The social enterprise podcast series is produced by enp to help your social enterprise succeed. We have gathered a handful of leading experts to provide practical business information to help you plan and run a successful business!
We hope you'll listen at work, take us along on your commute, share with your board, staff and students, or listen at home. Podcasts are free to download, so listen right now or save it to your iPod or mp3 player.
Topics in this series complement the material found in the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide:
All Rights Reserved. Special thanks to Vancity Credit Union and Nadine Krefetz, project consultant, realitysoftware.com for their support.
May 2009 | 4 Minutes: David LePage, enp Program Manager and member of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada tells us about Social Enterprise and blended value, and gives us examples of social enterprises operating in Canada.
More resources on this topic:
- See if your question is answered in the Business FAQ or pose a new question to MBA professionals through our free "Ask the Business Expert" series hosted by enp in partnership with the Vancouver Chapter of Net Impact Professional Group.
- Watch our "What is Social Enterprise" video production.
- Read our "What is Social Enterprise" definition.
- Browse the products and services offered by Canadian Social Enterprises in our online directory: The Canadian Social Enterprise Marketplace.
- You can find out more about this topic including case studies, manuals, and videos, by browsing the social enterprise section of our resource collection.
- Learn more about launching a Social Enterprise by attending our Building Your Social Enterprise Workshops offered each spring in fall in urban and rural regions across BC.
- Purchase your own copy of the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide published by enp.
May 2009 | 8 Minutes: Are you thinking about launching Social Enterprise, but not sure how to begin? David LePage, enp Program Manager and member of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada discusses the two key elements of early stage social enterprise business planning: organizational readiness and enterprise opportunity identification.
More Resources on this topic:
- The readiness worksheet David described during the podcast can be found in the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide.
- See if your question is answered in the Business FAQ or Ask a Legal Expert FAQ.
- Pose a new question to MBA professionals through our free "Ask the Business Expert" series hosted by enp in partnership with the Vancouver Chapter of Net Impact.
- Pose a new question to a Charity Lawyer through our free "Ask the Legal Expert" series hosted by enp.
Learn more about launching a Social Enterprise by attending our Building Your Social Enterprise Workshops offered each spring in fall in urban and rural regions across BC.
June 2009 | 22.5 Minutes: Joining us for a discussion of the Business Plan and Feasibility Study are:
Liz Lougheed-Green, Program Manager for Social Enterprise at Vancity Credit Union and Coordinator of Social Enterprise Programs for both Vancity Community Foundation and Vancity Credit Union.
Rebecca Pearson, Social Enterprise Investment Manager of Vancity Capital & Leadership Team member of Net Impact Professional Group, Vancouver Chapter.Liz & Rebecca tell us why these two planning mechanisms are vital to the successful planning of your social enterprise including how they are used, what they contain, and which elements are specific to social enterprises.
More resources on this topic:
- The resource sheet Liz & Rebecca prepared can be found, here, in our resource section.
- Review the planning chapter of the Social Enterprise Guide, here.
- See if your question is answered in the Business FAQ or Legal Expert FAQ.
- Pose a new question to MBA professionals through our free "Ask the Business Expert" series hosted by enp in partnership with the Vancouver Chapter of Net Impact.
- Pose a new question to a Charity Lawyer through our free "Ask the Legal Expert" series hosted by enp.
Learn more about planning a Social Enterprise by attending our Building Your Social Enterprise Workshops offered each spring in fall in urban and rural regions across BC.
June 2009 | 7.5 Minutes: Derek Gent, Executive Director of Vancity Community Foundation tells us how to get started with financing and dispels the mystery behind the most common finance terms including loans & grants, debt, patient capital, and investment.
Enp provides the following tools related to financing social enterprise:
- Financial Analysis module of the Social Enterprise Learning Toolkit
- Ask the Business Expert which provides a description of financing options. This service is provided by enp in partnership with the Vancouver Chapter of Net Impact.
- Enp has also collected numerous finance related resources which are available here.
July 2009 | 9 Minutes: Bryn Sadownik Project Lead of the Demonstrating Value Initiative and Steve Williams from SAP Business Objects, a partner of the project, tell us about the exciting tools available for free to social enterprises on the Demonstrating Value website.
More resources on this topic:
- Demonstrating Value Website: www.DemonstratingValue.org
- Measuring Success resource in the Planning Your Social Enterprise section of the enp website
September 2009 | 9 Minutes. Enp Program Manager David LePage discusses how purchasing from a social enterprise can assist your organization in meeting its CSR objectives. We discuss social purchasing, what it is, how it works, and how to get started.
More resources on this topic: Review the Social Enterprise Purchasing Toolkit. The Toolkit provides a framework and action steps to assist businesses, governments and non-profits to integrate social components into their sustainable procurement and purchasing policies and practices. The Toolkit includes information, action steps, and a searchable resource database.
December 2009 | 9 Minutes. Marty Donkervoort shares his experiences in marketing the services of Inner City Renovation.
More resources on this topic:
- Marketing module of the Social Enterprise Learning Toolkit
- Product & Markets module of the Social Enterprise Learning Toolkit
- The Canadian Social Enterprise Marketplace.
- Marketing Social Enterprise: It's not Cause Marketing. Making Waves artilce co-authored by Marty Donkervoort and Glen Lougheed.
- Marketing Resources
December 2009 | 15 Minutes. Melanie Conn shares the story of "Common Thread" a unique cooperative that has brought together a number of organizations and women's sewing groups in pursuit of larger sewing contracts.
More resources on this topic:
- Common Thread website
- Common Thread video
- Media on "Sew a Legacy"