Posted on December 17, 2003

Philanthropy and Voluntarism

Traditional views suggest that for-profit companies aim to generate wealth, or economic value, while nonprofits build social value by pursuing their missions. According to the Blended Value Proposition, however, the two goals are not mutually exclusive: All organizations create value with economic, social, and environmental components. In The Blended Value Map: Tracking the Intersects and Opportunities of Economic, Social, and Environmental Value Creation, Jed Emerson, a lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and a senior fellow of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, explains the blended value concept and examines the key areas in which organizations of all stripes are working to maximize the approach: corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, social investing, strategic/effective philanthropy, and sustainable development. The report also discusses the challenges within each of these areas and presents ideas about how people working in different fields can share their insights and experience with each other.