Calling all social entrepreneurs!

On the evening of March 15th, 2012 you have the opportunity to learn how the Demonstrating Value (DV) framework can help you show the value of your work to the community. “Know It and Show It” is the first in a series of social learning events for social entrepreneurs co-hosted by SAP and Vancity Community Foundation. VCF and SAP are experts in helping social enterprises better manage their operations and communicate their social value.

The evening starts with a 15 minute overview of the DV framework by Garth Yule (VCF), followed by Heather O’Hara, ED of Potluck Café, who will share her experience of how DV has helped Potluck communicate their impact and develop their business. Steve Williams (SAP) will then share how social enterprises can take advantage of free SAP solutions through TechSoup.

The rest of the evening is a social mixer – staff from SAP, Program Managers from Vancity Community Foundation (VCF) and experienced Demonstrating Value consultants and practitioners will be in attendance to answer your questions about how you can develop your own snapshot.
 
What is Demonstrating Value?

Demonstrating Value is a program of Vancity Community Foundation. It offers simple management solutions that will enable you to use information and data more effectively to run your organization, plan for the future, and show your value to the community. DV will help you to identify and prioritize your information needs and to develop effective monitoring and reporting systems that fit your needs.

For social enterprise leaders who want others to see and understand the value of what they do, DV offers guided processes and simple tools to track and express organizational success and resulting change in the community.

DV guides social enterprise leaders in how they can gather and use information effectively to meet different management, planning and reporting needs.  This is different , but complementary, to specific methods such as SROI that focus on developing aggregate metrics. DV is based on shared practices in social enterprises, builds on individual needs and can fully express the story of the enterprise.

What makes Demonstrating Value unique?

DV is comprehensive in its approach

• Its worksheets and guides are comprehensive and useful in defining information needs, gathering data and using them to make decisions and engage stakeholders.
• It is more holistic than other reporting approaches and integrates information needs for different audiences (management, board, funders, and partners).
• DV helps organizations pinpoint what information is most important and useful and what is possible to collect.

DV is empowering – Its helps organizations take control of their reporting needs.

• DV is enterprise, not funder driven. Organizations themselves define what is important to know and show.
• It has been developed in collaboration with both social enterprises and investors, and with advice from government, academics, and other social enterprise supporters.

DV is flexible – it builds capacity in an organization based on the systems and practices they already have.

• It enables organizations to develop systems and methods for their specific information demands.
• It allows organizations to take on what is important to them at the time, and to build on them as resources permit.

For more information please contact:
Garth Yule, MBA
Vancity Community Foundation
T 604-877-7646 M 778-231-6430