Debate: Are B Corps Undermining Nonprofits?

Are B Corporations and other hybrid organizations undermining the nonprofit sector? A smart panel of in-the-the-know nonprofit leaders took to the dais at the closing plenary of CalNonprofits annual policy conference recently to duke it out over this ongoing issue.

“These new approaches represent a great victory for the influence of the social sector on commerce, higher education, culture and politics,” argued Community Partners CEO Paul Vandeventer, who was joined on the ‘pro’ side of the debate by Laura Zucker, executive director of the LA County Arts Commission (pictured here, with Paul). “They likely represent many more innovations to come.” The ‘con’ side was thoughtfully represented by attorney Cecily Jackson Zapata and Rick Cohen, editor of The Nonprofit Quarterly, who’s written extensively on the issue. To explore the issue further, check out this article from Forbes and this recent post, “5 Bad Reasons to Start a For-Profit Social Enterprise,” in Harvard Business Review online.