Definition: Not-ONLY-For-Profit
A business entity that explicitly and practically sets out to not just make money but also achieve some positive societal impact.
Archane tax systems have forced upon our minds and our legal structures the assumption that an entity has to either have profit-making as a goal OR be dedicated to benefiting society. While there are many cases where positive social impact cannot be engineered or organized in a self-sustaining market-driven business model and requires a purely non-profit structure, this is not necessarily the case. There are many positive ways to impact both the bottom line and the world at large. Indeed, it is sometimes optimal to be able to help advance societal goals in a sustainable way that relies on market mechanisms to advance social goals also.
PeaceWorks is the first example I dabbled in to try to prove this concept.
There are many other companies (preceding and succeeding PeaceWorks) that are similarly structured.
Do you know about our for-profit and not-for-profit companies, Stay Classy and the Stay Classy Foundation? I think that you’ll really like what we’re all about - always doing good at the core, and partnering with other community organizations that are doing the same.
[…] A Hacktivist is a person who Hacks for social change. I am also an entrepreneur and I charge for services and support of FOSS health software, including EHR systems. I see no contradiction between having a purpose of promoting social change and a profession of software consulting. One way to formalize this pairing is with the concept of a not-only-for-profit businesses. […]