Renjie Butalid

Jessica Flannery (above), Co-Founder and CEO of Kiva I am so excited that Kiva is represented here at the Social Finance forum. Kiva is a great example of an online, hi-tech social innovation tool that has revolutionized the way people the world over engage in the microfinance model championed by Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. The social innovation in this case? Changing the mindset and getting people in the developed world to think about people in the developing world in a completely different manner – see the example of the woman in sub-Saharan Africa below. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Kiva, I would encourage you to do so. Notes on Jessica’s talk:

Jessica started talking about her background story, her first exposure to poverty on a trip to Haiti (please correct me if I am wrong)

Took philosophy and political science in college in order to a) think strategically and b) understand who was making the rules in order to change the rules.

After a few years out of college, trying to figure out what to do (as I am sure with every other twenty-something college grad)…

Heard Muhammad Yunus speak and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kiva sometimes thinks like a tech company (being located in San Francisco), and sometimes like a development company

Stressed that Kiva is about people, sharing their stories – each story is significant and meaningful – expanding shared possibilities

Loans do a lot to alleviate poverty – Kiva’s hope is to changes the way we think about and see what is possible in our lives.

Example:

Lender comes across the story of a woman in sub-Saharan Africa. They would not see this woman as needing ‘help’ in the traditional sense, but as an equal, as a business partner. The woman receives funding, not just money but money with heart – that allows her to grow her small micro-enterprise. In turn, this woman starts to think about herself and how the global community sees her in a much different way.

Kiva has managed to raise $50 million in micro-credit loans in the past three years, transforming hundreds of thousands of lives all over the world.

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Charity Banking Initiative

Through a bold and innovative Charity Banking Initiative (CBI), Citizens Bank of Canada and Vartana will offer a full suite of financial products and services and provide education and outreach that supports organizational capacity-building for the not-for-profit sector (NFP) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ontario. With retail banking services delivered through our Front Street branch location and National Contact Centre, the successes and opportunities learned through this pilot program will support the development of other Charity Banking Initiatives across Canada.

The official launch of CBI is scheduled for early 2009 And although I have linked the CBI to a job posting on the Citizen’s Bank website, I am told that they have already filled the position of Community Business Manager. Notes on the CBI presentation:

Vartana

Was started by an Ashoka Fellow and social entrepreneur, Aaron Pereira, who is now currently a Skoll Fellow at Oxford University

Interesting tidbit of information…. Aaron was one of our keynote speakers at our inaugural conference on social entrepreneurship held in Waterloo last year

Vancity / Citizens Bank

Vancity Savings Credit Union

- Founded in 1946 – Working with people and communities to help them thrive and prosper – Largest credit union in English-speaking Canada – $14 billion in assets – 400,000 members – 60 branches

Citizens Bank of Canada was formed to take Vancity beyond the borders of BC

- Retail banking transactions via the internet, national contact centre, and selected boutique branches – Citizens Bank of Canada remains the first and still, the only bank with an ethical policy that states position on key social and environmental issues

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UPDATES on all of the other sessions at the Social Finance Forum will be coming soon…

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What the Social Finance Forum currently looks like…. The Social Enterprise Summit took place here yesterday as well, at the MaRS building in downtown Toronto. On a side note, Im currently sitting in a panel discussion called “Creating Canada’s Social Finance Marketplace” and one of the topics of discussion revolved around the Canadian Revenue Agency and how they are ‘cracking’ down on charitable organizations making a ‘profit’ because of the success of their social enterprise, since they are no longer operating like a ‘charity’ within the framework defined by the CRA. This is unfortunate and it will be interesting to see how this plays out in Canadian society, and whether there will be pressure on the CRA to update the tax code as it relates to social enterprise. A rep from MBAs Without Borders stood up and mentioned that his organization was facing a similar challenge as well… On another note, its great to see direct audience participation at this forum.

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SFF2008 – Welcome to Social Finance: A Primer and State of the Nation from SiG @ MaRS on Vimeo.

8:30am-9:00am: Opening Session – Welcome to Social Finance: a primer and state of the nation This session will provide an overview of Social Finance in general and the growing momentum in Canada.  You will also hear highlights on provincial initiatives, national projects, and how the social finance ecosystem is taking shape. Ilse Treurnicht, (introduction), CEO, MaRS Discovery District Tim Brodhead, President and CEO, J.W. McConnell Family Foundation Tim Draimin, Executive Director, SiG National; Chair, Causeway Social Finance; Senior Fellow, Tides Canada Foundation

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Opening remarks are being made right now  by Ilse, talking about MaRS as well as introducing the two Tim’s, Tim Brodhead and Tim Draimin. Notes on discussion: Tim B – Visionary, one of those Canadians who can see the future clearly and then acts on it

Joke – He can see the future more clearly sitting down

Challenge: How do we mobilize new sources of financial support for organization, namely non-profit organizations?

To do this, we need to get rid of the notion of non-profit, instead use public benefit or community-benefit organizations

Need to look for new solutions – in Canada, we need to be much more creative in identifying ways in which the work of these groups can be supported financially

Causeway – PLAN, Ashoka, Carleton University, MaRS, McConnell Foundation, Social Capital Partners and a number of other partners, who set themselves the task in doing some research in other areas (US, UK), and created an advocacy plan – government, community-benefit sector, private sector – path that we have been on for the past two years

This past year has been Causeway’s start up year – helped by Michael Lewkowitz and Joanna Reynolds

Last year, held the first Social Finance Forum

“One hand in the soil, the other hand reaching for the stars” – Al Etmanski

Told the story of a Major General looking at the stars and realizing how small humanity is in comparison to the universe. The Major General then turned to his Deputy for his thoughts, and the Deputy exclaimed that their tent was stolen…

I guess the moral of the story is to dream big (reach for the stars, etc…) but to have that dream grounded in reality

We are living in remarkable times: No one could anticipate two years ago the financial crisis in the stock and housing markets today – which is about to make itself in the job market and the real economy. Many references to the 2nd Great Depression today

Reality: An increase in demand for social services, fewer government dollars. Lingering effects of insecurity over the economy (loss of jobs, homes, etc.) will be felt for many years to come

Conclusion: Work started two years ago even more urgent now

What we should remember: Lots of experience out there that we can learn from, instead of yes we can do it….. yes, we ARE doing it….

Tim Draimin – Founder and CEO of Tides Canada Foundation and now Executive Director of SiG

SiG is a collaborative effort on the part of PLAN, UW, MaRS and McConnell to create in Canada a culture which supports and sustains a continual process of social innovation that address intractable social problems

Causeway is time bound, 3 year limit – Within this time period, goal is to support and work with organizations that are working in social finance, help facilitate and support a national movement for change.

1. Engaging mainstream financial institutions

Outreach in terms of discussion with financial institutions

Collaborating with social investment organizations – Social Investment Organization, Canadian Association for Socially Responsible Investment

2. Support mobilization of knowledge

Actively trying to build a network of academic and training institutions interested in social finance

Carleton University – Carleton Centre for Community Innovation

Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia

Margie Mendell – Paper (.pdf) Social Enterprises in OECD Member Countries: What are the financial streams? – Concordia University

3. Catalyze a national movement around social finance

Roundtable on Social Finance created in British Columbia

Community Foundations of Canada – Pilot project called Responsible Investing

Participated at Imagine Canada and Association of Fundraising Professionals – focus on social finance

4. Policy advocacy in social finance

Difficult year to work because of the national election that took place recently

Federal inquiry – find out how much the federal government knows about social finance, recognize the levers within this community to place social finance on the agenda

Social Finance movement in other parts of Canada:

Emergence of new Social Finance fund called the Resilient Fund (can’t seem to find a web link)

Fraser Valley Centre for Social Enterprise – Looking into the best incorporation status for SE entities wanting to engage in social finance

VanCity – New Executive VP for Social Finance

Social Enterprise Fund (.pdf)  – Edmonton, Alberta

Another investment fund in Ontario – Investico

Many clean tech and energy funds starting up as well

New social venture model that MaRS has been working on

Ontario Trillium Foundation is creating a Future Fund

Chantier L’Economie Sociale – whole new policy framework to support the social economy in Quebec

SocialFinance.ca

Online platform for both individuals and organizations to use to discuss emerging thoughts and trends on social finance

Causeway is looking to build their platform through SocialFinance.ca - open to other organizations to link into it – ability to support email, calendars, sharedocs and email

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In preparation for the forum on social finance taking place tomorrow, here is the link to the proceedings from last year, at the event that was billed as Canada’s first national conversation on social finance hosted by Causeway

The Issue

The social sector in Canada needs adequate resources to effectively address entrenched social problems. The two traditional sources of revenue, government grants and private donations, will not by themselves meet the need.

The Solution

New sources of capital, often called “social finance”, are being created by international financial institutions. This emerging field of investment blends economic and social returns and is located on the continuum between high financial and no social return (traditional investment vehicles) and no financial but high social returns (grants or donations). Examples range from affordable housing and microfinance to social enterprises and clean technology.

Tomorrow’s conversation on social finance should prove to be interesting, til then…

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