Transitioning from a non-profit to social enterprise

Light Up The World (LUTW), a Calgary-based non-profit and registered charity, has been deploying small-scale solar electric systems to families living far from the electrical grid since 1997. This latest ConocoPhillips IRIS seminar will look at the off-grid lighting sector, its emergence and LUTW’s ongoing transition from a non-profit to a social enterprise approach. LUTW’s approach since inception has been to subsidize the acquisition of solar electric systems in people’s homes to displace the use of kerosene and candles for lighting. Changes in LUTW’s operating environment however are putting this approach in question. The declining costs of solar, advancements in LED technology, and the rise of innovative financing mechanisms have transformed the off-grid lighting sector. New operating models are being tested and proven and the entire off-grid lighting sector is shifting from one that was charitable in focus with projects spearheaded by non-profits to one that is market motivated and dominated by social enterprises. About the speaker: Christoph Schultz is the executive director with LUTW. LUTW’s mandate is to bring electricity to families in areas where the grid does not reach. LUTW does this through deploying off-grid solar electric systems and facilitating solar training and education programs globally. He holds a degree in finance from the University of Calgary and a MSc. in Development Economics and Public Policy from the University of Manchester. Tuesday, October 18, 2016 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. BMO Financial Group Forum, Third Floor, Haskayne School of Business University of Calgary Main Campus 2500 University Drive NW Campus map Questions? Please contact ccs@haskayne.ucalgary.ca. The ConocoPhillips IRIS Seminar Series is proudly supported by ConocoPhillips and administered by the Centre for Corporate Sustainability at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Register here.
Location:
BMO Financial Group Forum 3rd Floor Haskayne School of Business
Speaker:
Christoph Schultz, executive Director with Light Up The World (LUTW)
More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/transitioning-non-profit-social-enterprise