At their last meeting, CCEDNet’s Board of Directors approved a motion to join the New Economy Coalition. 

The New Economy Coalition was launched earlier this year by a merger of the New Economics Institute and the New Economy Network.  It is a network of individuals and organizations collaborating within a shared framework of economic justice and environmental sustainability. 

Although primarily US-based, the New Economy Coalition reflects a broader movement for economic change that offers significant promise for Canada as well.  CCEDNet’s strategic planning process last year concluded that, in order to achieve our vision of sustainable and inclusive communities, we need to embed CED in a wider economic paradigm that is part of a movement supported by a broad base of citizens committed to transformative political and economic change.  Building on the progress made at the National Summit on a People-Centred Economy, the New Economy Coalition does exactly that. 

We hope you will join us in person or on-line to hear Bob Massie, President and CEO of the New Economy Coalition, speak during the CCEDNet reception at the Social Enterprise World Forum on October 2.  He will share insights into the growing New Economy movement in the U.S. and strategies for transformative economic change. 

CCEDNet looks forward to working with our new partners in shared action towards a just and sustainable economy.  Join us!

NEW ECONOMY COALITION

STATEMENT OF MISSION AND VALUES

Toward an economy that sustains people and the planet

The mission of the New Economy Coalition (NEC) is to support a transition to a new economy where people and planet are the priorities; social justice and cohesion are prized; and peace, communities, democracy, and nature all flourish.

Many environmental problems are reaching crisis level, including climate disruption, the loss of forests and biological diversity, declining water and soil resources, and pervasive environmental toxins.

Meanwhile, current levels of economic inequality and insecurity, in the United States and elsewhere, are abysmal and rapidly getting worse.  These conditions are tightly linked: current economic norms, structures, and polices exacerbate the gap between rich and poor and simultaneously hasten the demise of natural ecosystems.

In the search for solutions to these huge challenges, many of us have come to realize that we cannot achieve shared prosperity or environmental sustainability without systemic changes in our economy and our politics.  Our current political economy is not delivering.  Something new is required.

We believe it is possible to usher in a new economy.  Some of the needed answers are already available, many others can be found.  The same can be said for initiatives needed to reclaim American democracy.  But policy and other solutions are meaningless without the will and capacity to implement them.  Our nation can realize an equitable and ecologically balanced future and embrace a new economic paradigm, but only if we build a movement supported by a broad base of citizens committed to transformative political and economic change.

NEC is a network of individuals and organizations interacting and collaborating within a broad framework of shared objectives. It is an ecumenical endeavor open to many perspectives and ideas. We are oriented toward finding solutions. What brings us together and defines our activities as a group is our shared commitment to collaborative action, systemic change, diversity of perspective, and mutual learning.

Many individuals and organizations are currently working on aspects of a new economy which, unlike the present economy, gives true priority to restoring and sustaining people, place and planet, including: the objectives and the values to which such an economy should be dedicated, the principles on which it should operate, the metrics by which it should be measured, and the steps needed to move in these directions. But current efforts remain small fragmented, and outside the mainstream of public discourse. Too often, innovative solutions and alternatives to the status quo are isolated or marginalized.

A creative fusion of people and institutions, ideas and action offers tremendous potential to shape a new, vastly improved economic ecosystem and associated public policy. Making this happen will be the work of the New Economy Coalition. 

Specifically, The New Economy Coalition will:

• Enhance coordination and integration of different fields and disciplines involved through online and offline forums and educational tools
• Work together to broaden the understanding that when the country is faced with so many problems across so many fields, it is the result of fundamental flaws in our economic and political systems
• Build long-term capacity by inviting groups to share in joint projects and events, either by topic or by region
• Generate a positive vision for the future, encourage new thinkers and doers, and give them broad exposure through the combined network communications structure
• Attract and energize young people, in order to create a pipeline of leadership for today and tomorrow
• Change the public policy debate by working at the local and regional levels with mayors, state legislators and other innovators
• Empower members of marginalized communities who have been fighting for economic and social justice
• Help support the development of new policy proposals as well as ideas for local action that confirm that the path to a better world does indeed exist.
• Build a broad-based citizens movement for systemic change.

As an organization, NEC will serve as a clearinghouse, capacity builder, and catalyst of its members’ efforts. NEC is not intended to replace or duplicate the work of its members but provide a supportive forum for common discussion, joint action, and collective impact. At a key moment in the nation and the planet’s history, NEC will serve its members and the community by helping to link and align work toward transformational change.

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From the “Gift That Gives Twice”, to “Transforming Our City, One Purchase at a Time,” Local Investment Toward Employment (LITE) has a history of directing purchasing in Winnipeg in a way that has generated social value for the community while addressing community identified needs and goals. This has also impacted something that is absolutely essential to every social enterprise – access to a growing market in order to increase the scale of their social impact. 

LITE was created in Winnipeg in 1994 with a very simple mission: To promote Community Economic Development (CED) by supporting inner-city initiatives in Winnipeg that build capacity and provide jobs. LITE is a public foundation that relies primarily on public and private donations.  Since its creation 20 years ago, LITE has raised over 1.4 million dollars toward sustainable CED initiatives, as part of a long-term poverty reduction strategy.

LITE’s three main projects focus on building capacity and investing in workable solutions to poverty and unemployment in Winnipeg’s inner city:

Purchasing Programs

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LITE’s origins are found in the flagship program – the Alternative Christmas Hamper Campaign. In 1994, it was noticed that at Christmas time, when most businesses are experiencing their highest sales of the year, inner city businesses were seeing sales drop. Winnipeggers were donating food to charitable Christmas hamper programs distributing food in the inner city, but this influx of goods meant that local residents did not need to buy food from the local businesses. The immediate problem of hunger was being solved, but businesses that employed local residents year round were under threat of closing. Neechi Foods Co-op Ltd, an Aboriginal worker owned grocery store was one business in particular that LITE was created to support. LITE founders believed that hamper donation dollars would be better spent if they could have a double effect: making hamper purchases within the inner city to support economic projects that would have positive benefits in these neighbourhoods long after the Christmas dinner is put away.  This program has now expanded and includes several other strategic purchasing partners designed to support even more inner city businesses and create more jobs.  In 2012-2013 LITE purchased $35,000 of food through the Alternative Christmas Hamper Campaign, supporting approximately 50 jobs in Winnipeg’s inner-city!

CED Grants Program

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Recognizing that grants also effectively support employment and skill development, LITE began to invest strategically in programs that created training opportunities and jobs. In 2012-2013, LITE invested in 11 community organizations throughout Winnipeg’s inner city.  In total $46,390 was disbursed, contributing to over 350 employment and/or training opportunities for inner city residents in areas as diverse as child minding, sewing, catering, and construction. The programs all aim to support individuals living in the inner city who face multiple barriers to becoming employed or staying employed. They vary from providing short term employment experiences with more of a focus on building up confidence and self-worth, to longer term experiences that aim to get individuals work- ready and into a long term job by the end of the program. 

Social Purchasing Portal

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Seeking to strengthen its social purchasing stream of programming, LITE became home to the Social Purchasing Portal (SPP) in 2010. A model first developed in BC, this project stemmed out of a need identified by community members involved with the social enterprise sector for access to a wider market. The SPP was launched by SEED Winnipeg in 2004 before later finding a home at LITE. The SPP is an online networking and collaboration tool that strengthens businesses, the community, employment creation, and the local economy. The project consists of three main groups:

•  Suppliers, who are socially minded and locally owned businesses, co-ops and social enterprises that hire people with barriers to employment.
• Purchasers, who commit to buy their goods and services ethically through the SPP when possible. These may be businesses, government agencies, public institutions, non-profits, co-operatives, and any other individual or organization willing to be a part of the SPP.
• Job Seekers, who work with employment agencies to overcome their barriers and gain meaningful employment.

The SPP works to direct existing institutional and individual purchases toward our supplier partners in order to create local economic and social value. Currently, the project works with 41 suppliers, 60 institutional purchasers, and around 22 employment agencies. In our last reporting year, we were able to track over $697 000 in purchasing that has been intentionally directed to the socially minded and local enterprises of the SPP. In turn, these enterprises were able to have multiple social impacts in their communities, such as employment opportunities, poverty reduction, social inclusion and community economic development.

Here’s how Neechi Foods has appreciated LITE’s impact (from their website in 2010):

“A huge ‘thank you’ to the many volunteers and staff at LITE for helping sustain our business during difficult times in the 1990’s and for helping us to expand our business during the past decade. When we started 21 years ago sales were flat in December and we soon realized that this was directly related to the widespread distribution of Cheer Board hampers in our neighbourhood. Through direct purchases of groceries from Neechi for Cheer Board hampers and through public education about community economic development, LITE helped turn December into the strong retail month that it is elsewhere.”

There are many ways in which we can impact the climate in which social enterprises are working. LITE and the SPP showcase the multiplying effect a community can create by re-directing purchasing at both corporate and community levels.

LITE’s projects are forever growing and adapting, and we would love to share and learn more! Are you trying to establish a similar purchasing model in your community? Do you already have a successful initiative in place? We want to hear from you!

Molly Dunbar is Coordinator at the Winnipeg Social Purchasing Portal

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This post is one of several CCEDNet will be doing to profile how social enterprises contribute to strong and inclusive communities in preparation for the Social Enterprise World Forum, October 2-4, in Calgary.  Join us there!

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Which social enterprise has been running the longest? 

How many Ontario volunteers do you think contribute their time to social enterprises? 

How many people do Ontario social enterprises actually employ? 

If you are anything like me, you have heard a lot of interesting stories about social enterprises. They are hiring people who face  barriers to employment. They are helping farmers sellfood locally. They are sharing our culture through museums and theatres. I love to hear and share these stories. But in my work at CCEDNet I also get asked the more difficult questions. The “how many” questions. The “what’s the real impact” questions.  And questions like the ones above.

It’s because of these kinds of questions that I was really excited to work with my colleagues at CCEDNet to conduct the BALTA* survey of nonprofit social enterprises for Ontario.

That data has now been analyzed, the report has been written and is now almost ready to publish. We are really looking forward to sharing with you:  Inspiring Innovation: The Size Scope and Socioeconomic Impact of Nonprofit Social Enterprise in Ontario.

This picture shows a few of the significant points we learned about social enterprise, but let me get specific and share a few numbers too. In 2011 these 363 respondents:. 

• generated at least $143 million in sales
• paid at least $117 million in wages and salaries
• employed at least 5,355 people
• trained 65,900 people
• involved almost 18,000 volunteers
• provided services for at least 2.7 million people, excluding their customers

And what’s amazing is that these figures represent only a fraction of the total contribution of the nonprofit social enterprise sector in Ontario.

Impressive as these accumulative numbers are, people often tell me that they really are more interested in knowing about the impacts of individual enterprises. Because of research ethics, we can’t  share data about particular enterprises of course, but in many ways averages are even more interesting and tell us even more. On average, responding social enterprises each:

• sold $548,700 worth of goods and services
• hired 17  employees and 13 contract workers
• paid $517,600 in wages and salaries
• generated net revenues of $42,000
• engaged 57 volunteers
• trained 209 people
• provided services to 9,120 people, excluding their customers

These numbers highlight exciting impacts based on our entire sample of social enterprises, but the data lets us breaks things down into more helpful  pieces. In the report we provide extensive analysis based on five unique subsector categories: arts and culture, farmers’ markets, thrift stores, social purpose enterprises (providing employment or training to those facing barriers) , and miscellaneous that did not fit into any of the preceding categories). These subsector divisions help to capture the diverse nature of the social enterprises and how they interact with the market economy. The report also pays particular attention to francophone social enterprises, urban/rural and regional distinctions, years of operation, and specific mission focus.

Beyond the data analysis we also felt it was important to set the context for the survey findings. To do that we provide:

• a description of some of the key historical influences and components of the broad sector of activity surrounding social enterprise in Ontario, increasingly referred to as the social economy
• a brief snapshot of some of the broader-based community organizations and networks that provide support to social enterprise in the province
• a picture of the provincial landscape of financial supports available to social enterprise gleaned from interviews with a selection of sector funders, financiers and intermediaries
• highlights of several aspects  of the provincial government’s complex relationship with the social economy. 

Ontario’s Special Advisor on Social Enterprise recently stated that governments need  to work with communities to create “an integrated, co-ordinated and collaborative social enterprise strategy that supports innovative organisations”** and our review of government connections with social enterrpise certainly supports that approach.

This survey is the first in Ontario to focus exclusively on social enterprise and it’s great to know that the baseline data provided in this report will allow future surveys to track developments within the sector over time.

We are excited to be officially launching the report at the upcoming ONN conference. We’ll be  fielding your questions and  sharing a lot more details with you in our “We’re on the Map” workshops. And of course, copies will be available for you there.

Oh, and the oldest social enterprise – In 1780, the City of Kingston became home to the first farmer’s market in Ontario.

Download Inspiring Innovation: The Size, Scope and Socioeconomic Impact of Nonprofit Social Enterprise in Ontario

Paul Chamberlain is Ontario Program Director in the Toronto office of the Canadian CED Network. Reach him at pchamberlain at ccednet-rcdec.ca

This post is one of several CCEDNet will be doing to profile how social enterprises contribute to strong and inclusive communities in preparation for the Social Enterprise World Forum, October 2-4, in Calgary.  Join us there!

* The model for this study is based on the work of the BALTA (British Columbia and Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance),which has conducted similar surveys in other provinces over the past 5 years under the direction of Peter Elson, Mount Royal University and Peter Hall, Simon Fraser University. All of these reports contribute to a better understanding of a national entrepreneurial movement within the nonprofit sector. The Ontario survey was co-led by Kate Daly and Jo Flatt.

**Helen Burstyn Lessons from Ontario: How Government Can Help Social Enterprise, originally in the Guardian –April 10, 2013

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Three Key Steps to Public Policy Advocacy

Creating a supportive policy environment is an essential, and often daunting task for many non-profit organizations. The Canadian CED Network has created a new resources to help simplify the policy advocacy process. Public Policy Advocacy: Best Practices is a best practice guide that takes readers through three critical steps to effective policy advocacy:

1. Research the political and public policy context within which your issue fits
2. Prepare your campaign using the information gathered in step one
3. Action: develop an action plan to carry out your advocacy campaign

Also included are four principles, which encourage readers to be patient, cultivate partnerships, and be ready embrace opportunities.

[ DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE ]

See also: The Art of Advocacy

This and other helpful resources can be found in our CED Toolbox.

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The 2013 Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) will bring together 1,200 individuals from more than 30 countries to galvanize the social enterprise movement and facilitate dialogue across all sectors devoted to enhancing social impact, from social enterprises to policy makers, private sector leaders, social good businesses, not-for-profits, and philanthropists.
 

An Amazing Lineup of Speakers

All Speakers and the attendees will represent countries in every corner of the globe, and consist of social enterprise practitioners from all sectors and purposes, funders, investors, and supporters, elected officials and public servants.Click for the schedule and see all the speakers and attendees.
 

A Showcase for Calgary’s Social Enterprises

Thrive, the Calgary CED Network, and CCEDNet member Momentum have helped prepare five tours of Calgary’s innovative local social enterprises, two social purposes businesses, and a first-of-its kind North American innovation centre. Find out more about the tours.

A CCEDNet Networking Reception

Just prior to the SEWF opening session, join CCEDNet members and friends for a networking reception offering new contacts and new ideas from North American leaders working towards inclusive community economies.  Bob Massie, President and CEO of the New Economics Institute will share insights into the growing New Economy movement in the US, and Canadian leaders will respond with their perspectives on the most promising strategies for transformative economic change.  Register for the CCEDNet reception >>

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There are a significant number of post-secondary programs in Canada dealing with CED, co-operative and community development and local economic development.  CCEDNet’s Practitioner and Sector Strengthening Committee compiled them into a handy list some time back. 

We recently communicated with these programs as well as our many members involved in post-secondary education to draw their attention to the resources available on our website which may be of interest to teachers and students.

CED Toolbox

We have just completed a major update of our on-line CED Toolbox, which now contains over 600 resources organized into 38 themes and is keyword searchable.  For student research projects as well as teachers seeking curriculum materials, it is a convenient first stop.

Webinars

Since the fall of 2012, our national webinar series has offered sessions with leading Canadian figures in CED on current topics of most interest to our members.  These sessions are free for members and cost $20 for non-members, but we are pleased to offer complimentary access to interested students who would be willing to share their reactions in a 400-600 word blog post on our website.  Please contact us for more information about this offer.

Social Economy E-books

To conclude its activities last year, the Canadian Social Economy Hub published books synthesizing the major findings of the 6-year national research program and compiling the key products addressing public policy and the social economy.  They are available as free e-book downloads.

Job Postings

Finally, of practical interest to many students, we post jobs related to CED on our website.

E-newsletters and Social Media

Anyone can connect to the latest news and information from CCEDNet by signing up to our free regional and national e-newsletters, or connecting with us on Facebook and Twitter

We hope you will find these resources useful, and invite you to share them with anyone who may be interested.

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Last week I got to spend a couple of days in discussions with a remarkable core group of academics, practitioners and students working on the Scaling Innovation for Sustainability research project.

BALTA-SIS, as it is known, grew out of the national social economy research program.  One of the streams in the original BALTA project focused on the contribution of social economy initiatives to creating more sustainable and resilient communities, which grew into BALTA-SIS and The Resilience Imperative, an important new book co-authored by CCEDNet founding member Mike Lewis of the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal and Pat Conaty of the New Economics Foundation in the UK.

Perhaps because community economic development evolved out of a search by people in communities for new ways of reducing poverty and creating healthy communities, most CCEDNet members I meet seem to have the fibre of innovation, entrepreneurialism and research embedded in their outlook.  How can we change what isn’t working in our community?  What has worked elsewhere that we can learn from?  How can we improve our impacts?  These are fundamentally research questions that will always be at the root of our efforts.

So it’s not surprising that CCEDNet members are involved in numerous groundbreaking research programs across the country, several of which were profiled in a recent webinar organized by CCEDNet’s Research Committee.

But what amazes me each time I have the opportunity to participate in a meeting like this is the wealth of knowledge, insight and creativity that both practitioners and academics from a wide range of disciplines bring to our shared challenges.  At this meeting in particular, the work being done by the graduate students and a CCEDNet CreateAction participant, was exceptional. 

If you’re interested in staying connected to the latest information on CED-related research, consider subscribing to the CCEDNet Research Committee’s Google group, or check out the links below. 

• BALTA Scaling Innovation for Sustainability
• Being Continued: Social Economy Research in Canada (CCEDNet Research webinar)
• From Bridging to Bonding: Examining the Social Enterprise Research-Practice Continuum at the Social Enterprise World Forum, Oct 1, 2013

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