Michael Shuman

Guest Blogger - Bob McInnis, Remarkable People: Bob is a provocateur and storyteller making meaning through the snippets, posts, presentations, and short stories he creates. Living in Calgary and California, he watches remarkable sunrises and amazing sunsets and tries to raise a bit of a ruckus between them.

On Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19, I was please to attend a Dexterity Ventures event exploring the question “Is your investing strategy undermining your philanthropic efforts?”

The Saturday night panel challenge the participants at Hotel Arts  to consider where we have our financial investments including RESPs and RRSPs and if these specific funds or companies were positively or negatively impacting our philanthropic efforts and the causes we are passionate about. The choice to invest in the environment versus opting to divest from energy companies was handled without the rancour and contempt that often arises. All the panelists understand that a measured transition is needed and a careful analysis of any unexpected or unintended side effects implemented.  Jenna Nicholas from Phoenix Global Impact shared with the group that they are undertaking a measured Divest/Invest approach that tests the thesis along the way rather than making a once and for all sell/buy decision.

Philanthropy in the family enterprise model is distinct from other family based charitable giving programs.  What makes philanthropy planning for family-owned businesses and their successors is the relationships that the enterprise has with the family.  Over the next three weeks I will be sharing a series of posts about philanthropy in the family enterprise model, leading up to the Michael Shuman, Social Impact Investing summit that is being held in Calgary on April 18 and 19 as part of the REAP Calgary Down to Earth Week.

80% of Canada’s economy is built on small and medium sized businesses.  It is estimated that 90% of those are family owned.  What comes to mind when I say family business might be some of the larger names like McCain, Ford Automotive, Loblaws (Weston Family), Sobey’s, Wal-Mart, Cargill, and Shaw; but there are a number, lesser known or more localized family businesses that cover every possible industry in our country from automotive to agriculture, from retail to construction, from IT to the energy sector.  With such large market-share in our economy it’s a wonder that we don’t hear about the strength and values that family businesses bring to our economy, especially when things are turning downwards.

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On January 31, 2015 Seth Godin published a short blog entitled the End of Geography.  In this post he points out how companies and technologies have removed the geography barrier and that localized markets are no-longer limited to kilometers and miles.  He ends his post with, "If you are still betting on geogrpahy, on winning merely because you are local, I hope you have a special case in mind." 

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