Blog
Articles, tools, and resources for organizations working on some of our toughest community, social, and environmental challenges.
A Decade of Purppl: A Purposeful Evolution
Reflecting on ten years of social enterprise development, celebrating the launch of the Abundance Collective, and narrowing Purppl’s focus to the systemic levers of community wealth. Ten years ago, we started Purppl with a pretty…
What Becomes Possible When Relationships Come First
How Young Agrarians and IndigenEYEZ partnered to grow more relationships between farmers and First Nations Since 2012, Young Agrarians, a farmer-to-farmer educational resource network, has worked to support new and next-generation farmers across the…
From Startup to Stability: Insights from Our 2024 Impact Report
Our 2024 report captures a turning point – the moment we realized we’d outgrown our systems and needed to build the infrastructure of a mature social enterprise. We’re a bit (a lot) late releasing…
How This Charity Built a Tech Social Enterprise to Transform Nonprofit Data Collection – and Fund Its Mission
Starting with a vision to free up frontline workers’ time, Edmonton-based IslamicFamily worked with Purppl to build, validate, and sell trauma-informed case management software For the people IslamicFamily serves – newcomers, families, youth –…
Incubating rural social enterprise with Community Futures East Kootenay
When you equip rural leaders with the right support, they’ll move ideas into action into economic resilience through social enterprise In a region where community organizations are often stretched to meet complex needs with…
Our Journey Together Piloting Leadership-for-Reconciliation Coaching
Co-developed by kinSHIFT and Purppl, this program brings together non-Indigenous and Indigenous impact leaders to practice building respectful relationships. When BEEM Credit Union (formed by the merger of Interior Savings and Gulf & Fraser)…
Purposeful People Spotlight: Sharon Bond
Meet Sharon Bond: Kekuli Cafe Owner, Purppl Entrepreneur In Residence, Indigenous Tourism Board of BC Director-At-Large (plus 100 other things) For Kekuli Cafe owner, Sharon Bond, food has always been more than nourishment. It…
Purposeful People Spotlight: Simi Lawoyin
Meet Simi Lawoyin, Service Lead at Purppl Six months ago, Simi Lawoyin joined the Purppl team as Service Lead in Strategy, Governance, and Leadership Development. Since then, we’ve seen firsthand how her focused, purpose-driven…
Love, Urgency, Ownership, and Us: Building the Canadian Social Economy
What’s rising, and what it takes to build a people-first economy. Over the past year, in conversation with social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and ecosystem builders, Purppl board member Thi Dao and I have seen four…
How rebranding gave a recovery hub the words to share their story
With Purppl’s support, Fraser Valley Addictions Recovery Hub (FVARH) found the words, the strategy, and the confidence to amplify its life-saving work When Aida Tajbakhesh started her work, she didn’t expect to build one…
Part Thrift Store, Part Social Work
Like so many nonprofit leaders today, Liz Gomes was searching for ways to combat inflation and funding precarity in order to sustain her organization’s growing impact. She began her career fresh out of university as…
Purposeful People Spotlight: Azaria Anderson
Meet Azaria Anderson, Purppl’s new Marketing Coordinator This past spring, we welcomed Azaria Anderson to the Purppl team as our new – and first ever – Marketing Coordinator. This is a brand new role for…
Featured Client & Alumni Stories
Social Enterprise Profiles
When Grant Funding Dried Up, They Bought the Business
How one rural nonprofit is reclaiming economic power — and reimagining community development through tourism In small rural communities, economic development often relies on creativity, relationships, and a lot of hard work. But for Trails…
Story of Impact: Streamlining systems for increased access to employment
How an inclusive employment cooperative developed their operational capacity and increased revenue Founded in 2005 as a for-profit cooperative, Penticton and Area Cooperative Enterprises (PACE) creates employment opportunities for people living with barriers. Providing recycling…
Story of Impact: Building the pitch to expand a Métis food brand
How Rad Relish Scaled Their Operations by Clearly Articulating their Social Purpose Led by Garrett Millsap, Rad Relish sells a unique farm-to-table zucchini relish based on a recipe by his Métis grandmother. Made from WestKelowna,…
Purposeful People Spotlight: Roxie
Meet Roxie Van Aller, Purppl Entrepreneur In Residence “Moving beyond my own personal challenges inspired my belief in the power of resiliency and the desire to help others move into the fullness of their own…
Story of Impact: Working with the seasons to build a more sustainable social enterprise
Organization, Efficiency, Profitability: How Victory Gardens optimized their ability to work within a seasonal schedule Victory Gardens is a worker-owned co-op that designs, builds and maintains ecologically productive gardens in Vancouver, BC. The food-focused landscapes…
Story of Impact: Improving how one city measures and communicates the value of partnership
From Outputs to Outcomes: How the City of Kelowna is Improving Impact Measurement and Storytelling Like many municipalities, the City of Kelowna works with a network of community partners who play an important role in…
5 Indigenous Social Enterprises That Are Healing and Decolonizing the World
This National Indigenous History, we’re spotlighting 5 Indigenous social enterprises alongside whom we have the privilege to learn, grow and collaborate: Colouring It Forward, DEVA, IndigenEYEZ, Rad Relish and COYA Productions. Each of these incredible…
Take 10 to know them: Social impact leader Stacey Rexin of PACE in Penticton
This month’s feature is about Stacey Rexin, Operations Manager of Penticton and Area Cooperative Enterprises (PACE). Take a quick 10 to get to know this social entrepreneur! PACE creates employment opportunities for people living with…
Take 10 to know them: Spotlight on social impact leader Diana Frost, Colouring it Forward
This month’s featured Purppl Partner is Diana Frost, CEO/Founder at Colouring it Forward. Take a quick 10 to get to know this social enterprise leader! Colouring it Forward collaborates with Indigenous Artists and elders to…
Take 10 to know them: Spotlight on social impact leader Omar Yaqub, Islamic Family & Social Services
This month’s featured Purppl Partner is Omar Yaqub, Servant of Servants (ED) at Islamic Family & Social Services Association. Take a quick 10 to get to know this social enterprise leader! Islamic Family & Social…
Take 10 to know them: Spotlight on social impact leader Zanette Johnson of NewStories
This month’s featured Purppl Partner is Zanette Johnson, Regenerative Community Facilitator at NewStories. Take a quick 10 to get to know this social enterprise leader! Where do you consider home? After twenty extraordinary years in…
Changing human behaviour, one social enterprise at a time
Photo Credit: Friendly Composting Social entrepreneurs like Katie and Claire are part of a growing, global movement of people pairing purpose and profit. When Katie Forsyth and Claire McLoughlin decided to go into business together…
