Community Wealth Vanguard

When a commercial publisher created a software-based adolescent literacy program, it hoped that school districts would buy it because of its proven results. But to give them an added push, the publisher advocated for Congress to launch a federal program that would offer those districts financial support to purchase youth literacy programs.

When a job training program sought new corporate partners to provide both financial support and apprenticeships for its students, it turned to the mayor to convene local employers that might be interested in diverse, entry-level workers with information-technology skills.

And when a program that placed college work-study students in preschools wanted to expand, it lobbied Congress to increase the minimum number of work-study placements that universities were required to allocate to community service jobs, thereby creating a bigger market for its program.

Social entrepreneurs use many tools to increase their social impact. But more and more savvy social entrepreneurs are looking to government not just for earmarks or direct grants but also for other forms of support that have greater potential for sustainability.

Such support may come through new program rules that create new markets for or expand the services of the social entrepreneur – such as the proposed adolescent literacy program or the college work-study changes. Or it may focus on the power of government leaders to convene influential people in the way that the job-training program turned to the mayor for help. Another example is the Welfare to Work Partnership, which got its start a decade ago. President Clinton’s outreach helped the organization attract large employers, which agreed to hire more people who had been receiving public assistance.

Influencing Purchaser Power
Other government-focused strategies can include efforts to influence public purchasing power (such as set-asides for specific kinds of providers); public employees as donors and volunteers; programs like AmeriCorps that provide human capital to nonprofit groups; publicly supported research and data collection; or tax incentives that encourage specific kinds of investments, donations, or purchases.

The America Forward coalition works to connect social entrepreneurs with policymakers to promote innovative solutions and advocate a new role for government in solving our nation’s social problems. Part of this effort includes a set of policy principles that will open more doors for organizations to participate in government programs – such as using competition rather than formulas to direct funding and promoting cross-sector partnerships.

The America Forward coalition has also proposed initiatives that would strengthen the nonprofit sector and its ability to leverage government support. These include a Commission on Public-Private Partnerships that would improve the way the federal government interacts with nonprofit organizations; a Public-Private Investment Fund Network to provide financial assistance to organizations ready to expand; a White House office to raise the profile of social entrepreneurs and promote policy principles; and an expansion of national service programs to increase access to human capital.

These proposals would push the government to support innovation, partner with organizations, and demand results. They would help expand human and financial resources to solve problems and encourage the government to act as an investor and catalyst, allowing social entrepreneurs to have a greater impact.

The America Forward coalition is organized by New Profit Inc. and includes more than 60 results-oriented, entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations with programs operating in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Together, these organizations serve more than 10 million people per year and have a collective budget of more than $400 million. Coalition members and the America Forward effort focus directly on the toughest domestic challenges facing our nation in education, public health, poverty and economic mobility, workforce development, crime prevention, and civic engagement. America Forward’s vision is that one day, our leaders and citizens will work together to foster innovation in the social sector, identify what works, and grow the best solutions to wherever they are needed.

To learn more about the America Forward coalition and its proposals, contact Kelly Ward at Kelly_Ward@newprofit.com.