Opportunities for Social Enterprise

Do you want to follow your passion to create a business that puts people and planet first? You are not alone.

Social enterprise has taken off around the world as demand grows for market solutions that are inclusive and sustain our planet.

In this session, you will gain an in-depth look at funding resources from grants to micro-loans, through to venture capital. We will spend time on your specific business needs and understand what it takes to grow a social enterprise.

Learn and gain insights from Joanna Reynolds, Director of Social Enterprise, Centre for Social Innovation. Joanna leads social enterprise development across several vibrant networks in Ontario and Canada and has spent the last 12 years focused on the development of social finance and social enterprise.

When your business has a social and environmental purpose core to its business proposition, we all want you to succeed.

A social enterprise:

• Can be for-profit or not-for-profit entities, they may be B-Corps (but don’t have to be)
• Places social/cultural/ ecological impact as core to the business strategy
• Impacts cannot be secondary to the purpose of the enterprise
• Provides financial returns
• Measures their results and, as their business grows, so does their social impact

At their best, a social enterprise considers impact throughout the fullness of the operations including their supply chain, internal processes, governance, environmental footprint, and community engagement.

Are you built for the future? Did you know that adopting social and environmental objectives into your core business opens opportunities for growth while making the world a better place? Companies that have social and environmental objectives gain new customers, create brand trust, and attract top talent.

Who will benefit?

• Are you operating or considering starting a social enterprise?

• Do you want to use your business to support social inclusion and improve ecological outcomes?

• Are you considering or operating a for-profit or not-for-profit enterprise?

Bring your questions and ideas forward to this guided peer circle. This is your place to meet others who are building a business that supports social and environmental outcomes.

What you can expect?

• Each session is 90 mins long.

• We use half of our time in a peer circle to support a challenge or question that we are holding.

• The second half of our time dives into business development tools that respond to a current need.

• You can join our community Slack Channel for updates and opportunities.

In May and June, we will use the Impact Gap Canvas, a visual design tool that will help you to uncover more about the thing that you would like to solve/impact you want to generate.

• Discover why an ecosystem approach to social enterprise development and impact creation is important.

• Describe the purpose of the Impact Gap Canvas and begin the Challenge side

• Reflect on the importance of assumptions (and assumption validation) in social enterprise development

About your host

Since 2007, Jo Reynolds has worked with social entrepreneurs supporting their business modeling and connection to the field. She has also helped to build the field for social entrepreneurship, social finance, and social innovation in Canada. She leads learning groups and initiatives Provincially through her work at the Centre for Social Innovation with initiatives like the Women of Ontario Social Enterprise Network and Social Innovation Canada. Jo lives in Kingston with her family. Learn more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joreynolds/