May is Social Enterprise Month and the Columbia Basin Trust is urging businesses and social enterprises to make better use of the Basin Business Advisors program.
What’s a social enterprise? A social enterprise is a business operated by a non-profit organization that both generates income from sales and creates social, environmental or cultural value. The Hospital Auxiliary’s Thrift Store is a good example of an existing social enterprise in Revelstoke.
Delivered by Community Futures, BBA aims to build economic capacity in Columbia Basin communities by strengthening small- to medium-sized businesses and social enterprises. While it supports social enterprises throughout the year, it is currently running social enterprise workshops in Trail (May 27) and online (June 2). Attending one of these workshops qualifies a non-profit to apply for a development grant from Enterprising Non-Profits. Learn more at bbaprogram.ca.
“We support social enterprises because enhancing business skills is key to helping non-profits meet their financial goals and visions,” Lisa Kilpatrick, the CBT’s senior manage for the delivery of benefits, said in a statement. “Social enterprises help build healthy local economies and encourage entrepreneurship in our communities.”
BBA provides free, one-to-one, confidential business counselling and assessment services, and arranges and cost-shares specialized consulting services. It helps social enterprises generate revenues so they can diversify their incomes beyond grants. Social enterprises are invited to seek help in areas like business planning and strategy, marketing and sales, and systems support (financial management, inventory management, process efficiency, etc.).
The statement said that for many years, the Trust has collaborated with Enterprising Non-Profits (enp) — and it continues to do so through BBA. The goal is to help social enterprises develop and grow, which in turn builds strong non-profits and healthier communities. Through its granting program, workshops and other opportunities, enp shares its expertise, resources and support, helping non-profits further their objectives and become more financially sustainable.
The CBT supports efforts to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin. To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, visit cbt.org or call 1-800-505-8998.
