AROUND THE CENTER:
Cleveland Community Wealth Initiative Learns From National Expert On Social Enterprise
Among many exciting events held at the Center this summer, Julius Walls Jr., President and CEO of Greyston Bakery –one of the country’s most well-known social enterprises—provided both inspiration and practical advice to six nonprofit organizations participating in the Cleveland Community Wealth Collaborative. Now in its third year of working with a select group of nonprofits, the Collaborative is part of the Cleveland Community Wealth Initiative, a partnership between the Mandel Center and the nationally recognized social enterprise firm Community Wealth Ventures. The partnership builds upon two years of work funded by The Cleveland Foundation to seed social enterprise activity in our region. Because of limited funds and rising demand for community services, nonprofit organizations are viewing social enterprise ventures such as Greyston Bakery as new ways to generate unrestricted resources.
Greyston Bakery, the exclusive producer of brownies for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, is the for-profit arm of the Greyston Foundation, which has become a national model for comprehensive community development. The bakery’s open hiring policy and apprenticeship program provides jobs and training to individuals who previously had a hard time finding employment. The profits that are generated by the bakery are then used to fund the community development programs of the foundation.
Binney Fouts, Education Manager for Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio – one of the participants in the Cleveland Community Wealth Collaborative – explained that while attending a board retreat recently, she shared with attendees from around the country how impressed she was with the presentation by Mr. Walls.
“I quoted to the group his three C’s – Clarity, Consistency and Compassion,” Fouts said. “These serve as a wonderful cornerstone for the management of any workforce, but particularly those who are trying to learn skills and responsibility in the workplace and in life. I have no doubt that Julius Walls practices what he preaches and is highly effective in getting results for his organization, while also assisting to change people’s lives.”
Walls referred to the bakery as a “double-bottom-line business,” stressing that fulfilling its social mission is just as important to the bakery as achieving financial success. He explained that the only way for a nonprofit to make a venture work is to regard it as a business, keep track of business goals, and make wise business decisions.
Another participant in the Collaborative, Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio, offers the Veterans Workforce Training Program venture. Sharon Martin, Development Associate for Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio, said Mr. Walls’ discussion about the realities of maintaining a “double-bottom-line business” hits close to home.
“The invigorating and thought-provoking presentation opened the door for us to revisit the guiding principles of our Veterans Workforce Training Program,” Martin said. “Our mission of helping Veterans readjust to the work environment is important, but we need to do well to remain in business. Balancing the two is a real juggling act and requires a clearly-defined direction, which is our reason for participating in the Collaborative.”
Martin said that in a four-month period the Collaborative has already helped the members of her organization better define their business and what they need to do to prosper.
Besides Volunteers of America and Young Audiences, the Cleveland Community Wealth Collaborative is currently providing 10 months of business planning assistance to the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, The Gathering Place, and Saint Martin de Porres High School.
In addition to the 10-month business planning process, the Cleveland Community Wealth Initiative has expanded to include an array of activities and new funding partners interested in localizing ongoing services to help nonprofits grow earned income as a way to support and sustain mission-related work. New activities include social enterprise workshops being offered to the public at the Mandel Center on the following topics: “Feasibility and Opportunity Assessment,” September 11, 2008; “Market Research and Market Planning,” November 6, 2008; and “Capital,” January 29, 2009.
The Initiative is funded by The Cleveland Foundation, The William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation, National City Community Development Corporation, The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust, Saint Luke’s Foundation, and the Sherwick Fund.
More about the Cleveland Community Wealth Initiative is available at the Mandel Center’s website.
Find out more information about Greyston Bakery at greystonbakery.com, and Greyston Foundation at greyston.org.
