I know what you’re thinking. As the Manager, B Corporation and Social Impact Metrics at MaRS, of course I’m going to make a case for social impact metrics. But hear me out.

Measuring the social impact of nonprofit and charitable organizations is a polarizing concept. Some think quantitative measures are the only way to go, while others believe imposing additional regulations strangles the effectiveness of an organization. And then there’s an entire group that thinks social impact metrics simply can’t be viewed the same way in which the business community views financial metrics and accounting as their means of evaluation.

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Last year, over 300 people gathered at the MaRS Discovery District for the launch of the landmark report Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good by the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance. The event was a call to action for all to consider the role of capital markets in creating not only economic value, but also social and environmental sustainability in our society.

With the one-year anniversary of this publication as the backdrop, we are excited to announce the 2011 Social Finance Forum on December 13th and 14th at MaRS. Join leaders from across the country to drive the development of Canada’s impact investing marketplace and to learn what it means to invest in good deals.

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That is a great question. One that, as the newly hired Manager of B Corporation and Social Impact Metrics at MaRS, I am all too eager to answer.

Certified B Corporations are “a new type of corporation which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.” To receive certification, companies must meet high quality and independent standards of social and environmental performance including the following: Accountability, Employees, Consumers, Community and Environment. This certification, based on a points system, is provided through B Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting this growing ecosystem of companies creating good.

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SocialFinance.ca produces a weekly round up featuring social finance related news, insights, job openings, and events. We source the content for these round ups from Twitter, an RSS reader, and directly from our community of social finance practitioners. Below is our round up for the week of October 3, 2011.

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