Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Reflections of an IRP Jury Member

Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Reflections of an IRP Jury Member

Funded by the Government of Canada, the Investment Readiness Program (IRP) supports social purpose organizations as they contribute to solving pressing social, cultural and environmental challenges across Canada.

Its goal is to help social purpose organizations prepare them to be ready for investments and participate in Canada’s growing social finance market.

The latest IRP round was overseen in Alberta by the Banff Canmore Community Foundation (BCCF) in partnership with Red Deer Community Foundation (RDCF). BCCF and RDCF utilized a jury of 14 community members to deliberate on the applications and Dan Overall, Executive Director of the Trico Foundation, was honoured to be part of that jury.

Recently, BCCF sent Dan five questions about IRP. Some of his answers formed the basis of a BCCF blog that is available here. You can see the entirety of the questions and answers below.

The 6 Key Mindsets of Social Entrepreneurship (& Entrepreneurship & Changemaking)

The 6 Key Mindsets of Social Entrepreneurship (& Entrepreneurship & Changemaking)

Effective learning is shrinking your feedback loops as much as possible: Everything you do that really matters should either confirm your thinking or teach you something new, and it should do so as cheaply, efficiently and quickly as possible. Effective learning is knowing what to test, how to test, and how to learn from the results of that test in a way that you use to improve your efforts and impact.

A Renaissance in Social Problem Solving: The Introspection and Inspiration of Al Etmanski

A Renaissance in Social Problem Solving: The Introspection and Inspiration of Al Etmanski

The social entrepreneur/changemaker sums up his journey as “fumbling towards ecstasy”. He thinks collectively we could be on the cusp of a renaissance in social problem solving, but the 1st step is how we each work on ourselves. With the benefit of his inspiration & insights, we should see less fumbling & more ecstasy.

The Secret Sauce of Success: Do You Answer Questions Like an Expert or a Changemaker?

The Secret Sauce of Success: Do You Answer Questions Like an Expert or a Changemaker?

“The Story of Louis Pasteur” and “Einstein & Eddington” offer powerful insights into the importance of learning. At the heart of learning, is how we respond to questions & frustrations. Never forget; every frustration or disappointment you encounter is a really a ‘golden-opportunity question’ hidden under bad branding.