I was flipping through the Globe and Mail this week and came across a recruitment ad for a new Executive Director for Ten Thousand Villages. Being self-employed, I don’t generally pay attention to recruitment ads. However, I did linger over the Ten Thousand Villages one because I have a lot of respect for them.
Many of you will know Ten Thousand Villages as a warm, funky retail boutique where you can buy fair trade gifts, and home décor, from around the globe. What you may not know, however, is that it’s also a nonprofit program of the Mennonite Central Committee, which, despite its name, is, a multi-church (Mennonite, Brethren of Christ, Amish) relief agency which has been operating since 1920.
Ten Thousand Villages works with more than 120 artisan groups in 35 countries, and is one of the world's oldest and largest fair trade organizations. Using a commercially focused model, they help artisans earn a decent wage and live a better life.
Like co-ops—the focus of my past few postings—Ten Thousand Villages is part of the social economy. However, as a social enterprise, they represent another business model that takes a true triple bottom line approach. As Jordy Gord mentions in his March 16 article, social enterprises are “ventures that combine both making profits and achieving social ends, such as poverty reduction, or environmental improvement, as fundamental elements.”
Distinctly separate from the private sector and government, social enterprises combine a socially responsible mission with a commitment to socially responsible care for employees, suppliers, consumers, and the environment. In other words, they are businesses that fuel positive change.
Any money social enterprises make is reinvested in their mission or that of the sponsoring organization. And that’s nothing new: those Girl Guide Cookies you crave were first baked and sold in Regina in 1927. And that narrow-lapelled jacket you wore to a Flock of Seagulls concert in the 80s? You likely got that at a Thrift Store run by a church or community services agency.
Social enterprises respond to the conditions and opportunities of their time. With all of the cuts we’ve seen from government and the fact that there are some needs the market will never meet on its own, it’s no wonder they’ve emerged to advance their mission. Look around you today and social enterprises are everywhere. Whether you are a consumer or a businessperson, they’re providing great products and services while making a difference in the world.
As I strolled around Seattle this past Easter weekend, I was struck by a series of bus ads that combined a message about an affordable, stylish cell phone with the ability to make positive change. More than once, the ads forced me to do a double-take as I verified that what I read was, in fact, correct. After all, what did a cell phone have to do with climate change, forest preservation and a woman’s right to choose?
When I got home and looked them up, I learned that the cell phone company—Credo Mobile—is the wireless division of Working Assets, the San Francisco-based company that automatically generates donations to progressive organizations when customers use its services. Once I read that, the ads made total sense. Incidentally, Working Assets has raised more than $60 million for organizations like Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and Planned Parenthood.
But the work of social enterprises goes far beyond that of Working Assets. With shoestring budgets, they are now delivering anything from consulting services, recycling, or building management, to courier and voice mailbox services, lawn maintenance, cafés and restaurants. For example, in Metro Vancouver, Atira Property Management Inc., an organization dedicated to the elimination of all forms of violence, donates all of its profits to Atira Women's Resource Society.
In my office, whenever we order catering, we choose Potluck Café. Not only do we love their excellent food and service, but 100% of the proceeds from their catering services go directly to employment training and meal programs for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside residents. Given that our office is located just two blocks away, using their services is one of the ways that we can help address the deeply rooted challenges in the neighbourhood.
We also contract our cleaning services with another local social enterprise called Blue Shell Services Inc. We could have just as easily called The Cleaning Solution, a program of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Meanwhile, a number of social enterprises are successfully bidding on government contracts or delivering a range of government-funded services. For example, here in BC, the Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC BC), is responsible for issuing the permits required to park in a spot marked by a wheelchair symbol.
Fortunately, it’s getting easier and easier to support social enterprises. Across Canada, a number of “social purchasing portals” are in operation – a one-stop shop that connects people who want to put their dollars to work with non-profits who want to make change or better the lives of people. Check on-line to learn about programs in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Surrey, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island.
A further ten communities are currently engaged in developing in their own portals. If one of those communities is not yours, think about getting one started. Better yet, advocate for your organization to incorporate social and environmental criteria into how it buys a range of products and services. That’s one way to give the term “purchasing power” real meaning.
Finally, think about how you can support social enterprises with the purchases you make in your life outside of work. The next time you sit down to a salad, consider this: the Paul Newman salad dressing you chose helped raise more than $200 million over the past 20 years for a range of worthy causes. Now that’s food for thought.
