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Jesse Silverstein, principal with the economic research firm, Development Research Partners, will share strategies for involving community and business assets for successful economic development. Using the mining community of Anaconda, MT as an example, he will discuss approaches that include the development of industry, retail, services, and tourism, among other sectors, while at the same time working within the local business climate and attracting a skilled workforce.

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Noon - 1pm Eastern

Let's face it:  Demonstrating impact is critical when making the case for community programs to funders, stakeholders and policy makers. 

But it can also be very hard to do.  Community organizations tend to find the process of impact measurement complicated and expensive. There is no silver bullet, but strengthening evaluation capacity with a range of strategies, such as Social Return on Investment, can help us improve the effectiveness of what we do and enhance the case for support. 

To strengthen the evaluation and impact measurement capacity of our members, CCEDNet has partnered with GlobalMeasures Initiative (GMI) to offer affordable access to a powerful Social Return on Investment and outcomes measurement platform. 

GMI is a project that was created by Social Asset Measurement (SAM) and the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3ci).  It brought together 3ci’s ten plus years of expertise in impact measurement, and SAM’s impact measurement software, the Social Return Intelligence platform (SRI).  SRI has been reviewed and accepted by the UK based international SROI Network, and has been funded by the National Research Council of Canada. 

GMI provides participants with educational webinars and are walked through the process of creating their own impact measurement framework. They are then able to access the SRI software to continuously report on their impact.

To find out more about GMI, please join us for a free webinar Sept 4th at 12PM Eastern.

If you want to strengthen your evaluation capacity and try out SROI or other outcomes frameworks, GMI might be right for you.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• GlobalMeasures - How It Works information package
• CCEDNet's compilation of Evaluation and SROI resources

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Inspired by its work building technology infrastructure for local and regional food networks, Local Orbit works with food entrepreneurs of all kinds who are interested in relocalizing the food system.  Join us for a discussion about innovative ways to build regionalized distribution systems, particularly in ways that keep capital costs low and increase viability in the long run. 

This webinar is geared towards anyone interested in the local food system: food makers, growers, processors, incubators, retail outlets, and specifically those who are focused on aggregation and distribution.  AND be the first to gain access to Local Orbit's interactive toolkit filled with resources and information to support those building a healthy, localized food system. 

Included in the discussion:

• Innovative examples of local food distribution systems from around the country
• Common bottlenecks to anticipate and some creative solutions to navigate around them
• A process and framework that will help ANY food entrepreneur move forward in their business
• Early access to a free Local Orbit interactive toolkit!
• Q&A

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Presenters

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Local Orbit provides software and training services for the entrepreneurs who are building the New Food Economy.  They provide the tools for farmers, producer coops, food hubs, farmers markets and independent distributors to efficiently sell to local restaurants, grocers, and institutions.  Online marketplaces powered by Local Orbit are active across nine states and Canada. We help people build profitable businesses and healthier communities.

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The Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network is pleased to showcase tools developed in Atlantic Canada to measure the social, economic and environmental impacts of their co-ops on their members, employees, and local communities.

In this webinar, our guest speakers will share their experiences using these tools and discuss how the tools have influenced their respective co-operatives’ priorities and planning.

Siri Jackson-Wood, a board member of the Morell Consumers Co-op, a Co-op Atlantic grocery in rural PEI, will discuss her co-op’s experience using the Sustainability Scorecard

Eric Tusz King, an owner-member of EnerGreen Builders Co-op in Sackville, New Brunswick, will discuss his co-op’s experience using the Co-op Index for Worker Co-operatives

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Think about a neighborhood you just love. What is it that makes it feel so welcoming, so inspired, or so vibrant? The best neighborhoods make greatness seem effortless, but what you don’t see is that behind the scenes, a lot of hard work and dedication is going into sustaining a strong place.

What does it take for your neighborhood to achieve greatness, for residents to act neighborly and work together to achieve shared goals?

On the next CommunityMatters® conference call, Felisa Conner of the Office of Neighborhood Vitality in Garland, Texas will join us to talk about building and sustaining vital neighborhoods. We'll also hear from Councilman Scott LeMay of Garland, a graduate of the city's Neighborhood Management Academy and former President of the Camelot Neighborhood Association. Felisa and Councilman LeMay will share tools and strategies for neighborhood management - ways to foster collaboration and build capacity to develop and realize neighborhood vision and goals.

Register now

Blog Post: Don Your Cardigan, It’s Time for Us All to Be a Little More Like Mr. Rogers

Speakers

• Felisa Conner, Manager of Garland, Texas' Office of Neighborhood Vitality
• Scott LeMay, Councilman in Garland, Texas and Former President of the Camelot Neighborhood Association

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*No registration required

To watch online
 
The discussion will explore:

• Metcalf's repositioning of its strategic areas of focus;
• The role that policy, practice and collaboration play concurrently in building a new economy; and
• Learning alongside community partnerships.

Presenter Bio's

Sandy Houston - President and CEO
Sandy Houston is the President and CEO of the Metcalf Foundation.  Over the last ten years, Sandy has steered the development of Metcalf into a leading private foundation engaged in helping Canadians imagine and build a just, healthy and creative society.  Prior to joining Metcalf, Sandy worked as a litigator before becoming a founding partner in Stitt Feld Handy Houston, Canada’s first law firm to focus predominately on alternative dispute resolution. Read more.

Andre Vallillee - Environment Program Director
Andre joined Metcalf in 2014 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, where he worked as a program manager overseeing the province-wide environmental portfolio and serving as the Foundation's strategy lead for the environment sector. Andre has also held positions with Smart Growth BC, UVic's Centre for Co-operative and Community-Based Economy, and UBC's Centre for Human Settlements. He brings extensive experience in environmental philanthropy, environmental planning, and capacity building strategies to his new role at the Foundation. Andre received his Bachelors in Environmental Studies and Political Science from the University of Victoria and his Masters in Planning from the University of British Columbia.

Adriana Beemans - Inclusive Local Economies Program
Adriana Beemans joined the Metcalf Foundation in 2013, bringing extensive experience in community development, capacity building, and program innovation. Most recently she spent five years as the Director of Programs & Services at Working Women Community Centre, overseeing community engagement and settlement programming. As the Social Investment Fund Manager at Toronto Community Housing, she spent four years as a grant-maker working with community leaders in low-income communities. Before moving to Toronto, Adriana worked overseas with the Aga Khan Development Network in Pakistan and UN-Habitat in Afghanistan. She holds a graduate degree from the University of Toronto in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in International Development from Trent University.