Hello colleagues across Canada and peers following SocialFinance.ca internationally. Today is a very exciting day for me. I get to introduce myself to all of you as the new Managing Editor of SocialFinance.ca.

In the past year, SocialFinance.ca has emerged as a go-to resource for discussions about the social finance marketplace (and movement) taking form in Canada. I am extremely honoured to help deepen and expand the conversation at this important moment.

From what I have observed, Canada is poised to emerge as a global leader in innovations around how capital flows into and supports high-impact social enterprises and the charitable sector. As the bloggers on SocialFinance.ca have documented, a dispersed group of nonprofit and business leaders are pioneering the development of new forms of social finance. The work of Renewal Partners in British Columbia, Momentum in Alberta, and the Chantier de l'Économie Sociale in Québec are just a few examples.

One of my main responsibilities will be to ensure the inspiring work of this community is reflected back to the people who are doing the work and those who are in the best position to support them. If we are successful, the result will be a financially sustainable platform that has at its center a tight-knit network of social finance practitioners and enablers that extends from St. Johns in the East, to Iqaluit in the North, and Victoria in the West.

The present opportunity for me to serve as the Managing Editor of SocialFinance.ca would not be possible without the support of SiG @ MaRS, Causeway, and the tireless work of SocialFinance.ca Co-Founder Karim Harji. I am grateful to all three for their vision, and look forward to building on the momentum they have created. I'm also grateful to my colleagues in the fields of nonprofit technology, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship, who I have learned so much from, and who I look forward to partnering with in my new role.

Since my background is in social action as much as social finance, I'd like to conclude my introduction with a few calls-to-action. The first two are very simple. If you are plugged into Twitter and Facebook, I'd ask that you follow @socialfinance on Twitter and like Social Finance on Facebook. 

The third request may take a few more minutes of your time. I'm curious what the SocialFinance.ca community sees as the greatest possible impact of this website. If there were no limits placed on what we could create together, what would we create?

Thank you for taking a moment to share your thoughts.

-Peter

Photo Credit: Adapted from http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4397427381/ (Sidney Crosby skates prior to the start of the Gold Medal match between Canada and the USA in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Over his left shoulder, SocialFinance.ca!)

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