Past Events
How Microphilanthropy is Changing Giving
Discover how smaller, more direct contributions to causes are changing how, why and where people give.
Microphilathropy is an approach to philanthropy based on smaller, more direct interaction between those who are in need and those who can give. Platforms such as Kiva, DonorsChoose and Facebook Causes have the ability to aggregate thousands of relatively small donations to make a big difference. To date, Kiva has distributed over $119 million to 297,000 small business entrepreneurs in developing countries, with an average loan size of $400 and a 98.27% repayment rate.
Come hear from three Canadian leaders as they describe how their initiatives are changing how, why and where people give:
- Peter Deitz is the founder of Social Actions, a social enterprise that curates open source and collaborative projects to make it easier for people to take action on the causes they care about.
- Ruth Richardson is the co-founder of the Small Change Fund, which enables social change at the grassroots level and helps Canadians invest in local actions that make a difference for the planet.
- Anil Patel is the Executive Director of the Framework Foundation, which empowers Canadians to ‘get in the picture’ to participate in volunteering and philanthropy.
The Colour of Poverty with Uzma Shakir
Many immigrants and refugees coming to Canada do so precisely because they find life untenable in other parts of the world, but they are finding themselves impoverished, marginalized, subjected to racism and victimized further in Canada. The fact that these ethno-racial immigrants are facing higher rates of poverty at a time when they are entering Canada with higher levels of education than ever before is particularly troubling. Uzma Shakir will lead us in a dialogue on the unique challenges these groups face and raise potential solutions. This topic is particularly relevant given the focus of our most recent investee, Skills for Change.
What is Capacity Anyway?
Join us for a participatory workshop to unpack capacity & learn about how we help investees become stronger organizations. More details coming soon!
Fireside Chat with Kenn Richard
Executive Director of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto will be joining us for an intimate discussion at the home of Ken Goldberg.
Social Enterprise Angels
Social Enterprise Angels is an exciting event to be featured at the Third Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise, organized by the Social Enterprise Council of Canada (SECC). The Conference, which runs from November 18-20, 2009, in Toronto, Ontario, is expected to draw over 300 social enterprise managers, funders, supporters and policy-makers from across the country. Social Enterprise Angels will occur on November 19, 2009, from 5:00-6:30pm. In partnership with the SECC, the event is co-hosted by Social Venture Partners Toronto.
Social Enterprise Angels is inspired by the CBC television series, The Dragon's Den, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business idea to a panel of investors in hopes of securing funding for their venture. Social Enterprise Angels uses a similar model to demonstrate and promote the value of financial investment in social enterprise. The event will feature three of Canada's top social entrepreneurs, selected from among a pool of nation-wide applicants. These selected social entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their social enterprise to a panel of judges, or "Angels" in front of a live audience, in hopes of securing up to $30,000 for their projects. The Angels include representatives from the social enterprise sector, the private sector, and Social Venture Partners Toronto. Social Enterprise Council of Canada is requesting letters of intent from social enterprises operating in Canada who are seeking investment towards the start up and/or growth of their enterprises and who would like to participate in this event.
Click here for more information.
