Community bonds, public lands, RRSP's, tax incentives and preferential mortgages - this is what will strengthen social enterprise in Ontario. CSI is looking for some quick and easy wins to move social enterprise forward. What do you think?
Ontario
Thank you! We have had a great response from organizations and individuals interested in providing content to the Guide to Social Finance. This is a dynamic process and we invite you to shape the guide’s development as we go along.
Several weeks ago, Dionne Chingkoe posted an excellent blog entry, Transforming Social Finance from a Curiosity to a Movement. Dionne's advice on how to catalyze a movement amounted to a clear call to action for the SocialFinance.ca community.
A great debate on the Census is raging from coast to coast. We rarely experience such storied excitement, intrigue, and interest in public policy matters, from abrupt but principled resignations, to heroic acts to save swimmers from drowning, to headline news in the venerable New York Times. [It does seem oddly Canadian that we would shift our focus from "lakes and beer" to the Census.] We have decided to ride this wave of popularity to launch the first ever Social Finance Census.
There has been a great deal of recent discussion on impact investing: the zen-like space where investments have a financial return and demonstrated environmental or social impact. Some may tell you that these opportunities exist just beyond the misty mountains of Pandora, in the lush, green Shire where Frodo and Bilbo Baggins play hacky sack.
In response to some of these critics and to build literacy and understanding at a local level, we need to make impact investing a bit more tangible.
Impact investing opportunities are very real, with living, breathing models in place around the world. Accordingly, there is tremendous potential for local success through our social venture exchange project. We are currently exploring the how, but this may give a first glance of what is possible.
Jeff Mowatt on Three Business Models for the Bottom Billion
Sep 03, 2010