"not-only-for-profit"
On the site for the Social Enterprise Alliance (with the tagline: “Leading a community for sustainable nonprofits”), there is a link to a Wall Street Journal Article by Steve Case, entitled “Purpose and Profit Go Together“. Steve Case talks about integrating the missions of the private and the social sector. Two excerpts, from this article, that I’d like to highlight, follow below:
“Too many people still act as if the private sector and the social sector should operate on different axes, where one is all about making money and the other about serving society. A better approach is to integrate these missions, with businesses that are “not-only-for-profit” and social service groups with their own earned income all contributing to positive, durable, significant social change.
…
The real strength of organizations in this “sector-blending” space is that they don’t just balance competing goals — they try to maximize both. Whether you’re running a business that also serves a valuable social objective, or running a nonprofit that earns part of its income through viable commercial activity, purpose and profit aren’t zero-sum, they’re mutually reinforcing. And together, these investments pay dividends to the community as a whole — because everyone, after all, has a stake in a more hopeful, supportive and just society.”
