Have a social enterprise idea, but not sure how to launch?

Join Scale Institute and theDock Centre for Social Impact for a two-day, in-person Social Enterprise Bootcamp designed specifically for early-stage changemakers. This hands-on workshop is for non-profits, community organizations, and purpose-driven teams that have an idea for a social enterprise but haven’t yet launched.

Over two full days, we’ll work through the critical early-stage building blocks to test and shape your concept, assess feasibility, and build a realistic plan for what comes next. Whether you’re considering a new earned revenue stream or building a business to address a social, environmental, or cultural challenge, this bootcamp will help you clarify the opportunity and chart your next steps.

What we’ll cover:

Day 1: July 17 – Exploring Market Fit

What is your idea?
What problem does it solve?
Who needs this solution?
Who will pay for this?
How big is the market for your idea?

Day 2: July 18 – Building the Foundation

What is your desired impact?
How can you test and pilot your idea?
What is the best governance and legal structure?
What resources do you need to launch and operate?
What is the plan to get to launch?

You’ll leave with more confidence in your idea, a toolkit to begin testing it, and a roadmap to move from concept to action.

Who Should Attend:

Non-profits exploring social enterprise as a strategy
Early-stage teams with a concept but no business yet
Entrepreneurs interested in testing an idea before launch
Community leaders designing solutions to local challenges

Event Details:
📍 theDock Centre for Social Impact, Victoria, BC
📅 July 17–18, 2025
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily
💵 $500 per person / $250 for additional participants from the same organization

Registration is for both days.

Your Facilitators:

Kristi Fairholm Mader – Managing Director, Thrive Impact Fund & Scale Institute Society. A seasoned social enterprise practitioner and co-founder of Scale Collaborative, Kristi has helped launch and grow numerous impact-driven ventures.

Joanna Buczkowska-McCumber – Board Chair, Scale Institute & Chief Impact Strategist at Ideas for Impact. Joanna brings a wealth of experience in social impact innovation and building purposeful business models that address today’s pressing challenges.

By the end of this bootcamp, you’ll:

Understand your market and customer needs
Have tested your assumptions and refined your model
Know what’s feasible, and what’s not
Be better equipped to choose the right legal and governance structure
Have a staged action plan to pilot and move toward launch

Bring your idea. We’ll bring the experience, tools, and guidance to help you take the next step toward impact.