Causeway Social Finance and SocialFinance.ca are pleased to invite you to participate in the 2nd annual Canada Day at the Social Capital Markets conference in San Francisco.
Social Innovation
A year ago, I started quietly along a path to understand the legal and regulatory structures and challenges of social enterprise. It was a quest for knowledge and was parlayed into a course on public policy for nonprofits. For six months, I diligently read everything published on the topic with the hopes that my knowledge in the topic would expand and I’d be able to influence the topic. Starting out slowly and independently, I never imagined how quickly the ball would start to roll.
As Harvard's corporate strategy guru Michael Porter points out, over the past century the boundaries between business and social issues have undergone dramatic changes. One hundred years ago, a large business enterprise might have been the social patron, providing housing, education or other forms of welfare for its company town residents. But over time the scope of corporate responsibility retreated.
Someone recently asked me what I thought was more important for a movement to take off: a core group of people who are willing to dedicate their all to pushing it forward or a dispersed mass with just enough conviction to support or approve of what other people are doing. To me, the two are inseparable. As was demonstrated by a TEDtalk illustration of a movement happening at the Sasquatch Music Festival, every sporadic dance party requires a first mover, as well as people willing to follow.
TD Financial Literacy Grant Fund calls for applications from community groups for millions in grants. Co-founded by TD and SEDI, the Fund will provide grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 to qualified community groups for financial education.
Jeff Mowatt on Three Business Models for the Bottom Billion
Sep 03, 2010