| UPCOMING CLASSEs
Due to the continuing efforts to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 Virus, Our Social Enterprise Academy will be offered primarily online.
Here is what the Academy Schedule looks like:
Session 1 - Getting Started - Laying the Foundation (Saturday, June 20)
Introduction with Experiences and Stories in the Church Context
What is earned income and what is not?
Getting Ready - Distinguishing Your Core Competencies & Assets
Driving Forces - What is shaping your community and your venture options? Trends/Opportunities/Possibilities
First Person Interview
Session 2- Begin with the End in Mind (Saturday, July 18)
Setting Screening Criteria for ideas to consider (Mission and Money)
Identify current services, programs which might have potential for generating earned income
Business Advisory Committee
Business Options: Types of businesses and organization structure options
Financing Options- Where Will Seed Capital Come From
Why a Strong “Pitch” Matters
First Person Interview
Session 3 - Beginning the Hunt for Viable Ventures (Saturday, August 1)
Importance of starting the investigation with 4-6 ideas. Cohort teams share ideas.
How to research ideas, and potential customers to see which are the best opportunities for success and can generate the most income – key elements to explore and know for each idea to screen them for best match and opportunity for success.
Understanding Critical Success Factors for each idea and your Competitive Advantage(s)
Studying Your Competitors
Initial research on Resources typically needed: Staff, Infrastructure, Cash.
Planning Business Advisory Committee meetings
Deciding which ideas to continue to explore and which to drop.
First Person Interview
Session 4- Digging Deeper- Who Will Be Your Customers (Friday, August 21)
Cohort teams share ideas that appear to be viable and that they will further investigate.
What else do you need to know to decide which of the Proposed Service(s) or Product(s) will work for your goals
Customer/Market Analysis and Market Share Projections. Is there enough demand to meet your goals?
Deeper look at Competitors, Competitive Advantage(s)
First Person Interview
**DECIDE ON VENTURE BY NEXT SESSION!
Session 5- Digging Deeper- How will the Business Operate (Saturday, September 12)
Anticipating…Financial analysis and projections. What considerations and research go into them?
Probing to Get Your Pricing Right
Determining Operating Capacity and Infrastructure Needs
Considering Organizational Impact
First Person Interview
Session 6 – Marketing/Sales Planning – Part 1 (Friday, Sept 25)
Teams share updates, Feasibility Report(s)
Marketing Goals/Objectives
Messages: themes, phrases for each targeted group or customer
First Person Interview
Session 7- Marketing/Sales Planning -Part 2 (Saturday, October 10)
Effective Prospecting -Marketing/Sales Approaches/Strategies and Key Partnerships
Measurement: How to know if your marketing strategies are working
The Marketing Plan: A template for Putting it all Together
Helping figure out what else you need to turn your Feasibility Report into a Business Plan.
Where will you get that information and who will vet it for you?
Writing the Business Plan – Templates
Session 8- Preparing your Plan and Pitch (Friday, October 23)
Your Pitch: What should go into presentations for potential investors
Tips and techniques for powerful pitches
How the “Showcase” works
First Person Interview
The Showcase, (Friday or Saturday, Oct 30 or 31?)
At the Showcase, each team will have 8 minutes to pitch their ideas. A panel of
experienced, social and financial investors gives feedback and rates the presentations
on the basis of agreed upon criteria. The three winners will be selected and invited to
present their ventures during the Diocesan Convention.
The Showcase, Finals (November 14th at Diocesan Convention)
At this “grand finale,” seed capital grants will be awarded to each of the three winning teamsbased on “audience favorite” voting by convention delegates.
Our S|E|A Leadership Team
Leadership Team for Episcopal Enterprises' Social Enterprise Academy
Jaime Edwards-Acton began Episcopal Enterprises in an effort to further develop the conversation about strategies to create more equity around the model of church the Episcopal Church utilizes. The stewardship-only model of church members giving 10% or more to fund their collective passions for ministry is inherently inequitable, creating more opportunities for those who have more resources. Edwards-Acton sees social enterprise as one tool churches can use in trying to balance that out. For the last twenty years, he has been Rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Hollywood, a bilingual community who has embraced and employed social enterprise strategies to impact their surrounding communities and fund ministries well beyond what they bring in through pledge and plate offerings. Edwards-Acton is also Executive Director of Jubilee Consortium, a not-for-profit organization which operates Jubilee Year (formerly known as the Episcopal Urban Intern Program) and Jubilee Jump!, a youth competitive jump rope league based at in Episcopal churches in under-resourced communities of Los Angeles.
Betsy Densmore is Founder/Managing Director of the Academies for Social Entrepreneurship (ASE), whose programs link the passion of social purpose with sustainable business practices and principles. ASE, a project of Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs, provides training, peer learning, mentoring and seed capital funding guidance for social entrepreneurs. Densmore is an entrepreneur herself, having founded three hospitality businesses, an insurance agency and two nonprofit organizations. Immediately prior to launching ASE, she managed an office and lead programs for a global training and development organization for six years. Her prior experience also includes a decade of service as the Executive Director of a community foundation, running an energy services social enterprise, and serving as the Manager of Consumer and Community Affairs for a Fortune 500 retailer. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor at Golden West College, where she teaches in their Entrepreneurship program, and co-leads a Social Enterprise Academy at UCLA and a Philanthropy & Social Impact course at USC. She serves on the board of Innovative Housing Opportunities and is a vestry member and Treasurer at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Costa Mesa.
Jan Cohen has been a consultant, speaker, and trainer working with nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years. Her specialties are diversification of revenue, earned income, marketing planning, and strategic planning processes. Ms. Cohen serves as Lead Social Enterprise Trainer, Consultant and Coach for the Academies for Social Entrepreneurship, training & coaching fledgling entrepreneurs who are developing social enterprises. She also serves in Interim Executive positions in organizations with an earned income focus during periods of transition in leadership. Ms. Cohen has been a featured speaker or trainer at more than 200 meetings and conferences within California and nationally. She has led work sessions, from 2 hours to multiple days, focused on social enterprise business development or earned income strategies that diversify sources of funding while providing mission related services. Her clients come from all corners of the social sector, from workforce development to health to environmental focused groups. Ms. Cohen has served on the Boards of both local and national nonprofit organizations. Currently she is Vice Chair of the Board of CalNonprofits Insurance Services.