Theme of the Month

From non profit to social profit

The concept of a non profit organisation is a familiar one which has been widely used for many years, and is useful in highlighting the fact that a Non Profit Organisation (or NPO) registered in South Africa does not make any financial profits, using its income purely to carry out work in support of its mission. But when you stop and think about it, "non profit" is a pretty negative term.

A new way of thinking about the work done by such an organisation is to see it as generating a "social profit". In this way of thinking, a social profit organisation (or SPO!) is one whose work has a directly measurable outcome in changing poor people's lives for the better. This kind of change can be seen as a social profit for the society as a whole, and an investment in its future, with those who start social profit organisations being seen as social entrepreneurs.

With the launch of the South African Social Investment Exchange (SASIX) the GreaterGood South Africa Trust has shifted beyond the idea of social responsibility as our way of "paying something back" to a 21st century idea of social investment in accountable development projects with measurable achievements, with a social profit that they can deliver to change lives for the better.

SASIX is committed to driving transparency and performance in the social development sector. Through the exchange, social investors can contribute towards projects which are well planned, by organisations with a good track record of performance and the necessary capacity to carry them out effectively. Investors have peace of mind knowing the money will be used for a sound project by a reputable organisation, and will receive regular updates on how the money is being spent and what kind of social impact it is having.

The concept of social profit will also go a long way towards raising the bar for accountability and performance - demanding, as it does, a clear demonstration of the motive for, and impact of an investment - the ability to deliver on a social mission. In this way, as with the financial stock exchange, both investors and social profit organisations will come to regard their work - and its value - in a different light, and demand greater demonstration of the social profit impact and motive.

GreaterGood South Africa hopes that the term "social profit organisation" will gain broad currency, and be used to reflect the critically important, positive and valuable contribution which these organisations make in our society.

This Month's Feature Articles:

The issue of global poverty is currently high on the world's agenda. Corporations and citizens are being called to join the fight against poverty and to take action on key issues. Today, the GreaterGood South Africa SASIX initiative is joining the Brazilian Social Stock Exchange to answer this call and offer new maps for the new routes our societies deeply need. Both these initiatives use the innovative concept of social profit organisations.

• To find out about the Brazilian Social Stock Exchange read more...
• To find out about the South African Social Investment Exchange (SASIX) read more...

Our Causes of the Month

SASIX Share Certificate: Enterprise Development R50

Purchase a R50 share in the Enterprise Development focus fund and your money will be used to promote the development of small and micro-enterprises through projects which teach entrepreneurial skills to community members and school and college learners; provide practical business advice and support for start-up businesses; create community investment trusts and co-operatives that undertake economic activity in poor and rural areas; or provide capital to start or expand a particular small or micro business which will create jobs in an impoverished area, where accessing a loan for the purpose is not feasible.

SASIX Share Certificate: Food Security R50

Purchase a R50 share in the Food Security focus fund and your money will be used to promote food security and improved nutrition in poor communities through projects which increase access to resources such as land, environmentally-sustainable technologies, credit, training and markets - particularly for poor women; invest in productivity-enhancing, environmentally sustainable technologies for small-scale producers; provide entrepreneurial training for these producers; promote small-scale irrigation and rainwater harvesting technologies; support the variable needs of small-scale farmers and community gardeners; or support diversified job creation and linkages to the mainstream economy through local food production enterprises.

SASIX Share Certificate: Early Childhood Development R50

Purchase a R50 share in the Early Childhood Development focus fund and your money will be used to promote early childhood development (ECD) through projects which run education programmes to support and teach parents, caregivers and communities about ECD; provide quality in-service training for those working in pre-school centres, crèches, playgroups and home-based ECD facilities; enable access to educational toys, equipment and resources that are targeted at meeting children's developmental needs; or promote access to quality, sustainable, holistic ECD programmes particularly covering the Grade R curriculum in preparation for schooling.

Purchase a R50 share in the Orphans and Vulnerable Children focus fund and your money will be used to help support orphans and vulnerable children through projects which organise community initiatives to identify orphans and vulnerable children and support their households; strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for these children; ensure the children's access to essential services including education, health care, birth registration and social grants; create a supportive community environment for the children through advocacy, education and mobilisation; ensure that the children's inheritance rights are protected after the death of parents; provide for the psychosocial and development needs of the children; or involve the children in planning for efforts to mitigate the effect of HIV/Aids in their communities.

Experience The Gift

Thank you, This Is The Fantastic Difference You've Made

Latest www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za Statistics

Latest Reportbacks

• Thanks to Fidentia for Enabling the Work of GreaterGood South Africa and its SASIX Initiative. The Fidentia Group, market leaders in financial services administration and transactional solutions, are making possible the work of GreaterGood South Africa, in particular the launch of the South African Social Investment Exchange (SASIX).
• Generous donor Funds Helped to Upgrade Freedom Park Informal Settlement - read the reportback from the Development Action Group
• Read a reportback from Teachers Dream on a teacher who received 80 Calculators for the development of number concept and algebra and another teacher whose dream to acquire the computer programme Geometer's Sketchpad to enhance Geometry teaching was fulfilled - helping to develop the learners' spatial and visualisation skills.
• Thank You from Food and Trees for Africa for R1300 donated through eBucks for planting trees.
• Using funds donated to them through Make Christmas Matter, Catholic Welfare Development was able to deliver over 100 buckets of love.

What Are You Good For?

The 2006 Donate-A-Book Campaign

It's so easy to give a South African child a joyful experience of reading. More than R50,000 has already been given to the 2006 Donate a Book campaign. The small gift of a book makes a big difference in the life of a child. You choose if you would like to donate a storybook for a pre-schooler, a book for a blind child or a starter library for a poor school. This campaign runs up until World Literacy Day in September.
read more...

Wishlists

Help Eco Access buy a bakkie to transport disabled children and their non-disabled partners to attend adventure camps.
read more...

If you are unable to volunteer your time or skills for Do It Day, you might like to make a financial contribution towards material items such as bricks or seeds, needed for Do It Day projects.
read more...

Dreams

Help fund Operation Sustainable Living to take a group of Grade 9 learners from Boitsebelo Junior Technical School to visit a wetland, and support them to plant a vegetable garden.
read more...