Social Enterprise Capacity Building Cross Regional Learning

1. Social Enterprise Capacity BuildingCross Regional Learning Ontario CCEDNET ConfereNce June 8th, 2011 Jessica Lax Mary Ferguson Cathy Lang

2. Agenda • Visioning • Sharing Experiences • Foundation for Rural Living • Causeway Work Centre • Pillar Non-Profit Network • Common Threads & Comments • Small group discussion • Closing – Harvesting Insights

3. Visioning If money were no object what would be the ideal way to build capacity for social enterprises in your community?

4. Rural Social Enterprise Project (RSEP)

5. RSEP Vision of Success

6. Long Term Vision • A more resilient non profit sector in rural • Accommodated employment and/or training for hard to employ through rural non profit social enterprise

7. Purpose of RSEP Project • To build capacity in social enterprise development in rural constituencies through: • Workshops • Coaching consulting • Peer networking • Linkage to resources, SE sector and SE “intermediaries”

8. Three Target Groups • Rural non-profit staff, volunteers, directors and social entrepreneurs • Project partners – regional CED organizations • Social enterprise development “intermediaries” • SE funders, academics, capacity builders

9. Approach Summary

10. Developing Collaborative and Regional Partnerships • Developed a collaborative with FRL, C. Lang Consulting and EkoNomos • Co-applicants on Trillium grant with community partners • Develop working relationships with regional CED partner organizations: • Huron Business Centre, Perth Community Futures, Waterloo Wellington CFDC, PARO in Ontario’s North) and one community of interest cluster • Aim to enhance local and regional capacity of all partners and collaborators and build case for rural SE supports

11. Getting Organized • Theory of Change • Logic Model • Evaluation Framework • Project Planning and Collaborative Team Development • Communications Planning

12. Project Delivery • Workshops: • SE Primer and Feasibility workshops • Tailored consultations and referrals • Peer networking and linkages to SE Sector • Consultations: • Customized consultations with up to 50 organizations • Working with Intermediaries

13. Intermediary Strategy Targets • Started with focus on funders or prospective funders of social enterprise • Identified additional audiences including: • Policy makers in a position to affect the funding environment for SE in rural Ontario • Academic researchers interested in SE and CED (e.g. Carleton University CCCI) • Social enterprise capacity builders in Ontario (e.g. Pillar Non Profit, CISED) • Rural Municipalities and Municipal Economic Developers – Warden’s Caucus, ROMA, EDCO

14. Building Support for Rural SE • Activities include: • Calls and ongoing collaboration with CISED and Pillar Non Profit • Involvement in June 7 meeting of SE researchers across Canada • Presentation at June 8 Regional CCEDNet Conference • Outreach to specific academics researching SE in Ontario • Share project learning with funders and prospective funders • Convene intermediary meeting with funders and prospective funders • Potential for follow on funding application to take project work and partnership further

15. Partnership Development • Key project strategy: • Regular Teleconference with Partners – 1 x month • Regular Collaborative Team meetings – 1 x month • Other calls as needed

16. Accomplishments to Date

17. Workshops • 6 Primers Delivered (1 via web conference 5 on-site) • 5 Feasibility Workshops (1 via web conference 4 on-site) • 105 people registered; 92 people participated in workshops • Still to do – 3 part webinar series for up to 40 people

18. Profile of Participants • Even split between NFPs and Charities; few unincorporated groups and social entrepreneurs • Good diversity in terms of organizational focus • Majority of registrants were Directors, followed by program managers; directors and volunteers wore “many hats” • Majority of organizations were small to mid size ($100,000 - $500,000 budget – 27%), though large and very small organizations were present • 50% had some knowledge of SE, but 22% had no knowledge at all

19. Consultations • 30 of 50 projects have been approved for the consultations • Several other projects are still being considered • Consultation applications still be accepted

20. Working Well • Relationship with community partners • Testing of different technologies for distance and cross regional capacity building – video conferencing, conference calls, webinars • Project planning and evaluation/documentation – on course • Connections of partners to local NFP community – different in each region

21. Challenges • Language of social enterprise not resonating with groups that could use support • Early stage work with vulnerable organizations • Identified need for employment alternatives for underemployed rural folks • Lack of seed funding for SE exploration and development

22. Going Forward • Complete webinar series in June • Complete consultation over the summer • Complete intermediary strategy before October • Have 2 – 3 learning sessions to assess results and document learning for publication • Communicate learning with key audiences • Explore potential for follow on work to address gaps and needs – possible joint application to Trillium

23. CISED Experiences From Ottawa

24. Collaborative for Innovative Social Enterprise Development Vanier Community Services

25. Vision

27. Accomplishments 2009-2011 • 31 organizations have taken the SE 101 workshop • 7 well attended events held for SE’s • 16 SE’s have accessed one on one business coaching • 11 student projects requested, 2 completed (market research & video development) • 3 social enterprises have worked with Carleton to analyze their SROI • $20,000 secured for pilot business development grants

29. Going Forward

30. Social Enterprises for Creative and Sustainable Communities Experiences from London Ontario

31. Social Enterprise for Creative & Sustainable Communities • Also Trillium funded • Started in March 2011 • 3 community partners • CISED and Sarnia Community Roundtable as learning partners

32. Approach • Preparing to offer workshop series in the fall • Starting monthly Social Enterprise Exchange gatherings • Preparing to offer one on one coaching • Launching Pillar Consulting Group for SE and nonprofit needs • Community case studies by Ivey on creating SE support systems

33. Learning Outcomes: CISED in Ottawa Sarnia Community Roundtable London – Pillar Project IN THE THREE COMMUNITIES

34. Common Threads and Connections • Origin of program materials from same root – TEF, EkoNomos and C. Lang Consulting • Role of United Way important • Place based approach • Regional partnership development • Commitment to learning, inter-regional sharing and joint strategies • Mix of workshops to large groups and one on one coaching • Importance of available seed funding

35. Small Group Discussions • What from these models is applicable in your community? • What differences, if any, should there be between rural and urban support of social enterprise? • What other SE capacity building models are out there (in Ontario and around the world)? How are they different from those presented and what can we learn from them? • How useful, if at all, would collaboration be between all of the different SE capacity building projects? What shape could this take?

36. Harvesting Insights What is one insight from this session that you will take away?

37. More info clang@web.net C. Lang Consulting www.ekonomos.com info@ekonomos.com www.cised.ca jlax@causewayworkcentre.org www.pillarnonprofit.ca socialenterprise@pillarnonprofit.ca