Social Enterprise /Impact Investing Workshop

The Sustainable Development Network, in partnership with MIGS (Multiple Income Generating Strategy) is hosting a Social Enterprise /Impact Investing Workshop on 8 June 2016 at Klein Joostenberg Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.

In our current financial climate, many South African NGOs are struggling to find ways to provide sustainable long term support for the communities they serve, and SMMEs are struggling to find sustainable business models. Organisational sustainability should be a core focus area for South African NGOs and SMMEs. Organisational development strategies should include diversifying income streams to become less dependent on donors. This can take the form of transitioning towards becoming a social enterprise, which will enable NGOs to operate more independently and SMMEs to become more successful.

Workshop Objectives

• To define social innovation, social business, social enterprise and social entrepreneurship
• To understand the logic behind the need for hybrid organizations
• To obtain practical and relevant knowledge on the enabling environment for social enterprises in South Africa
• To provide a clear understanding of the current social enterprise landscape in South Africa through the presentation of case studies
• To define impact investing
• To explore income generating initiatives appropriate to individual partners in order to broaden their resource base and reduce dependency on donor funding
• To provide recommendations on financial support systems for SE start-ups and expansion
• To engage partners in exploring on-going processes which will promote long-term organizational sustainability

Targeted Participants

NGOs and SMMEs interested in establishing social enterprises. It is suggested that each organisation include 2 to 3 staff members (Executive Directors, Programme and Project Managers, New Business Development staff, Finance Directors and board members who undertake the role of social enterprise development within the organization).

Workshop Format

This 1 day workshop will be participative and interactive, and structured with an outcomes-driven approach. The facilitators and guest speakers will encourage the delegates to think through aspects of social enterprise development and strategy effectively, as it relates to their own organisation. Through a creative and logical process and through peer learning, the delegates will be able to begin to define an SE strategy for their own organisation.

Workshop Resources

A workshop CD which includes:

• Social Enterprise research and tools for business planning, implementation and measurement
• ILO Case Studies on Social Enterprises in South Africa
• ILO Guide on Financing and Legal Structures for Social Enterprises

The workshop will end with a brief reflection session in which participants will identify priority actions for SE implementation. This session will also provide feedback to the organizing committee on what went well and what should be improved in future trainings.

Workshop Dates and Location

YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT! DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS FRIDAY 3 JUNE

Write to Henriette for a registration form at admin@sdnafrica.com

Course fee of R850 must be deposited or transferred by EFT to: Sustainable Development Network: Standard Bank Account Number: 270246622 Branch Code: 050610. PLEASE USE PARTICIPANT NAME AS A REFERENCE! This fee covers the costs of the venue, catering, presenters and materials.

Who are the speakers?

Lisa Thompson-Smeddle is the Director of the USA and RSA registered NGO called the Sustainable Development Network. She has an Honours degree in Social Sciences at Chapman University in California, and both Honours and Master’s degrees in Sustainable Development from Stellenbosch University. She has 25 years’ experience working in the NGO sector in South Africa. She has acted as a sustainability consultant to Family Health International, an Umbrella Grants Mechanism managing a $90million USAID/PEPFAR grant in South Africa. Her role was to build capacity in PEPFAR funded NGOs. This included the development of sustainability strategies, organisational policies, effective financial, monitoring evaluation and reporting systems and more. Lisa was also Programme Coordinator for the Sustainability Institute and course designer/lecturer at Stellenbosch University. She has managed infrastructure development and infrastructure research projects for the UNDP, DANIDA, Cordaid, the City of Cape Town, the University of California Berkeley and other academic institutions and donor organisations.

Varkey George has experience in rural and urban South Africa, having set up various job creation, education and job creation projects and transforming non-profits from total dependence to greater financial independence, in various parts of the country. He has held CEO positions at SHAWCO and Wits Rural Facially of the University of Witwatersrand. In 2012, he established a consulting company called MIGS (Multiple Income Generating Strategy) model of income generation for NPOs. He assists NPOs and other organisations to think and act innovatively to solve social issues, facilitates strategic planning sessions, planning, evaluation and reporting. He currently assists BADISA, Work4You, Carol Du Toit, among others. He also lectures on social entrepreneurship in France and the UK and recently developed the curriculum for social innovation at the USB-ed.

Laura Bergh is an independent professional in Sustainability leadership and research with a Master’s degree from Cambridge. Laura worked in the corporate and consulting governance arena with big business for 20 years before she changed careers and joined the social economy. She has a very strong interest in enabling and catalysing Sustainability-driven entrepreneurs and is currently assisting a number of social enterprises and non-profit organisations with business plans, strategies and impact assessments in order to build resilience and scale up for higher impact. Laura’s work on customising and localising the Poverty Stoplight approach for a South African context has led her to form the Poverty Stoplight Office (SA) where the objective is to assist in improving the impact and success rates of organisations delivering social impacts through poverty-related programmes, enterprise development initiatives and upliftment and empowerment community-based projects. This approach is also used by corporates and business in assessing the poverty status of their blue-collar workers and prioritising focus areas for engagement.

DIRECTIONS TO JOOSTENBERG

From Cape Town: take the N1 toward Paarl. Take the first Stellenbosch exit, right turn at the end of the exit, over the bridge over the N1, several hundred metres later the Joostenberg entrance is on your left. Ask for the conference room.

From Stellenbosch: Leaving Stellenbosch on Bird Street toward the N1, pass Kayamandi on your left, straight through the robot at Welgevonden, straight through the robot at Bottleray Road, several hundred metres before the N1 exit, the entrance to Joostenberg is on your right. Ask for the conference room.

From Paarl: Take the N1, pass the Stellenbosch/Klapmuts exit, take the next Stellenbosch exit. Left at the end of the exit, over the bridge over the N1, several hundred metres later the Joostenberg entrance is on your left. Ask for the conference room.

Please indicate on your application form that you heard about this workshop via the Green Times:) See you there!