<b>All royalties from the adoption of this case will be donated to First-St. Andrew’s United Church.</b><br><br>In November 2022, First-St. Andrew’s United Church (FSA) was dealing with the same challenges that plagued other churches in Canada: a younger generation that was less interested in joining or supporting a traditional church congregation. With an aging membership and shrinking numbers in the congregation, FSA could no longer cover expenses with member donations and fundraising activities. The church leaders have planned a meeting to identify alternatives to save the church. One of the church leaders feels it is only a matter of time before interest from the trust fund will be insufficient to cover projected deficits; another leader invites reflection regarding what they are trying to save and for whom. What options do they have to sustain FSA and how will those options support FSA’s mission?
<b>All royalties from the adoption of this case will be donated to Birchway Niagara. </b><br><br>In March 2023, Women’s Place of South Niagara (Canada), an organization focused on ending abuse and intimate partner violence, rebranded as Birchway Niagara, to better represent what Birchway offered: it was not only a place for women. However, Jennifer Gauthier, its executive director, found herself in the fall of 2023 reflecting on the mixed success of the rebrand. The problem, according to Gauthier, was that “our communication was not as bold as it needed to be to really get the message out there.” Should she back away from the new brand and focus on the organization's core mission or go all-in on the new brand? Was a solution using both goals within one marketing campaign the right way forward? <br><br>
<p align="justify">When vaccines became widely available in 2021, Dr. Bonnie Henry—the provincial health officer of British Columbia (BC)—was tasked with the monumental mission of immunizing all BC residents against the COVID-19 pandemic. By November 19, 2021, almost 91 per cent of eligible residents had received their first dose of the vaccine, and 87 per cent had received their second dose. At the same time, the pediatric vaccine for children aged five to eleven was approved by Health Canada; however, polling suggested that BC parents were hesitant to vaccinate their young children. Henry faced the new challenge of creating a plan to convince parents and caregivers that vaccinating their children was both necessary and safe.<p>
When vaccines became widely available in 2021, Dr. Bonnie Henry-the provincial health officer of British Columbia (BC)-was tasked with the monumental mission of immunizing all BC residents against the COVID-19 pandemic. By November 19, 2021, almost 91 per cent of eligible residents had received their first dose of the vaccine, and 87 per cent had received their second dose. At the same time, the pediatric vaccine for children aged five to eleven was approved by Health Canada; however, polling suggested that BC parents were hesitant to vaccinate their young children. Henry faced the new challenge of creating a plan to convince parents and caregivers that vaccinating their children was both necessary and safe.
EnactusOC is a student-led group that had attracted and retained students successfully for over 15 years. In the late spring of 2020, amid the global pandemic, Nicole Sapieha, the current President, found herself at the helm of an organization of students separated by space and time and lacking opportunities for connection. Through the summer of 2020, Sapieha and her team built online and limited face-to-face interaction (when and where permitted) with students from four campuses in separate cities. Early in the fall, it becomes apparent to Sapieha and her team that interactions will need to be virtual for the foreseeable future, and certainly for the 2020/21 academic year. In addition, the much anticipated and highly rewarding regional and national competitions were moving online. As the fall semester winds down and the Christmas holiday break nears, Sapieha recognizes that team morale is at an all-time low, there is little excitement for competitions, and motivation for leading community projects is waning. How could she engage students to participate when none of the usual perks of Enactus existed? This case deals with the challenges involved in motivating and organizing a geographically separated team of students to create meaningful and impactful projects without the usual social and emotional benefits of face-to-face connection. It also explores the difficulties that leaders experience when generating enthusiasm and buy-in when rewards have changed.
On December 1, 2019, Stephanie Ball was hired as the new Executive Director (ED) for the Central Okanagan Journey Home Society (COJHS), a backbone agency tasked with implementing Kelowna's five-year strategy to end homelessness. A few months earlier, COJHS had been declined its charitable status by Canada Revenue Agency because of a lack of clarity of its purposes and main activities. This was due to several factors including the fact that the society was newly formed, it had a complex board and subcommittee structure, and the task ahead was immense. Expectations were high that this new society could make progress on a social issue that was becoming increasingly of concern for City of Kelowna residents. Recognizing that financial independence, community perception, governance complexity and an ability to effect social change were criteria that had to be weighed, one of Ball's first tasks was to recommend to the COJHS Board an organizational structure best positioned for the enormous task - reducing homelessness - that lay ahead. This case introduces students to different legal structures associated with socially focused organizations such as nonprofits, for-profits and hybrid organizations (specifically C3's as this case is set within a Canadian context). In addition, it provides an opportunity to explore and discuss new collaborative governance entities such as backbone organizations.
MP Maintenance was a social enterprise composed of several micro-businesses (landscaping, window cleaning, pressure washing, graffiti removal, litter pick up, etc.) offering transitional employment to individuals previously living on the streets. Like many budding social enterprises, MP Maintenance needed to carefully balance the organization's social mission and the financial competitiveness of the services that it offered. In May 2016, Matt Smedley, executive director and chief executive officer, and David Greaves, general manager, sat together in the company board room awaiting the arrival of the four college students who had agreed to help them develop a marketing strategy. Their common goal was to enable the social enterprise to continue to deliver on its mission - supporting the employees of Mission Possible - while generating an unrestricted flow of revenue. After seven years spent establishing and growing the business, a fresh set of eyes was welcomed.
Barbara Levesque was preparing for her monthly board meeting on January 18, 2016. Five years ago John Howard Society of the North Okanagan (JHSNOK) made a strategic decision to pursue social enterprise. Its primary purpose was to better support the growth and development of their clients. A secondary driver was to find additional ways to diversify their funding sources to have more financial independence and stability. Social enterprise was identified as the vehicle to expand their impact, more fully meet their mission, and help contribute to long term operational funding. In 2010, Howard Industries was incorporated and two social-purpose ventures were created: "Uncle Howie's Kitchen" provided low cost catering and "Clean Sweep" offered minor renovations, painting and cleaning that mainly serviced the non-profit and public sector. By 2015, the investment in Howard Industries had started to pay off and to-date their social enterprises had contributed $4500 to its parent organization. The management team estimated that approximately 18 clients of JHSNOK worked full time in the two businesses throughout the four-year period from 2011 to 2015, and significant transformative change for some of these men had occurred. Howard Industries was at a pivotal point in development. The market showed an opportunity to maintain and expand current contracts, increase their profitability, and move their clients into leadership roles in the business. In order to grow, additional management time would have to be allocated to support it. Levesque had been asked by her Board to report on what Howard Industries achieved in 2015, and provide recommendations for its future direction. With the five-year social enterprise pilot coming to an end, Levesque needed to decide if Howard Industries was worth continuing and if so, how would she convince the Board to renew their commitment to this social venture.
It was late August 2012 and Madeleine Shaw (Shaw) and Suzanne Siemens (Siemens) were reflecting on 12 years of operation at Lunapads International Products Ltd. (Lunapads), a company based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. The social business co-owned by these two women was providing a solution to the environmental and health concerns of disposable feminine hygiene products. Co-leading a social-impact business with a values-based approach had not been without its challenges. Lunapads had recently experienced a flattening of sales and reduced profitability as their niche market was becoming increasingly crowded with entrants whose products were not as ecofriendly, but were well-known brands. The company was committed to staying true to its mission but recognized their website and product offerings needed upgrading if they were going to be competitive with companies who had much deeper pockets and more extensive marketing budgets. Earlier in the week, Shaw and Siemens had met with the Chair of their recently-formed Advisory Board, Bob Elton (Elton), to discuss Lunapads' current organizational structure. They were steadfast on co-sharing the leadership role but had identified inefficiencies and challenges with this model. They had recently revisited their business strategy and roles in the organization and identified areas that needed to shift. Elton asked them to present their ideas for discussion at the quarterly Advisory Board meeting, coming up in two weeks. Tucked away at their regular corner table, steaming lattes delivered, Shaw turned to Siemens her close confidante, and said with a grin, "It's time to bust out of our comfort zones and make some decisions. Are you up for it?"