Anthony Grimes pitching his social enterprise plan at Social Enterprise Academy. By Scot Kersgaard, JVA Consulting What if we saw each other as equals? What if, instead of only seeing skin color and the trappings of urban youth, we saw into a person’s heart? Would what we see change? Anthony Grimes thinks so. [...]
by Janine Vanderburg, President/CEO, JVA Consulting As more and more nonprofits are plunging into social enterprise and earned income strategies, one of the most challenging issues they can face is how to price their products and services. The question of how to charge or what to charge seems really perplexing, especially if they are transitioning from [...]
By Emily Joy, JVA Consulting Vibrant paintings dot the walls, and busy students are seated at long tables with their heads down and pencils, pens and paintbrushes flying. VSA Colorado’s studio in the Santa Fe art district is a bustle of creative energy with hanging proof of collaborative, high quality artistic productions. The revelation is [...]
By Emily Winslow, JVA Consulting Madison and Mark welcome customers from behind the counter. When you walk into Purple Door Coffee, you are immediately struck by the wonderful design aesthetic and welcoming ambiance. Co-manager Madison Chandler and one of the employees welcome you from the bar with glowing smiles and sincere pleasantries, despite [...]
By Katy Snyder, JVA Consulting The Ndinogona Stimulation Kit. The problem: Lucinda Kerschensteiner, the founding director of Uhambo (pronounced OOH-hum-bow) USA, was already working to change the world through her nonprofit’s program to deliver appropriate wheelchairs and services to people with disabilities in rural Africa, but she and Uhambo saw a need to [...]
By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting For social entrepreneurs, it is not enough to establish a financially viable business—it is imperative that the business contributes to the welfare and advancement of the community. If your dream job involves integrating your business skills and experience with your inherent passion for changing the world—you are a future social [...]
By Emily Winslow, JVA Social Enterprise Intern JVA is proud to be a part of a network of changemakers—around the world and in our local Denver communities. For quite some time, social entrepreneurship has been a growing trend for both nonprofit and for-profit businesses, proving that one does not need to choose profit over purpose [...]
By Shaina Bauman, JVA Consulting We will be highlighting different social enterprises on our blog from time to time. Our first interview is with Sarah Ray. Sarah Ray is the co-founder of Yobel Market, a fair trade boutique located in Old Colorado City in Colorado Springs. We asked her to share a bit about her [...]
By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting The Colorado Chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance is recognizing the many incredible social enterprise cafés in Denver on September 19, cafés that aim to make the world a better place through delicious, quality food. Socially conscious diners from across Colorado are invited to sample dishes from the various restaurants [...]
by Janine Vanderburg These days I want James Carville to come back and shout his famous phrase from every virtual street corner: It’s the economy, stupid! Because it is. The continued lackluster economy has hurt small businesses and those they employ, nonprofits and the constituents they serve. And while political leaders seem paralyzed, we need [...]