This is the second blog post in a series on the development of an open business plan for SocialFinance.ca. For the first post, see Ready, Set, Open: SocialFinance.ca Launches Open Business Planning Initiative.
I’ve often wondered how important energy drinks and cheering fans are to marathon runners and long-distance cyclists. Would the athletes take short cuts or collapse from exhaustion without this support? Do they perform better in the company of fans?
In light of the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada (YSEC)'s upcoming pitch competition, YSEC thought it would be great to share the perspective of somebody who’s had a lot of experience with pitch contests before. Below is the blog post I put together as a guest post for YSEC.
So you’ve decided to enter a pitch competition? Let’s say you’ve clearly identified your business and covered the basics: management team credibility, problem, solution, target market, customers, marketing, business model (how you’ll make money), competitors, competitive advantage, demonstrated traction, funding amount, and how funds will be spent. Take it from someone who’s been both a judge and a participant in many pitch contests - whether you win or not, there are many benefits to participating.
Photography has a distinct ability to draw people to a cause and start conversations. It empowers the subject of the photo whose voice is amplified, the viewer who is made aware of the issues the photograph addresses, and the photographer who uses his or her work to tell a story. Through the medium of photography, the conversations between these actors can spur public discourse and drive action for social change.
Not surprisingly, non-profits and photographers around the world are collaborating to leverage the “empowerment” nature of photography and create greater awareness of social issues. There are numerous examples, but I would like to highlight one partnership in particular between Toronto for Acumen, a volunteer run chapter of Acumen Fund, and the Nuru Project.
SocialFinance.ca produces a weekly round up featuring social finance related news, insights, and events. We source the content for these round ups from Twitter, a Google reader that has over 100 feeds, and directly from our network of social finance practitioners across Canada. Below is our round up for the week of November 22, 2010.
Impact investments, also known as community investments and mission-related investments, aim to solve social or environmental challenges while generating financial return. Presented in October as part of the Lunchbox Speakers Series at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, this presentation addresses impact investing in the global and local marketplace. It attempts to serve as a helpful and informative introduction to the industry.
The presentation outlines the evolution of the marketplace, where it is today, and what it might look like over the next five to ten years. It also assesses the size of the marketplace, highlights key players, and raises important questions about capital supply and demand as well as intermediation in the Canadian context.
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Your Guide helps social entrepreneurs learn how to attract financing for their social ventures.
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Your Guide to Social Finance
SocialFinance.ca hosts an online guide that helps social entrepreneurs learn how to attract financing for their social ventures.
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