How Can Nonprofits Use For-Profit Ventures to Drive Growth? (Brett Jenks)

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Are you struggling to find sustainable funding for your nonprofit and wondering if for-profit ventures could be the solution? In episode 288 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Brett Jenks shares an innovative approach to revenue generation that challenges traditional nonprofit thinking. By exploring the intersection of nonprofit missions and for-profit ventures, he offers insight into how organizations can scale their impact through creative partnerships with private capital. Brett explains the importance of blending philanthropic support with market-driven solutions, using real-world examples from his work at Rare, a global conservation organization. He also discusses how nonprofits can tap into additional revenue streams while maintaining their mission, the role of impact investing, and the legal and cultural complexities that come with these strategies. 

"Impact is what you want to grow—if you're only increasing your budget, you're just growing, not scaling.."

ABOUT BRETT

Brett Jenks is a global conservation leader and social entrepreneur. As CEO of Rare, he has led the international nonprofit’s mission to drive social change for the benefit of people and nature in more than 60 countries. Under Brett’s leadership, Rare has catalyzed the conservation community’s embrace of people-centered, behavior-based approaches to conserving nature and addressing climate change. Amongst its programs around the world today, Rare is promoting regenerative agricultural practices, establishing community-managed marine protected areas across the developing tropics, launching the world’s first impact bond for small-scale fisheries, partnering with Hollywood to promote climate-friendly behaviors, and engaging gamers globally with video games designed to drive climate-friendly actions. A former journalist, Brett’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Behavioral Scientist. 

EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCES

• Ready for your next leadership opportunity? Visit our partners at Armstrong McGuire
• The Deluge by Stephen Markley
• Have you gotten Patton’s book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector? Now available on Audible
• Don’t miss our weekly Thursday Leadership Lens for the latest on nonprofit leadership

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