A great debate on the Census is raging from coast to coast. We rarely experience such storied excitement, intrigue, and interest in public policy matters, from abrupt but principled resignations, to heroic acts to save swimmers from drowning, to headline news in the venerable New York Times. [It does seem oddly Canadian that we would shift our focus from "lakes and beer" to the Census.]
We have decided to ride this wave of popularity to launch the first ever Social Finance Census. At the risk of stoking further controversy, I will …

If you read the title of this post, don’t worry. This post isn’t about an old man in a bathtub, quantum physics, or floating continents.
It’s about a different kind of displacement.
There has been a building level of awareness and literacy on impact investing in the past few weeks, given increasing news coverage from outlets from the New York Times to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill’s News and Observer.  [We’re still waiting for front page coverage in the Financial Post, or the Globe/Toronto Star’s Business section.]
As we increase awareness, we need …

There has been a great deal of recent discussion on impact investing: the zen-like space where investments have a financial return and demonstrated environmental or social impact.  Some may tell you that these opportunities exist just beyond the misty mountains of Pandora, in the lush, green Shire where Frodo and Bilbo Baggins play hacky sack.
In response to some of these critics and to build literacy and understanding at a local level, we need to make impact investing a bit more tangible.
Impact investing opportunities are very real, with living, breathing models …

Impact Investing: A global perspective on an emerging capital market from MaRS Discovery District on Vimeo.

In the somewhat fantastical world of social enterprise, social finance, and social innovation, it is easy to get lost in the dazzling newness of the emerging space and the excitement of growing discussion about the possible.
But we cannot forget why we are doing this work.  The why helps to anchor us with a clear purpose and focuses our vision.  It may also help us achieve more than just a few lines in newsprint, a paragraph in a blog, or the full focus of “an interesting magazine article.”  [Note the Bill …