Social Innovation Lab

04/29/2026

Today is the day! The Community Ideas Festival brings together community leaders from across Newfoundland and Labrador to dig into some of the community sector’s biggest challenges -capacity, volunteer sustainability, and revenue diversification - and share what’s actually working in practice.

Hey! Community Ideas Festival begins today ✨

We’re so excited to finally be here — to gather, connect, and share ideas with all of you.

Whether you’re joining us in St. John’s or from wherever you are, this space was created for community, for conversation, and for what comes next 💛

✨ We’re already live on the platform — feel free to jump in and start exploring.

If for any reason you can’t attend in person — or if you weren’t able to secure a spot — you can still be part of it.

✨ Our virtual experience is open and designed to be just as engaging — with sessions, conversations, and virtual booths you won’t want to miss.

🔗 Join us here:
https://communityideasfestival.ca/

We’d love to have you with us.

Shared Communities. Shared Future.



Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador
Centre for Social Enterprise
Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland-Labrador Federation of Co-operatives

04/02/2026

🔥 Let’s Ignite Volunteerism across Newfoundland and Labrador!

Volunteer Week 2026 (April 19–25) is your opportunity to celebrate, recognize, and amplify the impact of volunteers in your community 💛

Here are a few ways to get involved:

✨ Celebration Event Grants — support your local events
✨ Volunteer Recognition Reception at Government House — submit a nomination
✨ Mayoral Proclamations — recognize volunteers in your municipality
✨ Share Your Volunteer Story — help us highlight impact across the province
✨ Volunteer Week Ambassadors — nominate someone (or yourself!)
✨ Planning Tools & Resources — everything you need to celebrate

Whether you're organizing, recognizing, or sharing — there’s a place for everyone to take part.

👉 Explore all opportunities and resources:
https://cscnl.ca/volunteerweek/

As a proud partner of Volunteer Canada, CSCNL is helping celebrate and amplify volunteerism across Newfoundland and Labrador ✨

Let’s come together to celebrate the people who make our communities stronger 💫

04/01/2026

Since the very beginning, the Coffee Shop has been a space for musical performances, art exhibits, and craft vendors. It’s a part of our mission to increase access to the arts by providing opportunities for artists of all kinds in our spaces!

We are putting together our events calendar for the season and invite artisans of all kinds to get in touch. We are happy to host pop-ups, concerts, markets, and workshops in our indoor and outdoor spaces.

You can get in touch with us at [email protected].

04/01/2026

✨ Registration is now open!

Community Ideas Festival is back this April 29 – May 1 in St. John’s, NL — bringing together community leaders, innovators and changemakers from across Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.

This year’s gathering is centred on Future-Proofing NL’s Community Sector — exploring how we can strengthen the people, partnerships and prosperity our communities need to thrive.

💻 Can’t join in person?
You can still be part of the experience. Join us virtually and take part in sessions, conversations, and meaningful connections — from wherever you are.

💛 We believe that cost should not prevent participation.
If attending CIF would be meaningful for you but cost is a barrier, we encourage you to reach out. Bursaries are available.

🔗 Explore the agenda and register:
https://communityideasfestival.ca/

Shared Communities. Shared Future.

In collaboration with:
Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador
Centre for Social Enterprise (Memorial University)
Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland-Labrador Federation of Co-operatives

03/25/2026

📊 Happening this Friday — don’t miss it!

Still figuring out how to measure impact without overly complex systems?

Join us in person for our CoP session on “Getting to Good Enough Impact Measurement” and walk away with practical tools and a guided self-assessment you can apply right away.

👉 Register now: https://luma.com/njl5t46p

Social Innovation Lab
Centre for Social Enterprise | Memorial University
Common Approach to Impact Measurement

03/24/2026

📊 Happening this Friday — don’t miss it!

Still figuring out how to measure impact without overly complex systems?

Join us in person for our CoP session on “Getting to Good Enough Impact Measurement” and walk away with practical tools and a guided self-assessment you can apply right away.

👉 Register now: https://luma.com/njl5t46p

03/17/2026

📊 CoP PeerUp Series: Getting to Good Enough Impact Measurement

How can organizations measure impact without overly complex systems?

Join us for our next Community of Practice (CoP) PeerUp session featuring Segun Fatudimu, Head of Common Foundations at the Common Approach to Impact Measurement, as we explore what it means to reach a “good enough” standard for impact measurement.

This practical session will introduce the Common Foundations, five essential practices that help organizations build meaningful and manageable impact measurement approaches using the tools and capacities they already have.

Participants will also complete a guided self-assessment to reflect on their current measurement practices and identify opportunities to strengthen their approach.

📅 March 27
🕑 2:00 – 3:30 PM
📍 Social Changemaker Space, Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University (St. John’s Campus)

👉 Register here:
https://luma.com/njl5t46p

This Community of Practice (CoP) is delivered through a collaboration between the Centre for Social Enterprise at Memorial University and the Social Innovation Lab at Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador.

03/12/2026

⏳ Final call — the Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey closes tomorrow.

If your organization has a social, environmental, or cultural mission, generates earned revenue, and reinvests most profits into that mission, you are eligible to participate.

🕒 Takes about 20 minutes
💰 Chance to win $500

👉 https://shorturl.at/eUrVS

Help ensure Newfoundland and Labrador’s social enterprises are represented in national data.

Buy Social Canada
Social Innovation Lab
Centre for Social Enterprise
Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland-Labrador Federation of Co-operatives

03/05/2026

Our partners at the Centre for Social Enterprise (Memorial University) are hosting an upcoming fireside chat exploring systems approaches to community impact.

Join Dr. Annika Voltan (Saint Mary’s University) for a conversation on how community impact organizations can navigate growing service demand, funding challenges, and the importance of stronger sector-level coordination.

📅 March 12, 2026
🕚 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Social Changemaker Space, Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University

Light refreshments included.

👉 Register: https://luma.com/zptk7s9b

02/23/2026

📣 Canadian Social Enterprises — Add Your Voice

We’re proud to share the launch of the Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey 2026, led by Buy Social Canada in partnership with CSCNL and 13 other sector partners nationwide.

This is the first national social enterprise survey in a decade — and your participation will help inform advocacy, research, policy development, and strategic initiatives across Canada.

If you are a social enterprise, your voice matters.

🗓️ Survey closes March 13, 2026
⏱️ Takes approximately 20 minutes
💰 Complete submissions are entered to win $500

👉 Take the survey here: https://shorturl.at/Vjtlu

Social enterprises play a vital role to strengthen communities, advance social and environmental solutions, and contribute to Canada’s economy. Every day, your work creates jobs, sustains local economies, and tackles complex social and environmental challenges. Yet there is still limited national ...

02/12/2026

Community Ideas Festival is BACK 🎉✨

You asked. We listened.
After hearing from our community through a recent survey, the dates are set:

🗓 April 29 – May 1, 2026

The second edition of the Community Ideas Festival is coming — bringing together changemakers, community builders, social innovators, and bold ideas from across the province.

Mark your calendars now.
Big conversations. Fresh ideas. Meaningful connections.

More details coming soon… but for now:

🔥 Save the date.

Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador
Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Centre for Social Enterprise
Newfoundland-Labrador Federation of Co-operatives