Agents of Nonprofit Community-Financed Nonprofit Spaces with Tonya Surman
Jul 21, 2025
49:40
In this inspiring episode of Agents of Nonprofit, I sit down with Tonya Surman, CEO and co-founder of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), to explore her decades-long mission to redesign how nonprofits operate, collaborate, and finance their futures. As the conversation unfolds, Tonya challenges traditional ideas around ownership, scale, and capitalism, offering a vision of a regenerative, relationship-centered economy built on circular design principles.
Topics We Cover:
- Tonya Surman’s journey from grassroots activism to nonprofit innovation
- The founding vision of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI)
- How shared resources evolved into a thriving social impact ecosystem
- The power and mechanics behind community bonds as financing tools
- Stories of unlikely investors—from new Canadians to 25-year-old Gen Z women
- The challenges of scaling a nonprofit vs. a for-profit structure
- The impact of COVID-19 and interest rates on nonprofit-owned real estate
- A bold vision for “exit to community” and reshaping capitalism with circular design
To Learn More and Connect with Tonya: