Day: October 13, 2021

This workshop is the fourth in a series from Social Impact Strategies Group designed to help entrepreneurs build on their success and continue growing their business. Are you articulating your opportunity and ideas effectively to an outside audience? What do they want to know about your business plan and finances? This 60-minute workshop will help prepare you to share your business with outside audiences – be they investors or judges of your MN Cup application.

Lunch and Learn – Equity in a New Food Economy | AEO 2020 Virtual Conference

Our conference theme, Resilient: Small Businesses Strengthening Local Economies, speaks to the shifts that are happening in our nation’s economic, political, and even ecological climate, and their impact on Main Street. Local economies across the nation are not only surviving, but thriving because of small businesses that have been able to withstand everything from natural disasters to government shutdowns. We believe that their success in spite of market-level challenges is the secret to success for the future generations of entrepreneurs.

This year’s conference is all about tapping into the power of entrepreneurship to reinforce the growth of local economies. We are excited to convene experts across various fields for an immersive learning experience that will drive the creation of innovative solutions for bolstering local economies through microbusiness expansion. The 2020 AEO Digital Conference is a must-attend event for professionals who provide capital, technical assistance, and other forms of trusted guidance to underserved entrepreneurs.

Presented by: Umar Ahmed, Abdi Rahman Kahin Afro Deli & Grill, CEO, Hilal Ibraham, Fartun Hussein, Salman Elmi, Elaine Rasmussen, Michelle Maryns on 9.17.20

Celebrating Minority Owned Businesses in Minnesota

In 2002 Elaine Rasmussen, Founder and CEO of Social Impact Strategies Group (SISG), experienced catastrophic failure in the wake of the 2001 dot-com bubble burst. She lost her business, her home, and only managed to survive through a single act of kindness that helped her get back on her feet and start the process of recovery.

In this session, Elaine shares the lessons that she learned from hitting rock bottom and the journey of pulling herself up by her bootstraps to survive and thrive on the other side.

Presented by: Grant Henry, Connie Rutledge, Stephanie Malon-Rufi Ashleyn Przedwiecki, Jaime Chismar, Katie Kalkman, Elaine Rasmussen, Junita Flowers, Hayley Matthews-Jones, Michelle Maryns, Timothy Roman on 9.8.20

Are you trying to grow a social enterprise, or thinking about launching a new venture? Hear from leaders in the Twin Cities ecosystem of mission-driven businesses, discussing strategies for success. Also, meet social entrepreneurs and shop with purpose at the virtual Social Enterprise Showcase marketplace, featuring dozens of local vendors and changemakers.

Amidst the interrelated crises of ecological collapse, systemic racism and social injustices, there is a call to action for solidarity philanthropy. This sounds good but what does it mean in practice?

To show true solidarity as a foundation requires trust-based funding, alignment between grant making and investing and that leadership and governance come from lived experience of the issues at hand.

This is the story of one foundation going from a family board to a multicultural board with majority indigenous staff, committed to a 10% annual payout and actively aligning mission with endowment. A journey that started with acknowledging the need for changes, to making key changes, which have aligned internal organizational culture with mission and programs. This is a story of where we’ve come from and also where we are headed, as there remains much work to do.

Moderator: Sonja Swift, Program Advisor, Swift Foundation

Speakers: Suzanne Benally, Executive Director, Swift Foundation; Elaine Rasmussen, Board Member, Swift Foundation & CEO, Social Impact Strategies Group

Shifting capital means shifting power. Learn how community leaders are innovating to build resilience in marginalized communities.

What would it look like if an individual’s economic wellbeing was not determined by the wealth that they were born into or the color of their skin? Learning from economic and financial solutions that prioritize access and inclusion, we’ll discuss how capital can be reparative for historically marginalized communities and why community-leaders are best positioned to lead us forward. Four global leaders will showcase innovative best practices, such as leveraging character-based lending as an alternative to credit scores and utilizing tools like built-in grant conversions in their lending activities. To heal the wounds of historic atrocities, we must shift capital, control, and power back to marginalized communities.

This session was curated in partnership with Common Future.

Olufunke Adebola, Chief Data Officer, Hello Tractor

Heather Fleming, Co-founder and Executive Director, Change Labs

Brendan Martin, Executive Director, The Working World

Elaine Rasmussen, CEO, Social Impact Strategies Group (SISG)

Alfa Demmellash, CEO / Co-Founder, Rising Tide Capital

This video is about Remember Your Source with Elaine Rasmussen Part 1 – being a good relative. Elaine Rasmussen is the founder of Social Impact Strategies Group – https://socialimpactnow.com.

Elaine shares her expansive wisdom about how she stays inspired and grows as a human being, while engaging and understanding others. Please view our riveting, thought-provoking conversation that offers good advice. This is part 1 of two parts. For more information about Julie Delene and Move As One, go to https://move-as-one.com. For more shows, like and subscribe. Thank you!