In a news cycle dominated by company cover ups, scandals and deceit, it’s become even more important to applaud companies who do well by doing good. This list aims to acknowledge and celebrate socially responsible organizations, to not only spread the word about their good work but to also set an example for other companies on how they can incorporate social good into their missions or partner with an existing social enterprise.
And this isn’t just about generic CSR; consumers are purposely seeking to support socially responsible brands. Nielsen’s Global Survey of Corporate Social Responsibility found that more than half of people surveyed “are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact”.
These five are a handful of the most progressive and impactful double bottom line nonprofits and for-profit social enterprises in America.
1. Packed with Purpose:
Packed with Purpose is the only b2b gifting company with a social mission that is transforming the age-old practice of client gifting and wrapping it with corporate conscience. Packed with Purpose (PwP) is also designed to make sure companies are top of mind for their own clients, helping grow their business by making the practice of gifting turnkey for client work anniversaries, milestones, customer prospects, donor thank-you’s and valued employees.
So, what’s in a typical Packed with Purpose gift box?
Be it granola made by female victims of abuse, candles made by adolescent, homeless mothers, or urban honey harvested by the formerly incarcerated, Packed with Purpose curates gift box offerings where each product supports an employee with barriers to the traditional workforce (check out one of their top sellers: A Sweet Thanks, Deluxe). Packed with Purpose will also customize gift box curations with a company’s logo, etc… for $1 extra per box.
The PwP team believes with every gift shipped to customers/clients, a message is sent about the giving company’s core values. Today smart companies are looking for ways to break through the clutter and demonstrate CSR while establishing an emotional connection with their customers.
2. Central City Coffee:
Portland’s Central City Coffee is a social enterprise employing Portland’s most vulnerable – homeless single mothers – and putting them to work roasting and distributing delicious craft coffees. CCC sources it’s beans specifically to enhance economic growth in coffee producing countries. Central City Coffee’s full-time, day shift hours tend to be a great fit for mothers who need a set schedule and reliable childcare to reenter the workforce. And the skills they learned—marketing, office administration, sales—set them up for success when seeking meaningful employment after training at CCC.
Central City Coffee was created by Central City Concern in 2013. Concern a nonprofit organization founded to meet the increasingly complex needs of homeless and very low income individuals, Concern now provides safe and affordable housing and outreach programs connecting 13,000+ at-risk clients per year with a network of peers who support a safe and sober lifestyle.
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3. More Than Words:
More Than Words was created to give Boston’s homeless, at-risk youth (aged 16-24 yrs old) a way to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. More importantly, More Than Words was created as a ‘mattering business’. The social enterprise recognized that there is nothing greater for kids who are homeless or in foster care than to know that their lives have meaning.
Today More Than Words is a vibrant retail and online bookstore, café and transformational vehicle for youth that includes intensive case management and transitions services. Thanks to a fall 2018 bookstore expansion, the youth now have access to 50,000+ books at More Than Words’ location in Boston’s Southend. This year the youth will earn $3.9M from their book business, covering 55% of the program’s budget. More Than Words sources 3M books per year, manages an online inventory of 140,000 books and two store inventories of about 50,000 books, all while shipping out over 750 orders per day.
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4. Women’s Bean Project:
Women’s Bean Project hires women with histories of incarceration, women who are ex-gang members and former addicts with multiple felonies and puts them to work manufacturing gourmet food items. Women’s Bean Project’s mission is to put itself out of business as the women leverage the program to break the generational cycle of poverty while producing items from bean soups, cornbreads, to hand packaged gift baskets and gift bundles and artisanal popcorns (White Popcorn with Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Seasoning, Blue Popcorn with Salted Caramel and Rainbow Popcorn with Salt & Pepper).
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5. RecycleForce:
RecycleForce is a social enterprise that mixes recycling with reentry from prison. Part of our society’s zero waste plan should extend to a large part of the nonworking population. Capable of providing skilled labor, too many are deemed unhirable and turned away due to lack of soft skills or their past mistakes. In fact, The number one reason so many ex-offenders go back to prison is because of a lack of a job.
Indianapolis based RecycleForce aims to change that by employing ex-convicts and helping them rebuild their lives by providing gainful employment offering free waste disposal to residents and businesses alike.
The RecycleForce workforce program, focused on transitional jobs, employability skills training and supportive services, has successfully placed more than 360 ex-offender workers in full-time paid employment. The recidivism rate for these workers has been only 25% — significantly less than the local and national averages.
Disclosure: This article is written by Katie Wagner.
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