The Not-for-Profit Edge: Community-Centered Strategies Every Corporate Leader Should Know

I recently read thoughts by Davyn de Bruyn about what the charity sector could learn from the corporate sector. In response, David Barrow asked an interesting question, “what do you think corporates need to learn from NFPs?”

Here are my thoughts on what corporates need to learn from not-for-profits (NFPs):

• The importance of centring community – NFPs understand that real impact happens when communities are the centre of decision-making. Corporates can move beyond transactional approaches by co-creating solutions with those who are most impacted by the challenges being addressed.

• Collaboration over competition – NFPs know that the most impactful work occurs in partnership with community and other organisations. The corporate sector can learn to value collective impact over individual gain, working with others to achieve shared goals.

• Purpose-driven action – in the NFP sector, values, purpose and mission are everything. Corporates can learn to create, and live, core values that engage stakeholders more deeply by demonstrating they are working toward meaningful, ethical goals.

• Measuring success beyond profits – NFPs measure their impact by the difference they make in people’s lives. Corporates can continue to expand their measures of success by including social impacts and their sustainable benefits for everyone.

• Inclusion and accessibility – NFPs value lived-experience and often lead in creating opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds. Corporates can learn from this commitment to accessibility, ensuring their policies, practices and culture are inclusive of everyone.

What lessons for corporates from the not-for-profit world would you add to this list?

* You can read Davyn's original LinkedIn post here: Post | LinkedIn