SiMPACT Strategy Group CEO and Founder Stephanie Robertson tackles the state of corporate philanthropy in a pioneering opinion article in the Calgary Herald, urging Canadians to insist on bolder investments in community impact from businesses in the wake of COVID-19. Opinion: We should expect more from Canadian business in a post-COVID world September 28, 2020 “Canada’s non-profit sector is…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 8, 2020 Canadians to Engage in International Social Value Movement Social Value Canada (SVC) is proud to announce the launch of membership opportunities in the Canadian social value network – an essential resource in the advancement of social value thinking among leading corporations, government bodies, non-profits and charities. “The social value…
By Stephanie Robertson, Chair of the Board, Social Value Canada In advance of the 50th Davos conference this past January, Forum founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab and the heads of Bank of America and Royal DSM sent an extraordinary letter to company leaders heading to Switzerland. He asked them for a significant commitment –…
By: Stephanie Robertson, Board Chair, Social Value Canada This past November, over 600 investors, entrepreneurs and professionals from the world of finance, nonprofit and public policy, converged upon the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Canada. They were assembled for the annual Social Finance Forum (SFF19), which I attended as a participant; as well as, moderator…
By: Stephanie Robertson, Chair Social Value Canada, Founder & CIO, SiMPACT Strategy Group I’m often asked about what prompted my journey into social impact measurement. As the founder of SiMPACT Strategy Group and Chair of Social Value Canada (SVC), I’ve simply always been fascinated by the challenge of valuing social things. For those unsure of…
Check out whats new in the world of social impact and community investment.
A number of corporations and organizations across Canada are taking advantage of the year-long festivities to run events and programs that are generating positive impact in the communities in which they operate.
Check out what’s new in the world of social impact and community investment.
LBG Canada and Imagine Canada join forces to strengthen efforts to bring attention to the impact of corporate community investment in Canada, and around the world.
The Employee Experience – Transaction vs. Transformation While more and more studies are being published that link employee engagement to volunteer experiences, Chris Jarvis of Realized Worth will tell you that too many companies are missing opportunities to truly engage their employees. Why? Because they are thinking about transaction rather than transformation. Thinking “transaction” often…
It’s Giving Tuesday, Time to Jump! One key element of Giving Tuesday is that there are many ways to give. Some might give cash, some might give time, while others might share their knowledge or leverage their networks for community benefit. If you give your time, or represent an organization that benefits from time…
POTENTIAL CHALLENGES IMPEDING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Having an employee volunteer program integrated within your company continues to be a growing expectation among Canadian companies. In 2013, 89% of LBG Canada companies report having an established volunteer program. Yet, community investment professionals can face low employee volunteer participation and even limited enthusiasm….
WHAT IS SKILLS-BASED VOLUNTEERING? Skills-based volunteering occurs when organizations capitalize on professional skills, talents, and individual education to assist a community partner meet an objective through various volunteering activities (Volunteer Canada, 2015). Skills-based volunteering is similar to traditional volunteering as it provides a non-profit with a free service, it engages employees, and contributes to a…
CREATING A COMPANY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM TO REFLECT YOUR NEEDS Creating a successful company volunteer program is a process that requires recognizing a company’s individual context and circumstance to ensure the program fits its employee’s unique needs. Surveys taken by the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) Canada, indicate the following regarding company volunteer programs: (1) 11 out…
WHAT IS SROI? Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a framework based on social accounting principles that can be used to help value (monetize) the social, economic and environmental outcomes created by an organization’s activities. Specifically, SROI analysis is intended to illustrate the amount of social value created for every dollar invested in a program….
ENHANCED REPORTING A growing importance has been placed on organizations, by the public, to report above and beyond the financial status of the organization. Stakeholders expect enhanced reporting practices as they want to be actively communicated with, regarding the community investment activities. Increasingly, organizations are releasing annual community investment or corporate social responsibility reports to…
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A COMMUNITY PARTNER Trends indicate that companies with community investment programs are interested in partnering with community based organizations and institutions. By working with community partners, companies are able to directly benefit communities, while also strengthening relationships with their customers and employees. For effective long-term partnerships, it is important for…
COLLECTING DATA FROM CHILDREN I’ve now accumulated some experience leading SiMPACT SROI evaluation projects that involve children under 13 years old. The youngest members of some social programs with which I’ve done an SROI for have been five or six years old. The SROI framework encourages highly participatory, stakeholder-informed contributions to the evaluation, from the…
KEEPING EMPLOYEES ENGAGED! Employee engagement is a recurring theme in many blog and newspaper articles. Engaged employees typically feel that they are respected, integral member of their teams, and important to the success of the organization as a whole. Not surprisingly, these employees are more likely to remain committed to their organizations. A study summarized…
BUILDING STANDARD OF PRACTICE IN SROI In November 2014, the Social Return on Investment (SROI) International Network merged with Social Impact Analysts Association (SIAA) to form Social Value International (SVI). This is an exciting development as the two organizations had strong visions of putting social value on the agendas of government, corporate, and social profit…
