If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. – Traditional Proverb
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. – Old Testament
Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. – New Testament
It is expected that a BAM business will seek to be profitable as a key component of its’ Quadruple Bottom Line values. But the ultimate goal is to see transformed individuals and communities, economically, spiritually, and socially.
All the while, Non-Profit or Not-For-Profit organizations nearby are trying to accomplish the same end, often with no intent to separate from the donor funding stream that sustains them. The two entities are driven by a common cause.
I have often wondered: How do they cooperate? How do they work together? Are there ways they can complement each other? Surely the Not-For Profit (NFP) wants social, economic, and spiritual transformation. Of course, a BAM company is unique in its’ drive towards sustainability and independence from donor funds, but aside from that, how should the two relate to one another in the same city or region?
A Guide for BAM Companies
There is a good example in a BAM company operating successfully (post revenue with 400 plus employees) in SE Asia. Let’s call the company ‘J’.
I interviewed M, the owner of J Company, and was impressed with his commitment to cooperation with Not For-Profits in all three countries where he has operations. Here is what I learned.
1. For-Profit minded owners can buy a business idea or operation from a NFP
M and his wife visited a mission worker in the 1990s who had started making bread in her home. It was discovered to be so good that a neighbor offered to buy some. This was the start of a small NFP business with a staff of five at the time of Ms visit. M and his wife left SE Asia for North America but returned to SE Asia three years later and bought the bakery/café along with his sister and brother-in-law.
Twenty years later Walter Deibel made the case in his well-received book Buy then Build, that acquisition entrepreneurs are outsmarting the startup game. M proved to be well ahead of his time.
2. Not-For-Profits are a source of For-Proft employees
J Company takes advantage of the connections and experiences of Not-For-Profits such as aid agencies, church groups, mission agencies, and independent NGO humanitarian workers. Wise business leaders like M know that jobs are important and necessary for survivors of abuse, poverty, gross injustice, and slavery. More and more programs are developing to help victims to overcome and survive and also to be prepared for jobs and a better future. After all, leaders in both sectors know that the end goal is life transformation.
One example is that J Company has a partnership with a local NGO to make strategic hires of blind or deaf individuals so that now 20% of the staff are either blind or deaf. J Company is expanding its training materials into braille and other methods to increase the marketability of those disadvantaged. More than one hundred of J Company’s employees have in some way been disadvantaged. These individuals have been ignored by the competition and usually not even given a work interview.
Survivors of human slavery form part of M’s hires. He has given them a safe environment and a chance to develop their skills and establish real dignity. An important component of this is the training of managers to give everyone equal value and opportunity.
3. For-Profts give back to the world of the Not-For-Profits
There are many ways to give back. J Company has given donations to support more than fifty transformative causes in the community such as: water filters, rural school projects, counseling, soap production, CD and recording distribution, organic farming initiatives, hygiene trainings, and construction of Christian rehabilitation centers. While the donations in and of themselves are significant, M notes that the community readily observes the values for which J Company is known in action through these projects.
The company strives for excellence in all things, treating employees and clients honestly and fairly and providing a safe and flexible working environment. They study the laws of the country and practice them to the best of their ability with ethical and moral decisions and the appropriate handling of money issues. It is evident that the Not-for-Profit ecosystem benefits from the J Company in these three countries.
4. For Profit leaders become increasingly involved in the community themselves
M notes that as they endeared themselves to the community and became a part of it, opportunities developed, such as the start of a marriage ministry. More than 1500 people have attended over twenty marriage encounter weekends. They have seen many marriages radically changed in practical and spiritual ways.
Having dozens of interns come has allowed for plenty of interaction with the community so the intern gets a vision for returning to develop something themselves. In the short term, the intern contributes to the community as they interact with people and projects. While internships or short-term mission trips typically join with NGOs and mission projects, the J Company internship program allows interns to see beyond charity and integrate business with help people worldwide.
One well known successful BAM business owner in Asia, DN, concurs that the business owners need the NGO sector for human and corporate flourishing. Each contributes to an ecosystem which converges with the passion to transform lives by bringing economic, social, spiritual and physical change. This is pleasing to God and to every human on planet earth.
Not all BAM businesses will grow to more than 400 full-time staff in three countries, but no matter what the size, all would do well to explore the synergy which results in cooperation with the Not-for-Profit sector.
Read the story of J Company and more than 20 others in the book: Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals (see information below).
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com