What’s a Social Enterprise?
The concept of ‘social enterprise’ isn’t new: create an income-generating business to contribute revenues to the operations of a non-profit organization. Girl Guides selling boxes of cookies may have been among the earliest ones. But, these days, its practitioners speak more in terms of 'stabilized and diversified funding bases', 'triple bottom line' and 'meeting marketplace challenges.'
While a successful social enterprise can help an organization generate new revenues to enhance their programs and services, we believe it’s equally important to use words like 'mission' and 'sustainability'. Our development of a social enterprise is set very much within the context of SFWSS’s goals – to provide information, resources, support and counselling for women to empower themselves.
The business model emerged out of our own experience. We, like most community- based organizations are challenged to follow up on everything that needs our attention - to meet as often as necessary, to collaborate effectively, to participate as actively as possible in the development of the services upon which a vibrant, healthy community depends.
While innovations like email seem to offer one answer, even finding a way to integrate them into a productive work day provides a barrier for many.
And, with the growing trend for funders - from federal agencies to service groups, municipal programs, local foundations and financial institutions – to interact with current and potential clients online, it’s not about being left behind. It’s risking becoming 'invisible'.
Dynamic internet technology is both an unavoidable part of the process and, if not otherwise enabled, a powerful tool available only to those with the financial resources and specialized knowledge to exploit it.
Our social enterprise, Town in Common, is a business support service committed to increasing access to those online tools and communications options for non-profit groups and grassroots organizations – a bridge across the growing 'technology gap.'
For some organizations, we can provide a new way to think about and perhaps redefine their own web presence. For others, it will be an introduction to new skills and untapped capacity.
Over many years in Surrey/White Rock, Women’s Place has been part of a strong growth in local partnerships – among various service organizations, between the private and public sectors – undertaking, together, a broad range of initiatives to benefit our community.
By creating a 'social enterprise' now, we’re also joining with others in a broader movement that is beginning to reconcile the supposedly competing interests of business and sustainability. Of community development 'versus' economic development. It doesn’t have to be an 'either-or' situation.
In many ways, social enterprise has become the meeting place in the middle – what citizens once called 'the commons'. For us, it’s more than a metaphor. Town in Common represents that ideal.