In 2004, Jessie Huggett joined an Ottawa-area dance company and developed an innovative dance about the experience of having Down syndrome. Response to “I am Me” inspired company director Hannah Beach to create Dandelion Dance Company and later to add...
We’ve enjoyed being voyeurs of the impact investing interplay in the US and UK for some time now. But the writing is on the wall: impact investing is gaining momentum here too so it may be time to get acquainted....
Take two scenarios. A small environmental organization wants to take part in the Ontario government’s microFIT program to demonstrate the possibilities of solar power, but needs a loan to buy the equipment to make participation possible. An artists’ organization and...
Social Capital Partners (SCP) is an innovative example of a nonprofit that has aligned its business with its charitable purposes: SCP facilitates financing for private-sector companies at a competitive interest rate; in return, the companies commit to hiring staff through...
As part of Social Finance Week, CharityVillage talked with Derek Gent, the executive director of the Vancity Community Foundation, a public foundation with more than 100 donor-advised funds associated with the Vancity Credit Union. For more than 20 years, the...
In 1996, Family Services of Greater Vancouver set up a social enterprise business to provide mentoring and development opportunities for homeless youth in Vancouver. Street Youth Job Action (SYJA) helps youth between the ages of 15 to 24 learn...
Most of us do-gooders have heard of social finance, an approach to managing money that gives back to society or the environment while still producing a financial return. We hear about social enterprises harnessing finance this way, but charities and...
As I write this, it’s 34 degrees outside and in just a few hours, I’ll be heading to the cottage for a vacation. Long slow days of swimming, reading and (maybe) a few cocktails beckon. I can’t wait. But, it’s...
This article is reprinted from Best Practices in Charity Annual Reporting, 2012 Edition created by the Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards (VSRA) – Ontario’s awards program for best charity annual reporting. Register for the July 9th free webinar on charity annual...
Once upon a time, citizen fundraisers took to the streets with clipboards and pledge forms to cajole friends, family, neighbours and strangers to support their favourite causes. Today, we're still asking the people we know for money – we've just...
