The Social Impact Bond: Potential and pitfalls
Shifting the risk of social value creation to private investors There is currently much discussion about the Social Impact Bond as an innovative tool to generate financing for social enterprises. Anyone who has tried to start a social enterprise—a...
What’s all the Buzz about B Corps?
Ever since Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company began making craft beer seven years ago, they’ve used organic ingredients, followed eco-friendly practices and supported community causes. The Vankleek Hill, Ontario-based business announced in October that it had taken...
Why Haiti’s Answer May Lie in Clinton, Collaboration and Social Entrepreneurship
Panelists: Denis O'Brien, Sean Penn and Danielle Saint-Lot, with moderator Kathleen MatthewsCredit: Juliana Thomas / Clinton Global Initiative Four years after the devastating earthquake hit the nation, killing 250,000 people, Haiti is still struggling to regain...
Ontario’s Social Enterprise Recipe – Proof is in the Pudding
What should we expect from the Ontario social enterprise (SE) space in 2014? It’s holiday time, so I’m going to tackle this from a food perspective. If we’re trying to judge the success of our SE recipe, “the proof of the pudding (in 2014) will be in the eating.”...
Rebuilding Detroit: Social Innovators Stake Their Claim
It’s early evening of an August scorcher and I’m seated under a much-appreciated tent at Detroit’s Earthworks Urban Farm. Located in the city's east side, the 2.5-acre organic farm grows food to benefit its own soup kitchen and runs a variety of initiatives to...
Sustaining a Social Enterprise Ecosystem
"Sustainability" is not just a buzzword, but a multi-purpose concept. It illustrates the resiliency of an organization. It is often the reason many nonprofits pursue social enterprise – to improve their mission delivery and enhance their sustainability through the...
Social enterprise at work: First cold climate food forest project in East Kootenays
Farming has never been a big industry in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia, which is known mostly for timber, mining and some ranching. But during the winter months when highway passes close due to snow and white-out conditions, fresh food in the grocery...
Mapping the social enterprise ecosystem: A primer
As the number of social enterprises grows exponentially, so does the number of organizations being launched to support them. Although there were a few early pioneers – REDF, ENP and NEsST, all founded in 1997 - most of the social enterprise support organizations...
Esalen Institute: Social change cliff-side
It hit me as soon as we made the sharp turn off the gloriously serpentine Highway 1 at the signpost that read “Esalen Institute”. Like a cold, sharp gust of wind signifying the first day of winter, it caught me off-guard before knocking me off-balance. And then it...
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
