Social enterprises rewarded
Amanda Loewen - Oct 05, 2018 - Columnists

Photo: Contributed
L to R: Tori Hanson (Elevation Outdoors), Sue Manzuik (Interior Savings), Reanne Holden-Amadio (United Way), Jessica Bodrug (Elevation Outdoors) and Mike Greer (Elevation Outdoors).

United Way Central and South Okanagan/Similkameen (CSO), in partnership with Interior Savings Credit Union, on Wednesday announced the recipients of the inaugural investments from the Social Enterprise Accelerator Fund. Penticton’s Okanagan School of the Arts and Kelowna’s Elevation Outdoors secured funding designed to help them build long-term sustainable revenue for their social enterprise programs.

Both organizations will receive 15 months of mentorship through Purppl’s Social Enterprise Acceleration program.

Okanagan School of the Arts’ Shatford Centre is a beautiful heritage building in the heart of Penticton. Currently, the centre provides event and program space but sees huge potential to create an innovative hub for creative community events and connections for social services, non-profit, business and arts organizations.

“The mentorship provided will help the Shatford Centre realize its full potential,” president Pat Field says. “It will enable us to evolve our existing business model and take it to new heights, generating income while building a regionally significant creativity and innovation centre for the economic and social well-being of our community.”

Elevation Outdoors’ social enterprise project has two components: the Intro to Adventure Summer Camp, and the Elevation Bus and Bike Rental programs. The Intro to Adventure Summer Camp is a fee-for-service program that assists young people to gain access to outdoor recreation opportunities, and the Rental Program utilizes existing assets for rental to other local organizations and companies.

“This investment will enable Elevation Outdoors to leverage the skills and equipment we already hold to increase our reach and become a more sustainable organization,” Elevation Outdoors founder Tori Hanson says. “Our summer camps aim to get more young people into the outdoors, contributing to their mental and physical well-being, while generating income to subsidize our programs for at-risk youth. The rental of our bike fleet and bus will help offset yearly operating costs.”

Purppl’s program teams social enterprises with a pair of experienced “entrepreneurs in residence” to help them refine and scale their business model. Two such entrepreneurs in residence are Alyssa Farr and Fraser Campbell. Farr co-founded a social enterprise commercial, industrial and residential repair contracting company. She also helped to initiate three social enterprises with Metro Community. Campbell is a serial entrepreneur who grew fencing and pallet companies across Canada, among other startups. He is also the Kelowna Food Bank director and contributed significantly to its new building project. Entrepreneurs in residence bring a balance of experience and coaching while also helping to hold each social enterprise accountable for moving forward.

“For United Way and Interior Savings Credit Union this collaborative fund is about supporting the capacity and long-term sustainability of charities in our region,” United Way CSO executive director Helen Jackman says. “The fund is groundbreaking in our region and something we hope to repeat in future years as we learn how this kind of smart investment can spark new social businesses.”

To apply, charities needed a well-formed social enterprise idea—one that, with the right support, could grow to deliver both economic and social outcomes. Applicant charities submitted their proposals at the end of May and were invited to present their social enterprise at a Dragon’s Den style pitch night to an independent selection panel that scrutinized potential social impact, sustainability, ability to scale and leadership.

More information on the Social Enterprise Accelerator Fund is available here.


All Columnists Stories