Social finance and nonprofits
Check out my latest post for the Causeway/Ashoka Social Finance Blog Series at socialfinance.ca. A sustainable approach to managing money that delivers social, environmental and economic benefits, social finance has achieved the status of buzzword in the nonprofit...
What is social enterprise?
If you're reading this, you're probably hoping for a definition of social enterprise. A logical expectation, given the title of this posting. But alas, as I've discovered in the past few months, trying to find an agreed upon description of social enterprise is...
Social purchasing: An alternative to mindless consumerism
Last week, I attended the launch of a new social enterprise purchasing toolkit, created by Vancouver-based enp(enterprising non-profits). The goal of the toolkit is to help organizations - nonprofits, corporations, and the public sector - leverage their purchasing...
A mug of liquid sustainability
So I was thinking about coffee the other day. Okay, in the aim of full disclosure for my inaugural post, here’s the thing: I think about coffee every day. The way I see it, of all the vices to adopt as my own, a freshly brewed cup of Joe has got to be the best...
From Silos to SEWF: A Journey of Engagement
SEE Change editor-in-chief Elisa Birnbaum traveled to Calgary for the much-anticipated Social Enterprise World Forum. Running from October 2nd till the 4th, the event saw over 1000 practitioners in the field of social entrepreneurship converge for a few days of...
Re-thinking Fundraising: Addressing overhead head-on
There’s a fundamental tension in the way we do philanthropy. It lurks in the background, hoping not to be noticed. It’s that dreaded word: overhead. There’s a tension between donors, who want as much of their money as possible to go to the cause, and the overhead...
Why I love failure (and why you should too)
I admit it. I’ve failed…a lot. I’ve made bad decisions. I’ve tried things that didn’t work out as planned. I’ve watched my efforts result in nothing. If you think I’m crazy to publicly relate this information to you, you’re not alone. A quick Google search of the...
Take social entrepreneurship to scale, Mr. President
Dear Mr. President: Congratulations on a hard-fought race for your second term as President. With your recent victory, I hope you will use your power – as a legislator, but also a bully pulpit – to broaden your agenda and take on some of our society’s most pressing...
Dr. Strange Partner
or: How I learned to stop worrying and love summer vacation Partnership sounds like a good thing, and it is, but when you are also an entrepreneur and the founder of an organization, it can get a bit intense. Picture the army cowboy riding the nuclear bomb into...
In the Business of Change written by SEE Change publisher & editor Elisa Birnbaum highlights social entrepreneurs around the world. Get your print or audiobook where you normally buy or download books Learn More
Our recent 3-part podcast series is sponsored by Junxion Strategy
