Our Starry-Eyed Idealization of Markets
Business , Collective Impact , Nonprofit , Philanthropy No Comments »Guest post by Phil Buchanan, president of The Center for Effective Philanthropy
This is the first in a series of six blog posts, which was originally featured on the CEP Blog.
One of the great puzzles of the day is that we increasingly look,
starry-eyed, to business and markets to address or even solve our social
problems.
We idealize companies and markets in a way that defies reality, creates
unrealistic expectations, diminishes the contributions (past, present,
and future) of nonprofits, and confuses our conversation about the very
challenges we face. We do so despite the unrelenting procession of
examples of the downsides of unchecked pursuit of profit. And in so
doing, we run the risk of dismissing the vital role of nonprofits:
organizations seeking to make a difference without the pressure and
potential conflicts that come with the profit motive.
