My organizational philosophy: do good, always

When I think about organizations, I think about their mission. It doesn’t matter if the organization is public or private: I want to know their “‘why”, their reason for existing, and how I - as a consumer, client, or stakeholder - can be part of it and see myself within it. I believe that an organization’s mission is the most important component to an organization, and culture is the embodiment of that mission. But while I would place mission at the core of an organization, I cannot ignore that the type of organization - public or private - shapes how that mission is conveyed.

If the organization is private, or for-profit by structure, we - as outsiders, laypeople, and consumers - often see the mission as a marketing tactic, a trendy PR stunt to help customers associate the organization and their brand image with something rooted as positive. If the organization is public, or not-for-profit/governmental by structure, we can often see the mission as the entire basis of the organization.

What is additionally important to keep in mind is that not-for-profit organizations are filling a societal need (rather than a want or “niche”) in the marketplace/community that both the government and the private sector have decided they will not fill.

The real issue trouble isn’t that not-for-profit organizations need to exist (although there is argument for what system we have created that often forces their necessity), it’s that they exist within an already resource-limited system, and continue to be further limited by the lack of opportunities to monetize and sustain without relying heavily on shared resources, such as grants, donations, and other forms of fundraising.

We often think of not-for-profit organizations as shelters, food pantries, and health clinics - social services based organizations - but the designation can also include community and economic development, youth and adult programming, arts organizations, museums, private schools, tutoring and mentoring, among many others. These are core needs in our communities and it’s hard to imagine a thriving, enjoyable world without them.

So for these not-for-profit organizations, the mission really is their heart and core. The public organizations’ missions are why they even began, whereas the private organizations’ missions are often seen as a second thought (even when often they aren’t). 

I asked Gen Z students in the class I teach on social movements how they felt about organizations getting involved with social movements (such as changing their logo to the rainbow flag to support LGBTQ awareness in June, or making their clothing out of plastic bottles). These students said they appreciated the effort, but it almost made them more wary of the organization, and what their true intentions were for creating or making these gestures. These students seemed to know that making jeans out of plastic bottles doesn’t mean the organization has ethical labor policies, or that they were committed diversity and inclusion in their leadership make-up. These students automatically had more trust in not-for-profit organizations (and this was before my rant about power, privilege and systems of oppression).

But while not-for-profits and the public sector might hold more trust from the common consumer, the limitations of how these types of organizations can thrive within a privatized system meant for the marketable has made the public sector less and less effective. These organizations are often struggling to conform to both those needing their services and those supplying their capital to pursue this mission. This can create a stalemate within the sector, where real solutions cannot be explored or sustained because a culture of innovation cannot be harnessed. 

But I believe this isn't how it has to be. The public sector is missing an opportunity, and the private sector needs to step up into it. To do this, we need organizations - public and private - to understand the culture they want to foster, and fully develop their communication, operations, and engagement around that critical core culture. This starting point can bring us together - as people, looking for solutions, to create that vision of change for the world. We can do more together: because inside of every organization is a group of people looking to do good with what they have.

I hold the radical belief that people-centered solutions are the key to collaborative social change - and that organizations rooted in culture can actually be personable through their operations and their narrative. User-centered design thinking is not just for the private sector—it can be arguably reach its fullest potential within the public sector. We can build social movements within the organizations to do good— rather than the organizations relying on external social movements to create their PR campaign and increase their positive social awareness for a few months. This is true social responsibility, where every organization, employee, and stakeholder plays their part. 

I believe we can increase the capacity of the public sector by taking select cues from the private sector, and increase private business through public partnership development. We all want forward growth to allow communities to function better and individuals and families to thrive. We have been speaking two separate languages for too long, and it’s time to bring us together, to do good, always.