has a small gift shop that features Alberta artists and artisans, retailing fine craft, local authors and art. The museum offers historic tours by donation, while the gallery holds regular workshops for artists and art enthusiasts. The organization also has a popular elementary school art education program and successful summer camp.

After attending the Enterprising Non- Profits (enp-ab) workshop “Building Your Social Enterprise”, I realized that I had been working in a budding social enterprise. The organization I had worked for provided multiple opportunities for Alberta artists and craftspeople to retail their artwork, while preserving and promoting the history of the founders, the organization and the community. As well as providing arts education to artists, the public and children. Most importantly, their numerous programs furthered their mission and vision by making arts and culture more accessible to Alberta’s public.

Since starting at the Trico Charitable Foundation, I have realized that social enterprises help to create healthy communities. They do this while obtaining a blended return on their investment, meaning a combination of social and financial returns. The Business Model and Non-Profit Continuum diagrams helped me to better understand the premise behind social enterprise and visualize where my previous organization would sit on the spectrum. I think that it is interesting to note that this organization did not just fit into one of the categories but rather, was a blend of two or three.