As the Social Enterprise World Forum will take place in Canada for the first time in October, the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) tries to answer questions that have been asked about the landscape.
They’ve conducted a survey of nonprofit social enterprises in Canada’s most populated province, Ontario, and analyzed the data which will be released in a report at the approaching Ontario Nonprofit Network conference.
For the time being, here’s a sneak peek:
$143 million – the amount generated in sales.
$117 million – the amount paid in wages and salaries.
$548,700 – the amount of goods and services sold on average for each social enterprise.
$42,000 – the average net revenue for each social enterprise.
85 percent – the percentage of responding social enterprises that have broken even. This number is reduced to just over half when grants are not included. Close to 85 percent of social enterprises accept some form of grant funding.
5,355 – the number of people employed (2,930 full-time equivalents).
65,900 – the number of people trained.
18,000 – the number of volunteers involved.
Social enterprises in the province and wider Canada are generally identified by a nonprofit label, although it is understood that these ventures sell a product or service.
In the report, social enterprises in Ontario are categorized into five sub-sectors: arts and culture; farmers’ markets; thrift stores; social purpose enterprises – which provide employment or training to those facing barriers; and miscellaneous – those that did not fit into any of the preceding categories.
These social enterprises most commonly serve low-income individuals, youth, and women.
According to the report, the oldest social enterprise was established in 1780, when the City of Kingston became home to the province’s first farmer’s market.