Social Purpose Resources

SOCIAL PURPOSE PRACTICES KIT

The Social Purpose Practices Kit is your portal to effective, authentic, and impactful social purpose implementation. This kit gives you access to 40 implementation examples and two case studies from 15 social purpose companies. All featured companies have successfully completed our Social Purpose Implementers Program to learn the steps to authentically and impactfully implement a social purpose across their operations, value chains, relationships, and business ecosystems.

These steps are shown in the list of Social Purpose Practices, with two accompanying Case Studies below. Each Practice includes a description of the practice, the reason for its adoption, when to adopt it, and how to implement it.

• The Social Purpose Practices Kit – An Overview
• Social Purpose Practice – Roadmap
• Social Purpose Practice – CSR/ESG Transition
• Social Purpose Practice – Product Transition
• Social Purpose Practice – Process Metrics
• Social Purpose Practice – Impact Goals
• Social Purpose Practice – Values
• Social Purpose Practice – Decision Lens
• Social Purpose Practice – Employee Lifecycle
• Social Purpose Practice – External Communications
• Social Purpose Practice – Customer lifecycle
• Social Purpose Practice – Stakeholder Transformation
• Social Purpose Implementation Case Study – Coast Capital
• Social Purpose Implementation Case Study – Hemlock Printers

PROPELLING THE CANADIAN PURPOSE ECONOMY eBOOK

Social purpose business is taking off in Canada. The first national virtual dialogue on social purpose business, the Propelling Purpose Summit: The Road to the Purposeful Economy, November 17-18, 2021, helped propel the move to a future where social purpose is mainstream. The results of this national dialogue are captured in this booklet designed to help business leaders, investors, policymakers, academics, media, civil society, and social purpose professionals grasp the potential of this burgeoning movement – and find their place in it. We are at a historical moment where the potential exists to design an economy whose purpose is long-term well-being for all on a thriving planet. It needs accelerators from across the economy, provinces, sectors, and communities to realize this potential.

Check out this eBook to find the role you can play to change the course of business for good.

SOCIAL PURPOSE ECOSYSTEM REFERENCE PAPER

In February 2020, the United Way BC Social Purpose Institute convened the first-ever national Social Purpose consultation in partnership with GLOBE on the topic of Accelerating Social Purpose in Business – focused on how to jump-start the social purpose ecosystem in Canada. Here are the links to the consultation results, which include powerful actions we can all take – to promote an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient economy by championing Social Purpose Business. Read the 2-page summary and the full report to find ways you can contribute to fostering social purpose in business to create a Purpose Economy.

Purpose Policy Options

This Policy Options Brief published by the United Way BC Social Purpose Institute in March 2022 identifies nearly 250 local, provincial, and federal government reforms and policy measures to help support and incentivize businesses and entrepreneurs to adopt and implement a social purpose as the reason they exist. These reforms will help social purpose business thrive, flourish, and grow – and make Canada a great place to operate a social purpose business. It builds upon the Purpose-Led Recovery Policy Recommendations below. Read the full policy here.

Purpose-Led Recovery Policy Recommendations

During the COVID-19 Pandemic in July 2020, 22 businesses and several associations endorsed a Call to Action to governments to accelerate a purpose-led recovery. This Call to Action was compiled and disseminated by the United Way BC Social Purpose Institute. It proposes four public policy recommendations. Read the full document here.

THE BUSINESS CASE WORKBOOK

As society faces challenges including rising inequality, pandemics, recognition of systemic racism, accelerating climate change and resource scarcity, stakeholders increasingly look to business to play a stronger role in society. There are growing demands from a new generation of employees for meaningful work and declining levels of trust in companies and their leaders. Having a social purpose can help companies navigate through marketplace changes and thrive in a disruptive era. To foster success during these uncertain times, businesses can advance beyond ‘do less harm’ approaches to work for the public good, becoming a generative force for positive change.

Use this workbook to review all the benefits and identify which ones are most desirable and relevant to your company. Each section has a set of questions to help you think through the business case for your organization. Use the space provided to draw your own conclusions and prepare your ideas for a future business case presentation