Beyond Profit Podcast

As market realities and consumer attitudes shift and evolve, often at breakneck speed, businesses that remain adaptable, and never lose sight of the brand’s heritage and true purpose, can deliver bottom-line growth, even in times of economic uncertainty.

It’s an argument that is not lost on Alison Clark. The brand management and marketing expert, who has worked for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, has a long history of ...

Over the past several years, organizations both large and small have taken significant steps to prioritize diversity and inclusion, understanding that these efforts not only drive sales and business growth but attract top talent.

That momentum, however, is beginning to slow, thanks to DEI blowback from conservative lawmakers and activists, as well as miscommunication, misinformation, and fear. In fact, a number of brands and agenci...

Helping visionary leaders disrupt the status quo that too often hinders purposeful efforts is the essence of The Macfarlan Group. Led by founder Deb Macfarlan Enright, the firm works with both nonprofit and social impact organizations to create solutions to social challenges that seemingly grow by the day, including hunger, homelessness, justice inequities, and mental health.

Deb is also cofounder of the Leadership After Dark pract...

Charitable giving in the U.S. last year dropped 2.1 percent after inflation, attributable in part to the decline in individual donors, according to Giving USA. This followed a 13.4 percent dip in giving in 2022.

Though the news is not surprising given the elevated cost of living and other economic uncertainties that Americans face today, nonprofits are cautiously optimistic about 2024 and beyond as the country moves further away fr...

Advocating for the health, wellbeing, and rights of children has long been core to the missions of the global nonprofits Save the Children and Children International.

Working in more than 100 countries, Save the Children strives to give today’s youth a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm, while Children International helps kids get the education, life skills, and confidence they need to break f...

Do you feel your life is like Groundhog Day, endlessly trapped in the same old same old from one day to the next? Breaking free from the mundane routine of everyday life, and unlocking your full potential in a purposeful way, is not only possible but attainable with simple behaviors that can be readily applied to daily habits and actions.

That’s the central premise of the inspirational new book, Do This Daily: Secrets to Finding Su...

There is ample evidence suggesting that a happy workforce can help a business increase productivity and innovation and reduce turnover and absenteeism. Additionally, happy people tend to live longer than unhappy people and are full of hope.

But striving for a state of happiness and building on it can be a tall order. In fact, Dr. Alphonsus Obayuwana, a longtime leader in the happiness space, argues that to increase happiness for yo...

There are many attributes of great leaders, including the ability to motivate and inspire, make decisive decisions under pressure, show empathy, drive innovation, and build a trustworthy and respectful work environment.

But there’s another key trait that largely goes overlooked: The willingness to embrace vulnerability. In fact, by letting their guard down and acknowledging their fears and weaknesses, the best leaders come across as...

Good Stuff Partners, a purpose-driven brand and communication agency, is emphatic when it comes to its approach to business: If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. That clear-as-day purpose, as well as the agency’s authentic belief that you’re only as good as the company you keep, is deeply rooted throughout the business. The Certified B. Corp doesn’t just talk a good game about being purposeful and helping cli...

There is no denying that brands wield enormous influence and power, and they can use it to drive social change through an inclusive and rigorous marketing strategy. How to create and execute such a strategy for the greater good is the focus on the new book Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy.

Written by Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel, a senior insights lead at Reddit who specializes in prog...

While total advertising spend in the U.S. last year, excluding programmatic, B2B, trade, and local cable, declined 2 percent versus 2022, overall ad investment in diverse-owned media outlets increased 9 percent, reaching $1.9 billion. That’s according to a new study by the ANA Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, conducted in partnership with Media Framework and Guideline. The study also found that investment in dive...

Cleveland, Ohio-based OverDrive, a global distributor of digital content for libraries and schools, was founded on the belief that reading, knowledge, and learning make the world better. As a certified B Corporation, OverDrive not only supports literacy and empowering communities, it also works to make a positive social impact, notably in underserved populations.

Inspired by its purpose — A World Enlightened by Reading — OverDrive ...

A study by Virginia Tech found that the number of wealthy women in the U.S. is growing twice as fast as the number of wealthy men. Women now hold 60 percent of the country’s personal wealth and 51 percent of all U.S. stocks. And by 2028, women will own 75 percent of all discretionary spending, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

The buying power and influence of women is not lost on Wendy Steele, founder of Impact100. The glo...

Getting the best possible creative work from your agencies requires a well-designed, well-written, and thoughtfully delivered brief. Such a brief not only provides useful direction, objectives, benefits, and measures of success, it offers the inspiration necessary for the most imaginative work.

When purpose-driven brands look to communicate how their values and products resonate with stakeholders, they place a premium on the creati...

Mita Mallick, head of inclusion, equity, and impact at the technology company Carta, is a big believer in the power of many. Specifically, bringing leaders together with different cultural backgrounds and different points of view and life experiences. It’s the surest way, she says, for an organization to authentically and purposefully serve customers and communities. If only it were so easy...

Transforming a workplace to improve in...

A survey last year by The Conference Board found that nearly half of large U.S. companies polled have experienced backlash from their environmental, social, and governance policies and activities, and 61 percent said they expect it to persist or intensify over the next two years.

That has led some businesses to pause or even abandon their purposeful marketing and advertising, despite the fact that most U.S. consumers want brands to ...

For more than 25 years, the pathway of healing and hope for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction has commenced at Thistle Farms. The national nonprofit social enterprise, founded in 1997 by Becca Stevens, serves as a model for women’s recovery, with a network of 92 organizations ensuring access to safe housing, financial independence, and a lifelong community of support.

Thistle Farms’ national network provid...