The Tools for Sustainability for Women-Centred CED project provided concrete support to 7 women-centred social enterprises across Canada through technical assistance leading to increased sustainability.

The technical assistance provided included a Needs & Assets Assessment and consulting on priority management and development issues.

The Tools for Sustainability for Women-Centred CED project provided concrete support to 7 women-centred social enterprises across Canada through technical assistance leading to increased sustainability.  To read the final project report, click here (version française).

The technical assistance is provided includes a Needs & Assets Assessment and consulting on priority management and development issues.

Through the Tools for Sustainability project, the Council collected numerous tools and resources to support organizations to develop, strengthen or grow social enterprises.  The tools are focused on women-centred social enterprises – starting from the perspective of the women served by each social enterprise.  The tools can be used by a wide variety of social enterprises, as the principle of starting from the experience of communities is fundamental to CED work.

Please click on the name of a tool below to view the template.  For more information, contact the Council at info@womenseconomiccouncil.ca or 807-625-0328.

Women-Centred CED Workshop Outline: Template of a workshop designed to create dialogue about women-centred CED and to stimulate reflective practice.

Needs & Assets Assessment: As assessment tool for organizations wishing to identify priority areas to work on in order to strengthen social enterprises.  (Version française).

Strategic Plan Template: A reporting tool for organizations that have developed a strategic plan.

Effective Practices Session Outline: Template of a workshop designed to facilitate the sharing of effective practices in both social enterprise practice and the needs and assets assessment process.

Evaluation of Effective Practices Session: A tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the Effective Practices Session.

Criteria for Selecting Consultants: A checklist outlining considerations when choosing and hiring a consultant to assist with strengthening social enterprises.

Contract with Consultant: A sample contract outlining the agreement between an organization and a consultant for work to strengthen a social enterprise. (Version française).

Sample Social Enterprise Job Descriptions: Examples of job descriptions for sewing social enterprise and retail outlet.  Part of a process to transition primary responsibility of the social enterprise from the parent organization to the social enterprise participants.

Sales Projections Template: A tool to be used by social enterprises to create and record sales projections.

Break Even Analysis Template: A tool to be used by social enterprises to calculate profits needed to break even financially.

Social Enterprise Feasibility Study Template (Part 1): A sample feasibility study for a social enterprise considering whether or not to expand operations.

Social Enterprise Feasibility Study Template (Part 2): A sample feasibility study for a social enterprise considering whether or not to expand operations.

Sample Order-Taking Process: A tool to be used by social enterprises wishing to ensure that the process of taking orders is streamlined and consistent.

Sample Order-Tracking Process: A tool to assist social enterprises to ensure that each order is consistently tracked from initial contact to sale follow-up.

Sample Quote Sheet: A tool to assist social enterprises with communication between the person taking customer information, the person generating the quote, and the producer(s).

Bulletin: Un example d’un bulletin.

Plan de commercialization: Un example d’un plan de commercialisation.

Marketing Plan: A sample marketing plan for a social enterprise.

Business Plan Template: Three examples of business plans created for social enterprises.  Business Plan 1, Business Plan 2, Business Plan 3.

Social Enterprises

The 7 social enterprises involved in the Tools for Sustainability project are:

Mama’s Wall Street Studio
Aboriginal Mother Centre Society, Vancouver
Manufacturer of knitted products with traditional Aboriginal patterns as well as conference bags.

EthniCity Catering
Centre for Newcomers, Calgary
EthniCity offers newcomer women catering skills, valuable Canadian work experience, and practice in conversational English.

Northern Star Worker Co-op
Winnipeg, MB
Sewn in the heart of Canada’s largest urban Aboriginal community, the artisans of Northern Star create unique Star Blankets in the Aboriginal tradition.

Imogene’s
Women’s Employment Resource Centre, Woodstock
Imogene’s is a plus-sized women’s clothing store selling clothing produced in-house by women in WERC’s training programs.

Enterprising Women Making Art
Atira Women’s Resource Society, Vancouver, BC
EWMA is a social enterprise offering flexible artisan-oriented employment options for women with low incomes.

Taillissimo
CEAF, Montreal, QC
Taillissimo is a plus-sized women’s clothing store founded to respond to the economic  needs and goals of women in the community.