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...
In his opening statement at the 2011 National Summit for the Charitable and Nonprofit Sector, Adam Spence – one of the co-leads of the priority stream focused on more sustainable and diversified financing – observed that while the two-day Summit...
What nonprofit doesn't want to raise awareness, attract more supporters, increase donations? And yet, many don't take full advantage of one of the best ways to achieve all of these: leveraging knowledge capital. Knowledge capital, also called intellectual capital, represents...
"Nonprofit principles can be applied to a business. I don't think of myself as an entrepreneur but a community organizer." Lisa Moore, joint founder of the Rhizome Café, Vancouver "After my presentation another delegate took me aside and said 'You...
"At some point in the not too distant future, policy makers and leaders in philanthropy will need to decide what role they prefer for themselves in a world reshaped by social enterprise: visionary enabler or sidelined naysayer." Peter Dietz, Managing...
"Like Dr Dolittle's Pushmi-Pullyu, the animal that had trouble moving because its two heads could not agree on a single direction, the hybrid model for non-profits is proving problematic. On occasion, the need to generate returns for investors overwhelms the...
Manon Barbeau has a simple dream: giving young people from First Nations communities an opportunity to express themselves using video and music, promoting a sense of healing, empowerment, and community engagement. A filmmaker, Barbeau has always been passionate about creating...
Despite much of the rumbling heard around Canada and BC about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games preparations, one thing is clear to many who work in the charity world on the west coast: the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) is going...
If you're thinking about launching a social enterprise, you may want to give Tal Dehtiar a call. Having successfully launched MBAs Without Borders (MWB) in 2004 - supporting small businesses in Africa, Asia and Latin America - he recently sold...
