JDQ Systems Inc. and Vancity announce Social Enterprise Business Case Competition

News Release: January 27, 2009

JDQ Systems Inc. and Vancity are proud to present the next level of social enterprise, 'When the Dragon's Away...™'. The first ever “live” Social Enterprise Business Case Competition to be held on February 26th, 2009, at the Heritage Hall in Vancouver, Canada.

'When the Dragon's Away...' will highlight the unique challenges of non-profit business ventures trying to balance a blended return on goods, services and/or investments, both financial and social; rather than simply trying to maximize profits to shareholders.

Two social enterprise finalists were chosen from a group of applicants that submitted a letter of intent describing their business challenge to a joint JDQ/Vancity Community Foundation committee. From that group, a short list was selected and interviewed and two finalists were selected to participate in the live event.

Those two finalists will each present their key challenges about a real life business case to a judge and jury of their social enterprise peers. The panel includes Derek Gent, currently the Executive Director for Vancity Community Foundation and Alanna Hendren, the executive director of the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA).

The finalist that is judged to have the most synergistic challenge and opportunity in the areas of Helping, Learning and Profiting, will win a $15,000 combined resource award to implement their idea from Vancity Community Foundation. The 'runner up' will receive technical assistance award worth $2,500 from Enterprising Non-Profits.

Both finalists will receive feedback from the experienced panel and from an audience of their social enterprise peers. The goal of this unique competition is to provide support to the successful social enterprise finalist, while creating enormous learning value for the social enterprise sector that is working to develop socially and environmentally progressive enterprises.

This event is sponsored by Vancity Community Foundation and Enterprising Non-Profits. Business process improvement expertise and advice for the finalists is provided by event hosts JDQ Systems Inc. and the 3Spheres of Reciprocity™, in partnership with Vancity.

This event is for the social enterprise community. With Executive Directors of several prominent social enterprises amongst the 75+ people expected to attend, this event is for those senior leaders and others interested in Business Process Improvement for Social Enterprises.

Jon Morris, JDQ President commented: “The goal of this unique competition is to provide support to the successful social enterprise finalist, while creating enormous learning value for the social enterprise sector that is working to develop socially and environmentally progressive enterprises.”

Tickets are complementary, but are going fast within the Social Enterprise and 3Spheres Community. For more information or to reserve tickets for the event, please visit the website: www.dragonsaway.com.

About Vancity
Vancity (Vancouver City Savings Credit Union) is Canada’s largest credit union, with $14.1 billion in assets, more than 400,000 members, and 58 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria. Vancity and its subsidiary companies are guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.

About Enterprising Non-Profits (enp)
Enterprising Non-Profits is a unique partnership of foundations, credit unions and government that promotes and supports social enterprise development and growth as a means to build strong non-profit organizations and healthier communities.  Enp is a funding program that provides matching grants to non-profit organizations in BC that are interested in starting or expanding a business. The enp funders include: Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, Columbia Basin Trust, Northern Trust, United Way of the Lower Mainland, Vancity Credit Union, Vancity Community Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

About Vancity Community Foundation (VCF)
Vancity Community Foundation is a public charitable foundation associated with Vancity Credit Union. Building on the cooperative tradition and values at Vancity, we have been providing a community based vehicle for philanthropic giving for 20 years. Our Foundation now includes more than 100 different donor advised funds as well as a core endowment, modeling a progressive approach to investment and grant making activities with our focus on longer term development rather than aid.