Ontario: SSE-O Get Involved
Thanks for your interest in SSE-O. There are many potential roles you can play in our community. The only requirement for involvement is your passion for social entrepreneurship!
Our team would be happy to discuss your interests and help you find a way to get involved. Please review the list of roles below — if any of these appeal to you, kindly complete the “Get Involved” form. On the form, you’ll be able to tell us about your interests and background. We’ll then follow up with more information.
Friend
Friends of SSE-O can join us in many ways — from receiving our updates, spreading School news to neighbours and friends, attending SSE-O events, nominating great potential students, and more. You can subscribe to our mailing list by filling out the “Get Involved” form. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop about opportunities as they arise. If you do not use email, please sign up for our paper-based (very infrequent) updates by calling 647-775-8146 X 7016.
Student
Graduation of the first Fellowship cohort took place on May 29, 2013!
An application call date for the next SSE-O Fellowship Program is yet to decided and announced. Thank you for your interest!
Volunteer
SSE-O believes social change will be deepest when our students enjoy the support of other entrepreneurs, experts, and students. We are eager to recruit volunteers to help facilitate students’ personal and venture-level development. SSE-O also seeks volunteers to assist with the School’s operations. Below is a list of different volunteer roles and their time/skill requirements.
Back Office Positions
| Position | Time Required | Description |
| Office worker | Flexible | Perform light clerical work and front desk support |
| Knowledge manager | Flexible | Help create SSE-O's online and physical library of resources for social entrepreneurs in Canada |
| Focus group member | 2 hours per session | Provide occasional feedback on SSE-O's plans |
| Community outreach volunteer | 2 hours for training; then flexible | Help ensure your community can take advantage of opportunities at SSE-O |
| Photographer/videographer | Flexible | Help SSE-O document the learning process and the social change happening in students' projects |
| Special event volunteer | Flexible | Assist SSE-O in preparing for and running special events |
| Expert consultants | Flexible | Assist SSE-O with technical projects (e.g. impact evaluation, marketing, communications, and fundraising) |
Student Support Positions
These positions are competitive and will involve successful completion of an interview and training session.
| Position | Time Required | Description |
| Tutor | Training + 4.5 hours per student (three 1.5 hour sessions in 9 months) | Play a supportive role in the development and progress of a student throughout the program |
| Expert | Training + 1-3 hours per session | Make one-off class presentations and/or consult with students one-on-one in a specific technical area |
| Witness | Training + 1-3 hours per session | Talk with students about your experience as an entrepreneur or social activist, providing personal testimony about challenges you've handled |
| Dragon's Den panel member | Training + 3 hours per session | Judge student business pitches as part of a panel of potential investors. Over 9-month period, two practice sessions and one real session envisioned. Mock session investors are not required to invest actual funds |
| Project visit host | Training + 4-8 hours per visit | Host students at your own social enterprise, helping students experience a social enterprise 'live' |
| Mentor | Training + ~ 2 hours per session for 4 to 6 sessions | Assist students in their development of knowledge and wisdom that can be applied to a wide range of situations |
Please note that SSE has developed relationships with numerous companies and organizations that wish to provide community engagement opportunities to their employees. SSE partners in the UK include: PwC, Barclaycard, Linklaters, and SVG Capital. We are looking for similar partners in Canada.
Donor (In-Kind Support and Cash)
SSE-O is in the process of furnishing its office and building a library of resources for students. If you are interested in contributing office equipment, furniture, library materials, etc., we'll let you know more about our specific needs.
During SSE-O’s initial pilot stage, student contributions will not fully cover the cost of running the School. As the initiative develops, we will move toward an earned revenue model, but for the moment, we depend on charitable contributions from generous donors. Please make a gift to help ensure SSE-O can take root here in Canada.
Paid Consultant
Given the charitable nature of SSE-O’s Fellowship Program, we have limited funds to hire consultants.
At the moment, we are recruiting three Action Learning Set (ALS) facilitators, who have demonstrable professional experience in facilitating ALS; or demonstrable professional experience in managing group learning processes, together with at least one experience of being a member of an ALS. These consulting contracts will consist of 6 to 8 sessions over a 6-month period, with each session lasting about 4 hours per session. For all other consulting needs, where our pool of volunteers is unable to cover a particular issue, we will hire a small number of advisors.
Staff/Interns
SSE’s educational model does not require heavy staffing, so core staff positions at SSE-O will be few and far between. At the moment, we anticipate hiring two additional positions in 2014 when we expand operations to Ottawa and Windsor. We will also have occasional internship opportunities.