Centre for Social Innovation - Where Change Happens!

A fantastic social entrepreneur and insightful thinker, David Lepage, shares his thoughts on how to create demand for social enterprise services. His work in the creation of the original Social Purchasing Portal is just a start to what David has done to build markets for social enterprise. As we prepare for the Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise, creating markets is one of the pillars on the wiki. We would love your thoughts.

Scaling Social Enterprise sector will require an increase in demand for their goods and services.

We are delighted to have Tim Draimin as a guest blogger as a part of our conversation about social enterprise leading up to the Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise. We would love your thoughts both in response to this posting and through the Social Enterprise Wiki.... But now, check out Tim's compelling case for Comunity Interest Companies in Canada.

By Tim Draimin

Canada Revenue Agency Guidance on Fundraising by Canadian charities

CRA has just released its Guidance on Fundraising. You can view the document in English at: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/plcy/cps/cps-028-eng.html and in French at:

Now I won't claim that this is the most riveting read of the week, but it may be the most important. Canadian Registered Charities: Business Activities and Social Enterprise - Thinking Outside the Box (PDF) is written by Terrance S. Carter and Theresa L.M. Man of Carters Professional Corporation.

The attached article by Carol Goar in the Toronto Star is drawing attention to the CRA's proposed new fundraising guidelines. It also captures some of the work that the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is doing to protect the interests of small and medium charities in Ontario.  CSI is proud to be incubating ONN.

Paul Martin has written a great op ed in todays Toronto Star that is worth the read. Fabulous to have this voice in support of hybrid social entrepreneurship.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/304142

A very compelling read, but still a little light on specific strategies. I guess that those strategies are up to us. Also exciting to see that in my inbox today the Causeway group in support of social finance is making an ask to support the establishment of an independent panel to study ways and means of promoting various forms of social finance.

Every year, Tides Canada selects ten nonprofits and charities who deserve national recognition for their important work. The Centre for Social Innovation is especially pleased to report that Tides Canada's Top Ten for 2007 includes two CSI members: Forest Ethics and the Sustainability Network. We're thrilled to be associated with two amazing groups whose positive environmental impact has met Tides criteria.