Trailblazing Trilogy Paves Canada's Path to Purpose

Trailblazing Trilogy Paves Canada’s Path to Purpose

By Tessa Vanderkop, Social Purpose Strategist, United Way Social Purpose Institute

June 09, 2022

This spring was an historic purpose milestone. In March three ground-breaking reports (led by or in partnership with the United Way Social Purpose Institute) were released. This cutting-edge research sets out the collective pathway to accelerate social purpose in business:

The world’s first rating of social purpose business by Corporate Knights: The Social Purpose Transition Pathway: Helping companies move from “say” to “do”. (We are happy to say that most of the Platinum recipients are graduates of UW SPI programs, get in touch if you’d like to become a social purpose business leader!)
A roadmap to kick-start the Purpose Economy that summarizes actions distilled from the first national dialogue on social purpose in Canada we hosted last Fall: Propelling the Canadian Purpose Economy: A Framework for Action.
A comprehensive list of government policy options we compiled to create an enabling environment for social purpose business, relevant to local, regional, provincial and federal governments: Promoting Purpose in Canadian Public Policy: Options for Governments in Canada to Accelerate Social Purpose in Business

These three reports provide insights into the current state of social purpose business in Canada, and set out the action steps for business, governments, investors, associations, boards, buyers, business schools, and others. Once activated they will accelerate business as a force for good, and jump-start the Purpose Economy, which we define as an economy powered by the pursuit of long-term well-being for all in which business and regulatory and financial systems foster an equitable, flourishing, resilient future.

Contact us if you know of businesses who would like to unlock the potential of their purpose or if you’d like to find your place in the purpose community. With these reports, the path ahead is clear. Now we need purpose trailblazers to propel purpose in business.