CEO Chirp: Profiting from non-profits – seeing beyond rands and cents
The recent launch of the Cape Chamber’s NPO Portfolio is another milestone in our mission to provide networks that unlock opportunities.
By providing a dedicated home for the Non-Profit sector, we address a long-standing unmet need: the facilitation of a systemic dialogue involving NPOs, business, government and academia – all key stakeholders in helping to shape a better future.
This is a long-awaited platform, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Together we are building a community development system where organisations can cooperate, leverage the Chamber’s network, and share best practices to function as a high-performing cluster.
The logic underpinning this initiative is simple yet profound: Developing people underpins developing business.
Strengthening networks based on best practice can have a catalytic impact, the kind we need to confront serious impediments to growth. Addressing systemic challenges in social development, such as early childhood development (ECD), requires a collective response; when we do so, we are more inclusive and more effective.
There’s an obvious ethical dimension to addressing social development challenges; there is also the powerful motivation of long-term economic risk mitigation. Improving our children's educational opportunities is not only the right thing to do, it also significantly reduces the child’s "life-cycle cost" to society. The same goes for many other challenges like poor healthcare and gender-based violence.
A business does not operate in a vacuum; to a large extent we rise or fall depending upon the wellbeing of the broader society. Instead of complaining about the social costs of crime or unemployment, the private sector can help cultivate productive citizens who contribute to our workforce and create jobs. Steering a person onto the right path is a strategic advantage for any business.
Furthermore, the "For Impact" sector is evolving, shifting towards social enterprise models. This shift allows organisations to become more financially independent. A report informing the launch of our NPO portfolio highlights their economic value. As the report notes, "The question is not whether NPOs contribute to the economy—the evidence is clear. The question is whether businesses, government, and civil society will recognise this contribution and respond with strategic partnership commensurate with the value NPOs create."
The Chamber has created this platform so that the NPO sector can help itself by utilising our collective strength. By resolving systemic issues and fostering deeper business-NPO integration, we are creating the foundation for a more robust, inclusive, and productive regional economy.
John Lawson
CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry