Though his words are few, the message is clear. When asked what energizes him most about his work at a Calgary social enterprise, the Vecova Bottle Depot, Shawn Sproule says it’s the people that he works with.
For the first time in his working life, Caleb Bethune doesn’t dread waking up to another day of work, not since he began his career as a software tester with the Calgary-based social enterprise Meticulon. Meaghan Thompson, a fellow employee, shares a similar story of being inspired and energized by her work with Meticulon.
One of the challenges of working in the dynamic social entrepreneur culture is that of staying mission-centred. Twenty-three-year-old social entrepreneur Eden Full is all too aware of this.
Founded in 2001, JUMP Math is becoming a larger organization that can do more things, and do them better than ever before in the history of the organization. But that doesn’t mean it’s resting on its laurels.
Social enterprises play a number of important roles in communities across Alberta. This is one of the key findings of the just-released Alberta Social Enterprise Sector Survey Report 2014, which offers a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data.
Alberta’s growing cities, rural communities share a common bond: an entrepreneurial mindset for social good
[Calgary, Canada] – Research released today by Mount Royal University, Simon Fraser University and Trico Charitable Foundation shows that communities across the province, in urban and rural environments, are active in and benefit from social enterprise. The Alberta-wide research marks the third installment of a survey seeking to better understand the profile and activities of social enterprises in Alberta. The timing of the research is complemented by the recent Alberta Speech from the Throne which articulates a need for both urban and rural community issues to be at the forefront of a new government mandate. The survey research shows a strong role for social enterprise across the province by enabling employment, generating volunteerism, and creating social capital for the development of healthy, resilient communities.
Social enterprises are business ventures owned or operated by a non-profit organization selling goods or providing services into the market for the purpose of creating a blended return on investment, both financial and social/environmental/cultural. The survey, based on over one hundred social enterprises across the province, examines how social enterprises in Alberta engage in their communities. In addition to the survey responses, Trico Foundation has helped advance the 2014 Alberta Social Enterprise Survey through the inclusion of interviews with key intermediaries around the province and questions to advance the field. The results uncover that many social enterprises are community-based, community-driven, and have strong social and cultural missions.
After more than 10 years of existing to employ at-risk youth as bicycle couriers, TurnAround Couriers in Toronto is venturing down a new path this week. It’s adding same-day restaurant delivery services to its current package delivery services.
Michele, you should go into business. Dad, I don’t want to make widgets. Sell widgets. Or improve widgets. – Adamant 20-somthing Michele Belief. The theme
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM (MDT)
$15.00; first 100 attendees receive a copy of A to Z
Bow Valley College – Chiu School of Business
North Campus – Room N124 (Theatre)
Join us for a searingly honest conversation with corporate leader and social business guru Liam Black as he presents his new book, The Social Entrepreneur’s A to Z.
Full of great advice based on his own triumphs and failures, Liam brings his advice to young social entrepreneurs who he engages with around the world.
This event is for students hoping to bring social purpose into their careers, for social entrepreneurs looking for a refreshing dose of honesty, for supporters who want to know how to provide better supports, for naysayers who would enjoy some humor, and for anyone who wants to learn more about what it means to use markets to solve social problems.
We’re often asked for our definition of social entrepreneurship.
In the past three years, our answers have morphed. We started purely on the non-profit side, but encountered problems whereby “everyone” was becoming a social entrepreneur. As we shifted toward the for-profit side, we started to rub up against CSR and social-washing concerns. Instead of broadening our ability to discuss the possibility of social entrepreneurship, we found ourselves increasingly walled within incorporation definitions.
A long time ago, I argued for our ability to hold the broadest definition of social entrepreneurship that we possibly could – so that we might experience and learn from the models holding the greatest yields. And yet, over time, I have found myself sniffing for flaws in business model construction.
“Is that really social impact?”
“Is selling to government actually a market opportunity?”
“Does receiving a subsidy take away the sparkle of the idea?”
Last spring, I joined the Futurpreneur Canada Action Roundtable in Calgary to discuss the needs of advancing entrepreneurship across the country. I listened to entrepreneurs describe their dedication to the community, to their employees, and to creating an organization that was more than just about business (that was about more than just business). They talked about living wages, volunteer days, health benefits, professional development, community engagement, and employee ownership.
When asked as to whether these elements equaled social entrepreneurship, my gut was no, but my head kept asking “why not”? In short, social change was not the goal.
However, when I have looked at social enterprise models with social as the goal, often I am confounded by the use of volunteers or beneficiaries as “staff” or government as the sole purchaser. There may well be social purpose to these organizations, but they lack the elements described above – the social process.
Social process: Values the “how” of doing business. Sustainability initiatives, paying a living wage, offering benefits, and providing a compelling workplace are examples of how organizations can enhance their workforces and communities.
Social purpose: Roots itself in the desire to solve a social issue. Achieving this social purpose is an in-extractable part of the business model.
Without it, the model could not exist.
Unpacking these concepts required us to start from one vantage point, not definitions, not incorporations, not business models, but rather from “intentionality”.
If we started back at square one, at the point of intention, how should a social entrepreneur start building their business model.