Social Enterprise

Sharing Skills, Saving Lives

Social Enteprise

CNIS will be applying these guidelines to social enterprenueship:

Culture planning,
Business Planning
Financial plannig
Market Research

Creating a Social Enterprise Division within the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS)

Establishing a social enterprise division within CNIS involves a series of strategic and operational steps. Designating this process as a social enterprise will formalize what has been evolving at CNIS since the demise of the Canadian International Development Agency 10 years ago. The social enterprise will continue to align with our charitable objectives, comply with Canadian regulations, and maximize both social impact and financial sustainability.

Maintain CNIS Alignment with Charitable Purpose

As CEO, I confirm that the social enterprise activity directly furthers the existing CNIS charitable purposes. The social enterprise will support our teaching of surgical and obstetrical skills and promotion of safer communities in Africa, not detract from it. CNIS has intellectual assets, including digitized and undigitized curriculum, several mobile phone-based apps, and tools to digitize WHO guidelines. We also have email addresses of thousands of previous learners.
Any surplus from the social enterprise will be reinvested into CNIS.

Feasibility and Planning

One major change is the deployment of the current six digitized CNIS courses (FIRST for Clinical Officer, FIRST for Midwives, Trauma Team Training, Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injury, Structured Operative Obstetrics, and Essential Surgical Skills) on a Vancouver-based commercial Learning Management System: Thinkific.com. We are negotiating a three-year pro bono agreement with Thinkific.
Although we need a feasibility study to evaluate the market, social need, and financial projections for the enterprise, we have already decided to utilize the marketing tools on Thinkific to market our courses to former students.
We are preparing a new website which will include three major domains: a) About Us, b) Donations and Angel Investments, and c) Digital Assets with seamless connection to Thinkific.
We are in the process of including board members, staff, and donors to ensure buy-in and gather diverse perspectives. This draft document is being presented to the board for that purpose. The current staff of four has been consulted, and we are looking at staff development grants from the Government of BC and Canada to benefit this process.
Develop a business plan that outlines the social mission, products/services, operational model, risk assessment, and impact measurement strategy. We will recruit a volunteer for this purpose.

Structure

The social enterprise will operate as an internal program of CNIS.
Employment programs for our staff and potential new hires can often be safely positioned within the NPO.
We will consult our auditors to determine the best structure for this situation, as it affects tax obligations and access to funding.

Governance and Compliance

Operating within CNIS ensures the board supervises this new division, and we will update our policies to reflect oversight and risk management.

Financing and Resource Allocation

We will identify budgetary items for start-up from current operational funding sources. For example, the funder for our TBSI course has agreed to support the upgrading of TBSI from Moodle to Thinkific.
We are exploring grants, loans, social finance, and government programs tailored to social enterprises (e.g., through the Government of Canada’s Business Benefits Finder).

Launch and Operations

We will train our current staff and volunteers with programs that reflect our social enterprise objectives.
With this staff and later expanded staff, we will extend our operational systems for sales, marketing, and impact measurement through our Thinkific.org platform.
We will maintain clear reporting lines and accountability for both financial and social outcomes.

Measure and Report Impact

We will need to develop metrics to track both financial performance and social/environmental outcomes.
Collect data, report transparently to the board, and use results to improve operations and demonstrate impact.

Ongoing Compliance and Evaluation

Our auditors will annually review the enterprise’s activities to ensure ongoing alignment with charitable purposes and CRA regulations.
Adjust business strategies as needed based on performance and changing community needs.

By following these steps, CNIS can create a social enterprise division that advances its mission, generates sustainable revenue, and delivers measurable community benefits. We will also have an organization where succession planning will be feasible. With a three-year agreement with Thinkific, I propose that we plan to have the CNIS social enterprise self-sustaining by June 2027.