Where Social Enterprise is Headed

By Carla I. Javits, REDF President

After more than a decade of learning from success, as well as from the school of hard knocks, the time is ripe for dramatic expansion of the social innovation that REDF has been privileged to pioneer with our extraordinary partners. Over the next several years, REDF’s new strategy will accelerate the growth of job-creating social enterprises in the State of California with the twin goals of establishing a replicable and sustainable model that also provides thousands of people the chance to succeed and thrive in the workforce, with higher hopes and brighter futures...

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Local Tea Company Partners With Social Enterprise

Numi Organic Tea founder Ahmed Rahim contracts with a REDF-supported social enterprise for product assembly. In this Q&A, Ahmed explains his motivations and why the partnership has been in place for almost a decade.

REDF: How did your partnership with Community Gatepath first begin? (Community Gatepath is a nonprofit organization fostering hope, dignity and independence among individuals with disabilities while operating three social enterprises in the San Francisco Bay Area.)

Ahmed Rahim: “Nine years ago— just about our 1st year in business—I was new to the Bay Area and we were looking for some co-packers to assemble various packages and gifts. For us, it was about trying to find a community to do what we believed in. We heard about various groups, including Community Gatepath. When we interviewed them and toured their facilities, they just seemed like a great partner. They were nearby, and our contact was very friendly, very supportive, very responsive. They recommended...

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Social Enterprise Graduates Win REDF Award

When Christian Lee first came to the San Francisco Conservation Corps – an organization in REDF’s portfolio – she was painfully shy with little work experience. Months after joining and applying herself in SFCC’s social enterprise, Christian gained the confidence to seek and apply for a position at Solar City. Today, Christian is a Senior Solar Energy Technician for this award-winning company and is applying the leadership skills she gained as an SFCC corpsmember.

“SFCC taught me about being on time to work and challenged me to always do my best. The teachers and staff at SFCC prepared me to succeed at Solar City. They kept pushing me. After I was promoted to Crew Leader, people started to listen to me and respect me, and I realized I was ready for a new challenge. I bring that confidence to my job here at Solar City, ” says Christian.

To celebrate the achievement of employees like Christian, the social enterprises that got them their start and the companies that hire social enterprise graduates, REDF created the Stuart G. Moldaw ‘Step-Up’ Award, honoring its first recipients at REDF’s annual benefit on October 1. REDF has named this award in tribute to the late Stuart G. Moldaw—one of REDF’s first board members and a visionary businessman and venture capitalist whose philanthropy and community leadership drew from a lifetime of achievements and accolades.

Watch this 7-minute video on the award and the 2009 recipients

 

REDF Announcements:

Google Director Joins REDF’s Board

REDF is delighted to welcome Adam Smith to our Board of Directors.

Adam is a Director of Product Management at Google. Prior to Google, Adam was a VP of New Media for Random House Inc. He received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Triple your impact this holiday season!

Environment

Economy

Employment for people overcoming life’s toughest challenges

Just in time for the holiday season, receive this limited-edition Rickshaw Bagworks Medium Zero messenger bag for a $75 online donation to REDF.

Offered in four colors, these stylish and sustainably sourced bags* make great gifts, are made locally in San Francisco and feature custom artwork screen printed by , a REDF-supported social enterprise employing at-risk youth like 21-year-old Ramses Peña. Ramses got out of jail with little hope and no job prospects but, after getting work at Ashbury Images, he’s getting his life back on track. “I’m a hard worker and I’m determined to do a good job,” he says.

* Watch a video on how your Zero bag is made.

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REDF Publishes Article on Improving Social Return on Investment

REDF announces the release of
SROI Act II: A Call to Action for Next Generation SROI
the 2nd article in the Out of the Maze series
by Cynthia Gair, REDF’s Managing Director of Programs

We are grateful to The Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program for funding critical elements of this series.

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REDF Releases Audit Insight Tool

Audit Insight is a REDF tool used to facilitate the analysis of a nonprofit organization’s audited agency-level financials. It is designed to automatically identify areas of strength as well as areas of concern that could impact the organization’s financial stability.

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REDF Benefit a Sold-Out Success!

300 guests gathered at San Francisco’s Bently Reserve on October 1 to hear (RED)™ founder Bobby Shriver discuss social innovation and to network with REDF directors, advisors, donors and friends during REDF’s first-ever social enterprise expo. Nearly $60,000.

Click here to see event photos.