Those Elusive Keys to the Vault

Terms and definitions continue to be a bit of a tangle, which may be reflective of the breadth of the social enterprise community.  The challenges of naming and defining prompted the distribution of a simple taxonomy for social enterprise.  This article is written by Columbia Business School’s, Social Enterprise Program Director, Prof. Raymond Horton.
 
Ah ... but ... what about those elusive keys to the vault?
 

Last week's Vancouver Roundtable Dialogue on 'The Social Economy in BC', made for a frothy discussion among VSEF members.  And, yes, the subject line was prompted by Ron's remark. Armed with Prof. Horton's article, members of the Vancouver Social Enterprise Forum started to explore the role of government, foundations, venture philanthropists, and social venture capital corporations (SVCC).
 
The following material was discussed:
The Business of Ideas (Mary Ann Stover, Suzanne Cole, Michael Burton and Page Snow)
How corporate rigour can assist creative grant making.  Should funders have more "skin in the game"?  VCs look at the 'worst-case scenario' to determine project potential.  How is that different in the grant-making world?
 
Where Money Meets Mission (Jed Emerson)
Urges foundation leaders who are serious about maximising social impact to bring money managers and program directors together.  Makes reference to the Noyes Foundation's investment policy.  What are the structural impediments to collaboration between your money managers and your program directors?