1% for Community
I have spent over a decade in the impact sector, spanning social enterprise, private sector, nonprofit, and social finance. For as long as I can remember, I’ve thought there has to be a better way of doing business, and my time in the impact sector has had me focus on transforming capitalism with the intent of building stronger communities with more equitable participation in the economy.
One thing I’ve learned about systems change is that while it does require large scale collaboration where power is held and ways of thinking and operating differently at that level, it also needs consistent behaviour from individuals. For example, I know that no matter how much I advocate, it’s highly unlikely that politicians or funders will always place value on what I think is most important, especially at the level of community that I see every day. That doesn’t mean I won’t continue to advocate, but it does mean that there’s an opportunity to think about my impact and my responsibilities in a different way.
Often, whether individually or from a business perspective, we hear the language of “giving back” and it has not sat well with me for some time, because I think it first implies “taking from”. Perhaps this is particularly on my mind because I just finished reading The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, but I’m increasingly interested in what would change if we thought first of our abundance and how to share it with the community (or communities) with which we’re interdependent.
Currently, this business is young and it is small. As someone whose work is rooted in sustainability, it’s possible that my business will always be small, but that’s another blog post. Regardless of its size, my business has an impact on my community because it’s something I do. What I do has an impact on my community because I am in relationship with other people in other organizations, because I benefit from the taxes we all contribute to, and because I benefit from policy that encourages me to remain in business. In any relationship, there are responsibilities, and that is why I commit a minimum of 1% of revenue (not profit) to supporting critical work here in London as both a cost of doing business and a commitment to supporting relational, community-led work.
What that commitment looks like year to year may vary, but there are a few consistent considerations behind my decision-making:
Indigenous- and/or Black- led and serving groups.
Nonprofits that are not registered charities, which means they have a certain flexibility to respond to the needs of the communities they serve but they also are ineligible for many grants and cannot entice donors with a tax receipt.
Organizations / projects that meet a clear community need but have been deprioritized by government policy and funding priorities.
If you’re a business owner considering what community relationship and responsibility look like for you, I encourage you to consider what a similar commitment could look like.
Have some criteria of your own or an organization/initiative you’d encourage others to support? Share in the comments.
Organizations I have supported through this commitment: SafeSpace (disclosure: I’m on the board), Yotuni Social Enterprise, Nii’kinaaganaa Foundation. Other businesses that have inspired my commitment: QuakeLab’s “Indigenous reparations charge” and Evenings & Weekends Consulting’s commitment of 1% of revenue to The Circle on Philanthropy.