Enterprising Nonprofits

Provides tools and resources to non-profits and social enterprises across Canada.  Enterprising Non Profits, enp, is a unique collaborative program that promotes and supports social enterprise development and growth as a means to build strong nonprofit organizations and healthier communities. 

Enterprising Nonprofits E-library & Resources

A database of articles and resources related to social enterprise.

Social Enterprise Learning Toolkit

The different modules in the Social Enterprise Learning Toolkit cover the basic elements that a person or organization should pursue and understand if they are going to participate as a board member, manager, paid staff or volunteer at a social enterprise.

Alberta Social Economy Funder Database.  BALTA (BC-Alberta Research Alliance on the Social Economy) in partnership with Vancity, Canadian Center for Community Renewal, Sauder School of Business, and Enterprising Nonprofits

This database provides a comprehensive list of funders and investors in the social economy in Alberta and BC, as well as national organizations that support the social economy throughout the country.  This is an excellent resource for nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs looking to fund innovative efforts that combine income generation with a social mission. 

The Canadian Social Enterprise Guide, 2^nd Edition.  Enterprising Nonprofits, 2010.  Vancouver, BC.

The revised 2nd Edition of the Canadian Social Enterprise Guide reflects the learning of the Enterprising Non-Profits program and its 10 years of supporting the development and success of social enterprise through technical assistance and resource development. The Guide is for non-profit organizations thinking about creating or already developing a new enterprise, or for organizations that are expanding/formalizing their existing revenue-generating programs.

Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good. The Canadian Task Force on Social Finance, 2010.

The Task Force on Social Finance, initiated by Social Innovation Generation, seeks to develop new mechanisms to mobilize private capital for public good.  Their 2010 report makes seven recommendations toward this goal, focusing on cultivating social enterprises, creating an enabling regulatory environment, and using existing capital reserves in new ways.

Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good: Measuring Progress During Year One.  Canadian Task Force on Social Finance, 2011. 

This article reports on the progress of the seven recommendations made by the Task Force on Social Finance in their 2010 publication “Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good” (see above).  Each recommendation is accompanied by a “Call to Action” which proposes ways in which government, business, and community leaders can support each goal.

Do More Than Give: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World. Leslie R Crutchfield, John V. Kania, Mark R. Kramer, 2011. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. 

Do More Than Give is a fabulous book full of examples of “catalytic donors,” individuals and funding organizations that harness the influence of government, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and individuals to create lasting, systems-wide change.  The work describes how those who do more than give apply six key approaches and tools to maximize their social impact.

MaRS Center for Impact Investing

This website is a comprehensive, cutting-edge source of information related to the social finance and impact investing field in Canada.  SocialFinance.ca seeks to create to “a world in which the innovations and resources of finance are harnessed to produce positive social, environmental, and commercial advancements.” The site provides high-quality publications and resources grouped into topics including Funding and Financing Models, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Philanthropy and Grantmaking.  It also features a blog on social finance.

Mars Center for Impact Investing Blog

The MaRS Center’s socialfinance.ca hosts this exciting blog about social finance and innovative approaches to funding nonprofit organizations.  Check this blog regularly for inspiration, case studies, and information on current trends in social finance.

Strength, Size, Scope:  A Survey of Social Enterprises in Alberta and British Columbia.  Peter R. Elson and Peter V. Hall, 2010.

This report communicates the findings of a survey of in 35 social enterprises in Alberta and 105 in British Columbia.  It provides an overview of the kinds of social enterprises operating in Alberta and British Columbia as well as their economic and social contributions to their communities.

VanCity Credit Union’s Financial Fitness Toolkit

Vancity has brought together some of Canada’s brightest minds in not-for-profit financial leadership to create the Financial Fitness toolkit series. The four handbooks in this series each cover an important area of not-for-profit financial sustainability, and are available for free download to all not-for-profits. 

The toolkit includes:

Financial Fitness: An Overview

Cashflow Calisthenics

Accounting Athletics

Legal Limberness

Social Entrepreneurship Part 1: Social Venture Finance – Enabling Solutions to Complex Social Problems.  Kerri Golden, Allyson Hewitt, Michael Lewkowitz, Michelle McBane, and Lisa Torjman for MaRS Discovery District, 2009. 

This report from the MaRS Discovery District’s Whitepaper Series explores some of the most important challenges and opportunities facing Canada’s social finance marketplace.  It is a good introduction for those seeking to understand what social ventures, social enterprises, and social purpose businesses are, how they operate in a Canadian context, and how they create social and economic value.  Resource Sheet Social Entrepreneurship.pdf

Social Innovation Generation Knowledge Hub

The SiG Knowledge Hub contains learning resources about creating the conditions for social innovation as well as examples of innovation in Canada and the world.  Resources are grouped into themes including Systems Thinking, Resilience, Social Entrepreneurship, and Developmental Evaluation.  Each theme area offers an introduction, a Dip section for learning the basics, and a Dive section for more in-depth resources. NEW!

Getting to Maybe:  How the World is Changed.  Frances Westley, Brenda Zimmerman, and Michael Quinn Patton,  2007. Vintage Canada Edition.

This book shares the journeys of social innovators as they seek to instigate systems level changes to solve some of our world’s most intractable problems.  Highly insightful, poetic, and realistic, Westley, Zimmerman, and Patton present social innovation in all of its complexity as a process fraught with tension, failure, unexpected setbacks and successes, and most importantly, the potential to improve our world.

Social Innovation in Canada: How the non-profit sector serves Canadians…and how it can serve them better. Mark Goldenberg, 2004. Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc.: Ottawa.

This article describes the central role of the nonprofit sector in fostering social innovation in Canada.  Goldenburg describes the composition and social impact of the nonprofit sector and explores how governments could provide enhanced support to nonprofit organizations, further enabling them to develop and implement social innovations that improve the quality of life for all Canadians.  Resource Sheet SI in Canada.pdf

“Patterns, Principles, and Practices in Social Innovation.” Stephen Huddart. The Philanthropist, 2010. 23 (3): 221-234.

In this article, Huddart discusses broad trends in social innovation in Canada. Case studies of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, the ALLIES program for skilled immigrants, and the ArtsSmarts program are explored to distill twelve principles of effective social innovation.  The article concludes by presenting a list of emerging tools and processes that can help nonprofit organizations to create and sustain innovative initiatives.Resource Sheet Patterns, Principles, and Practices.pdf

“Design Thinking for Social Innovation.”  Tim Brown and Jocelyn Wyatt.  Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2010: 31-35. 

This article describes how design thinking can be used to develop human-centric solutions to complex social problems.  Highlighting the ways in which poor design can inhibit the usability of many nonprofit programs and services, Brown and Wyatt demonstrate the importance of a design-thinking approach that takes into account the culture, behavior, and preferences of clients. Resource Sheet Design Thinking for Social Innovation.pdf

Social Innovation Conversations

Podcasts on Social Innovation from Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation.

Accelerating our Impact: Philanthropy, Innovation, and Social Change.  Katharine A. Pearson, 2007.  The J.W. McConnel Family Foundation. 

Accelerating our Impact describes how funders can work with nonprofit organizations to advance innovation and social change.  It presents insights from the ecocycle concept and complexity theory to explain social innovation, discusses the characteristics of successful social innovators, and describes the role of developmental evaluation, research, and policy advocacy in supporting innovative initiatives.  The report concludes with a list of resources for growing and sustaining social innovation.  Resource Sheet Accelerating Our Impact.pdf

“Making a Difference: Strategies for Scaling Social Innovation for Greater Impact.”  Frances Westley and Nino Antadze.  The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal. 2010:  15 (2).

This article describes the complex processes by which social innovations grow to achieve greater social impact.  It explores a market approach to scaling social innovation, concluding that this perspective is limited given the complex nature of supply and demand for social innovations.  This resource provides a compelling definition of social innovation and an effective analysis of the complex dynamics involved in creating systems change.  Resource Sheet Strategies for Scaling Social Innovation.pdf

Talking about Social Innovation: Summary of International Roundtable on Social Innovation. Government of Canada Policy Research Initiative, March 18 2010. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada.

This report presents the findings of a one-day roundtable exploring social innovation convened by the Policy Research Initiative and the Public Policy Forum on March 18^th 2010.  The report summarizes the roundtable’s exploration of the characteristics, process, potential, and limits of social innovation as well as the role government in cultivating social sector innovation.  Resource Sheet Talking About Social Innovation.pdf

Celebrating, Learning, and Inspiring Action: Summary Report of the Forum on Research-Inspired Social Innovation and Community Change in Waterloo Region, held Dec. 8^th 2008. Center for Community Based Research, Waterloo, 2008. 

This report created by the Center for Community Based Research presents the proceedings of the Forum on Research-Inspired Social Innovation and Community Change, held in Waterloo in December 2008.  The event drew over 100 community leaders, professors, government representatives, and activists and the report portrays Waterloo’s passion for social innovation.  A discussion of major themes that emerged during the forum imparts best practices from some of Canada’s most accomplished social innovators.  Resource Sheet Celebrating, Learning, and Inspiring Action.pdf

Shared Services: A Guide to Creating Collaborative Solutions for Nonprofits.  Cefola, Jackie, China Brotsky and Roxanne Hanson, 2010. The NonprofitCenters Network: San Francisco, CA.

This guide is essential reading for any nonprofit interested in pursuing shared services.  It provides an overview of shared services options and potential benefits, discusses governance, funding, and cost allocation models, contains tools for planning shared services projects, and presents ten case studies of nonprofit shared service centers.  The report is available for purchase on the NonprofitCenters Network website.

Planting a Seed: Foundations Build Communities with Shared Nonprofit Workspace. 2010, NonprofitCenters Network: San Francisco, CA.

Planting a Seed presents over twenty case studies of nonprofit centers including programmatic theme centers, service centers, multi-sector centers, and community development and preservation centers.  Each case study explores the mission, history, governance, financing, and benefit of the centers.  This is an excellent resource for anyone looking to be inspired by what is already being done and what is possible for nonprofits that choose to collocate and share services.

Edmonton Non-profit Shared Space Feasibility Toolkit: A Resource for Non-profit Co-location Initiatives in Edmonton.  The City of Edmonton: Community Services, N.D. 

This toolkit provides a variety of resources for nonprofits considering colocation or shared services in Edmonton, AB.  It presents a range of governance, ownership, and financial structures, as well as ideas for shared services and their impact on nonprofit effectiveness.  The appendices provide sample shared service policies, guidelines, and budgets.

Measuring Collaboration: The Benefits and Impacts of Nonprofit Centers. Mt. Auburn Associates, 2011. The NonprofitCenters Network: San Francisco, CA.

This study explores the impact of nonprofit centers on nonprofit organizations and the broader communities they serve.  It demonstrates that nonprofit centers allow tenants to reduce their costs while increasing awareness of their organization, employee morale, and collaboration.  Resource Sheet Measuring Collaboration.pdf

TechSoup Canada

Techsoup Canada provides Canadian nonprofit organizations with technology that has been donated by corporations including Microsoft, Symantec, Adobe, and Cisco for a low administrative fee.  Nonprofit organizations can register with TechSoup Canada and place orders for donated items (note: donor corporations often have requirements related to the size and type of organization that can receive particular donations).  Techsoupcanada.ca also has an online Learning Center which contains resources related to technology planning, open source technology, data management, and social media.   TechSoup Canada seeks to build the technological capacity of Canadian nonprofit organizations, believing that nonprofit organizations can increase their social impact by making optimal use of technology. 

Nonprofit Technology Network

The Nonprofit Technology Network provides resources and training to help nonprofit organizations use technology to fulfill their missions and increase their social impact.  The site contains reports on nonprofit technology trends, NTEN’s quarterly journal Change, offers webinars, and runs the Technology Leadership Academy, a 9-week online training course which is offered free to qualifying organizations.

Social Source Commons.

An online community where nonprofit practitioners can access new software tools, build their technological skills and knowledge, and share information about what technologies they use in their organizations.

Canada Helps

Canada Helps is an online donation portal for registered Canadian charities that makes giving easy and convenient for donors.  Any registered charity can sign up to provide a user-friendly online donation platform for their donors.  Fees are charged as a small percentage of each donation collected. 

2012 Alberta Nonprofit Survey. Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, 2012.  NEW!

This survey presents a portrait of the health of Alberta’s nonprofit sector.  The survey incorporates responses from over 500 nonprofits and charities related to financial viability, demand for services, HR issues, social enterprise, and the sector’s most significant successes and challenges.

Imagine Canada

Imagine Canada is a national organization whose mission is to support and strengthen nonprofit and charitable organizations in Canada so that they can effectively serve their communities.  They seek to foster relationships and develop knowledge within and about the nonprofit sector.  Imagine Canada’s Sector Source is one of the most comprehensive sources of information on Canada’s nonprofit sector, and the Sector Monitor presents current trends and up to date information about the key issues facing Canadian nonprofit organizations. 

A Framework for Action for the Nonprofit Sector.  Imagine Canada, June 2010. 

This report is essential reading for any nonprofit organization seeking to understand the changing context of Canada’s nonprofit sector.  It presents an overview of the sector’s strengths, describes seven key drivers of change including the increasing importance of social innovation, the shortage of staff and leadership talent, and the growing need for multisectoral collaboration.  The paper concludes with a call to action that addresses issues including sustainable funding, knowledge mobilization, and capacity building.

National Summit for the Charitable and Nonprofit Sector Report, February 2012.  Imagine Canada. 

This report presents the main outcomes of Imagine Canada’s National Summit, held in November 2011 and details how Imagine Canada will address the four Priorities for Action.  Priorities include: Improved conditions for the attraction and retention of paid staff, More diversified and sustainable financing of the sector, Better understanding of the sector and its impact, and Enhanced support for organizations to engage volunteers/ external talent. 

KCI Philanthropic Trends Quarterly

An engaging quarterly journal published by Ketchum Canada Inc., analyzing philanthropic trends in Canada.

Policy Horizons Canada

A database of publications and e-newsletters produced by Policy Horizons Canada, a federal organization with a mission “to provide timely and integrated perspectives on policy issues for the deputy minister community by: bridging people, ideas, data, issues and evidence in a safe and open environment; co-creating knowledge for understanding complex Canadian policy challenges, and experimenting with new tools and methods.”

The Philanthropist

The Philanthropist is a quarterly journal focused on Canada’s nonprofit sector.  It is an excellent resource for nonprofit staff and leaders wishing to explore the sector’s trends, challenges, and opportunities.  Articles from current and past issues are available for free download online.

Cornerstones of Community: Highlights of the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations.  Michael H. Hall et al., Revised 2005. Statistics Canada.  This report presents the results of the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations, conducted by Statistics Canada in 2003.  The findings are drawn from the responses of 13 000 nonprofit organizations, representing the most comprehensive analysis of the Canadian nonprofit sector ever undertaken.  This excellent resource provides extensive demographic information while also reporting on major trends within the sector, the role and social impact of nonprofits in Canadian communities, and the current capacity of Canadian nonprofit organizations.