The CBBF Toronto chapter extends a warm invitation to:

“The Characteristics and Character of a Social Entrepreneur”

Célia Cruz, Director of Ashoka Canada, will tell us about Ashoka and answer important questions:
-What is a Social Entrepreneur?
-How Ashoka identifies and supports Social Entrepreneurs
-How the character of a Social Entrepreneur supports their work
-Ashoka's vision of 'Everyone a Changemaker'

INFO: What is Ashoka? http://canada.ashoka.org/
Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs - men and women with system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Just as entrepreneurs change the face of business, social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for society, seizing opportunities others miss and improving systems, inventing new approaches, and creating solutions to change society for the better. While a business entrepreneur might create entirely new industries, a social entrepreneur comes up with new solutions to social problems and then implements them on a large scale. Ashoka's Fellows inspire others to adopt and spread their innovations - demonstrating to all citizens that they too have the potential to be powerful changemakers.

BIO: Célia Cruz, Director of Ashoka Canada
Before becoming Ashoka Canada Director, Célia Cruz was the Managing Director of Ashoka Global Fellowship for 1 ½ year and Director of Ashoka in Brazil and Paraguay for five years. Before Ashoka, Célia worked with the Institute for Development of Social Investment, where she was a Program Coordinator for two years, creating community foundations in a number of Brazilian cities. She founded the fundraising consulting firm Philanthropics in 1994 and served as fundraising coordinator for the School of Business Administration of São Paulo, Fundacao Getulio Vargas (EAESP/FGV), until 2000. Célia also served as São Paulo's representative to the Fundraising School of Indiana University's Center for Philanthropy from 2000 – 2003 and taught fundraising from 1995 -2007 in the 1st management nonprofit program in Latin America. Célia has a master degree on Economic from EAESP/FGV and with exchange at ESSEC, France and York University, Canada. Célia has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations including Associação Rodrigo Mendes, the Brazilian Association of Fundraisers, the Volunteer Center of São Paulo, IMAFLORA, AISEC, and the Committee for Social Engagement of Instituto Akatu and in Canada she is in the board of Roots of Empathy and SIFE/George Brown. Célia is a co-author of fundraising book Captação de Diferentes Recursos para Organizações Sem Fins Lucrativos, 2000.


"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."
-- Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka