Centre for Social Innovation

Eli Malinsky is the Program Manager for the Centre for Social Innovation, a sort of coworking space in Toronto that offers collaborative workspace to those working to “make positive change in the world.” The Centre opened in 2004 and since then their space has expanded considerably. So they’ve had a chance to figure out what works and what doesn’t for this particular brand of coworking. Eli recently took the time to answer some questions about his organization.

Spike Gillespie: What exactly is the Centre for Social Innovation?
Eli Malinsky: We do a bunch of things, but the main thing we do is provide shared work space and shared services. We have around 120 current members — 40 in offices, 40 in permanent desks, and 40 in hot desks (part-time desks). They represent nonprofits, charities, social enterprises, social purpose businesses, green businesses and are also individual social entrepreneurs, artists and activists. They reflect a variety of interests, including arts, culture, social justice, education, health, environment, technology and much, much more. They are a diverse bunch — but they are all using their energy to improve their communities and the world at large.

We also provide event spaces so we have about 1,000 people per month come in for workshops, meetings, book launches, press conferences etc. And finally, we act as an incubator, helping promising social change projects get off the ground.

Spike: How did y’all come up with the idea?
Eli: We know that the majority of social change projects start off small — one or two people small. And it’s these folks who are most likely to work in isolation and in substandard facilities. It’s also these folks who have the most difficult time with administration, because they don’t have staff support. When you are a one-person organization and the internet connection goes down, you are the only who can deal with it.

We imagined the Centre as a place where a diverse cross-section of people and organizations would come together with two common motivations: to reduce costs through economies of scale and shared administrative support, and to build community across sectors and interests.

We started with 5,000 square feet and 14 tenant organizations. Within two years we had a waiting list of 40 organizations. We’re now at 20,000 square feet and it was only in the past two years that we really invested in desk space and shared desk space as opposed to offices. We’ve also broadened our focus beyond nonprofit organizations to include all types of organizations working for social change.

Spike: What you’re doing sounds very much like what the coworking movement is doing, only with an emphasis on non-profit work. Can you give me an example or two of how pooling resources has resulted in success/improvements for the groups at the Centre?
Eli: Yep that’s exactly what it is. Coworking for ’social mission’ organizations and individuals. Everyone wants to know the big story — how two groups collaborated and created change in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without the Centre for Social Innovation. And that does happen. But the real magic is in the more pervasive and diffuse collaboration that occurs through natural day-to-day exchange. Members are constantly sharing tips, feedback, resources, connections and expertise in a way that simply wouldn’t be possible without a shared space. And a lot of genuinely great friendships form too!

Spike: Some examples of the groups at the Centre?
Eli: See the bottom of the web site. There are a ton! From the African Canadian Social Development Council to EcoSchools — our members run the full spectrum….

Spike: Are you at full capacity?
Eli: All of our permanent space is full with a waiting list. But we have space for about 80 part-time people, so our goal is to double current numbers by March 2009.

Spike: How, exactly, has it worked — does a group apply for use of space? Do they pay rent or are they funded by the Centre?
Eli: We are a nonprofit social enterprise — we have no funding except for what we get from our tenants (although we do get grants for special projects). So we can only survive in the marketplace if we generate enough revenue from rent. All tenants pay rent for their space, based on size and any special features (windows, exposed brick, etc.). The part-time members select among a series of packages based on a set allotment of hours.

All members must apply and must be approved for tenancy. We have an application form and take very seriously our responsibility to select the best possible tenants. We are ‘curators’ of the shared environment — and this is critical to our success.

Spike: You’ve been open for 4 years now — how have things changed and what have you learned in the process?
Eli: We have learned a ton since we opened our doors. There are three main discoveries/lessons that really influence our unique approach: The first is diversity. A good coworking space is a diverse coworking space. For us, this means a mix of permanent and part-time members. It also means a variety of organizational forms: charities, nonprofits, social purpose businesses, social enterprises, consultants, grassroots community groups and individual social entrepreneurs, innovators and activists. Finally, diversity means a mix of areas of interest and focus: social justice, health, education, arts, environment, technology, business, and professional services. It is only by connecting with others outside of our own familiar spheres that we can take our ideas to the next level and develop systemic solutions to the problems that face us.

The second is physical design. The physical design of the space plays a massive role in its success a space for work and for collaboration. A coworking space must be functional: it must manage noise, provide sufficient meeting rooms, include a variety of standard office amenities and allow people to be efficient and productive in pursuit of their missions.

But it must also be designed with community in mind.  For us, this means using glass walls wherever possible — so you can get a real sense of the dynamism of the space. Glass also reflects core values of transparency, openness and collaboration. We also make sure that we have large kitchens and unstructured spaces for social interaction, including casual and comfortable furniture. People are more likely to share ideas and spark a connection if they are just ‘hanging out’. We’ve come to realize how important it is to provide such spaces to really foster the development of community.

Finally, we’ve learned that our coworking community needs animation as much as it needs administration. But it must not be heavy-handed — it should be with a light touch. We focus on three levels of animation: physical, social and technological. Physically, we put up message walls, maps and photo walls that allow people to learn who’s in the space and what they’re doing, and which foster communication among members. Socially, we have quarterly formal events (and many informal events throughout the year) that allow members to kick back and get to know each other without focusing on work. We have had picnics, sailing trips, and the annual Cookie & Cocktail Smackdown. Technologically, we have an internal e-mail list that allows members to get in touch with each other, share leads and find support, as well as website profiles that feature the members and allow everyone to learn more about each other’s work.