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Profit for Community Benefit

PEOPLE | PLACE | PROSPERITY

In February 2010 the inaugural Community Economic Development (CED) Conference was held in Auckland. This conference was aimed at building an increasingly strong, resilient and financially sustainable community sector. Through introducing the concepts of social enterprise, social finance and community owned assets community organisations were empowered to consider possibilities to become more entrepreneurial, develop independent income streams and so reduce their reliance on government and philanthropic grants.

There was an explosion of interest in the 2010 conference and many delegates said that the conference caused a paradigm shift in their thinking. The conference was heralded as a landmark event in the history of the community sector.

The CED website was established in August 2010 and regular ebulletins have been sent to a growing database of CED practitioners and supporters through 2010/11.

The fast growing interest in CED prompted organisers to initiate the second CED Conference tyat was held in Waitakere, Auckland on 19/20 April 2011. “Making it Happen: from Possibility to Profitability” brought together 50 presenters (from the UK, Australia and New Zealand), and 350 delegates, to create a two day learning community to explore the key themes of social enterprise, social finance and local community economic development.

Want to understand more about CED?

Check out our page of jargon busters here