The five critical factors of social enterprise profitability
What are boards, investors and management teams to do when there is tension between the financial and social bottom lines of social enterprises? Social Capital Partners shares learnings gleaned from seven years of investing in employment-based social enterprises. We identify the five most important factors that determine whether a social enterprise will be profitable or require some form of subsidy.
Working together: Implementing a demand-led employment and training system
Canada’s approach to training and development needs reform. Billions of dollars are spent annually on job training and skills development, with limited evidence of lasting benefits. Most problematic, employers’ talent needs (i.e., actual skills demand) are not formally embedded in the process of determining how or where money is spent, leaving a fundamental disconnect between demand for skills and the investments being made by governments.
A Fine Balance: What Inner City Renovations taught us about managing social and economic objectives inside business models
What are reasonable profitability targets for a social enterprise start-up with a mission to create employment for disadvantaged populations? How does external financing play a role in the execution of the social mission and how does a social mission as a key part of the business model impact the ability to reach profitability targets? SCP showcases one of our early investments and highlights key learnings about the inherent mission tensions in these business models.
Social return on investment report: TurnAround Couriers
SCP reports on six years of TurnAround Couriers, a social-purpose business dedicated to helping at-risk youth in the Greater Toronto Area overcome social and economic obstacles by providing them with a chance to get ahead.