Faithventure Forum

The lack of investment capital for social enterprises holds back the growth of this blossoming sector. As much as social enterprises would like to set themselves apart from the giving model of traditional philanthropy, the lack of a pure profit motive when solving societal problems hampers the resourcing of new projects. In our organization, Belay Enterprises , we seek to create ventures that employ and job train individuals rebuilding lives from addiction, homelessness and prison. We are constantly uncovering great new potential projects that are only limited by our ability to fund their start-up. If a consistent social capital market were developed, it could greatly benefit our efforts. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done because social change doesn't easily pay investment dividends. So it's with great interest that I am watching the development of social impact funds by investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. They are built on the assumption that...

You don't have to have it all figured out before you start. Just prayerfully sense God's call and start.  The path will become clearer as you move forward in faith. Don't allow yourself to become trapped in our culture's too common paralysis of analysis.  Simply write down your dream and two easy steps you can do towards that goal today.    And then prayerfully do it.  The results will open up new possibilities of action... two steps to accomplish the next day.  Repeat.  And over the course of time, the future will become focused and you will know what to do.  Because you will have already done it or been re-routed onto a new path.     And sometimes you will discover it can't be done. No worries. You don't have to have it all figured out before you start. Just prayerfully sense God's call and start.

It's been an exciting start to the new year as Belay Enterprises strives to create self-sufficient faithventure businesses that provide jobs for individuals rebuilding lives from addiction, homelessness and prison. Please review the following quick rundown of happenings around Belay and consider supporting our new start-ups with a tax-deductible donation by visiting our online donation page here : We're delighted by the successful launch over the last six months of New Beginnings Custom Woodworks , our custom cabinet employment and job training program for ex-offenders. Everything is up and running with sales far beyond our initial projections. We're continuing to expand jobs and training opportunities for ex-offenders as we grow our customers for cabinet-making services. Our long dreamed of mattress recycling project has revived in a big way with a developing partnership with a group of entrepreneurs. Expect an announcement very soon of the opening of Colora...

Over the last few weeks, I've learned of several non-profit organizations where donations have been significantly down for the last few months. It seems that uncertainty in the economy is starting to negatively impact giving from individuals and foundations. The reason that this has come to my attention is that these same non-profits are attempting a pro-active approach to their financial health by exploring social enterprise to supplement their sources of income. While I am always exciting to learn about faith-based organizations exploring social enterprise as a revenue source, I must counsel that organizations approach earned income ventures with realistic assumptions. A social enterprise will not save your organization's finances. At least not in the short run. Any new business venture will require significant start-up money and will take many months (years) to generate profits. Belay started Bud's Warehouse in 1994 with a large amount of start-up funding. . It stil...