 |
||||
 |
 |
|||
 |
||||
 |
|
|
|
|
Comments about this web site should be directed to Fort Street WebMaster For further information contact Fort Street Information |
A NEW BEGINNING
On Friday last, Fort Street Presbyterian Open Door Program joined Goodwill Industries, Oakland Lighthouse, Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan, Coalition on Temporary Shelter, Southwest Solutions and Oakland Lighthouse to create a Social Enterprise Summit. Fifty-one individuals from government, philanthropy, not-for-profits, banks and legal firms to spend a day with John Cleveland to launch an organization in Detroit. This organization will develop Social Venturing: strategies for simultaneously improving financial, social and environmental performance. The two sectors of our economy can be grouped under “for profit” or “for-benefit” enterprises.
Churches, hospitals, schools and social service agencies are examples of “for-benefit” institutions. “For-profit” concerns are corporations, partnerships and sole-proprietorships that range from your local dry-cleaners to Ford Motor Company. Each of the two sectors emphasizes distinct values that sometimes conflict. In the former it is initiative, risk-taking, wealth creation and markets. The latter focuses on community, belonging, safety net, and wealth distribution.
Our society is witnessing an important evolution over the last few years as for-profit enterprises are becoming more focused on social responsibility and social outcomes. A good example of this is environmental stewardship in the forestry industry and international standards in the garment industry. Non-profits are likewise becoming more “business-like” with greater efficiency and margin generation. Focus:HOPE has reduced their workforce by over 60% in the last 10 years, but serves the same number of participants every year. The Open Door has generated cash surpluses (revenue over expenses) in the last three years of roughly $45,000. An even more blurred frontier is being established by the Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Pierre Omidyar (founder of Ebay). These super-wealthy entrepreneurs have thrown billions of dollars of investment into the philanthropy sector looking for solutions to social problems through market-based activities or broad-scale public health initiatives.
Our goal in Detroit is to foster a community of practice and learning. This will mean we grow networks among individuals from many sectors that can rapidly spread new tools and promising practices. We feel this is essential in a region like Southeastern Michigan that is suffering the effects of colossal mismanagement by auto companies, auto unions and the state/local governments. In an era of growing unit demand, the Big Three are probably finished as we know them. Toyota, Honda and Nissan are flourishing and the growth in the auto market in the future is in $3,000 mini-vehicles, not SUVs. This region also has one of the most distressed and impoverished cities in America that is surrounded by communities of wealth. The non-profit sector has relationships with the powerful throughout the region and also has the knowledge to develop emerging markets like Detroit. We are the people we have been waiting for.
John Heiss, Director of Open Door
Information |
Events |
Education |
Music |
Facility |
OpenDoor |
Mission |