For as long as I’ve been in the social sector, there has been a consensus that those organizations who depend mostly on grant funding (whether from government or foundations or private donors) need to find better, and more sustainable ways to partner with the private sector, or more specifically, for-profit companies. The main reason behind this drive is the assumption that the for-profit world has resources and capabilities that can help socially focused programming achieve sustainability, inject innovative ideas and provide agility not typically found in the public sector.

You’d think after a few decades that this question could be answered - and we’d see a constant mash up of companies and charities. And, to be sure, we do have myriad examples of those partnerships playing out at this very moment. But there is definitely no silver bullet that has swept across the not-for-profit landscape and, I am of the opinion, that there are just some fundamental differences between companies that are solely profit driven, and organizations that are not, which must be negotiated on a case by case basis… or maybe even a person by person basis.

Sam Applebee, my guest for the 162nd Terms of Reference Podcast, sees the necessity for this negotiation and understanding between for profit firms and charities as an opportunity. That’s why he founded Super Global, a network of design, tech and data science companies that support and accelerate the impact of social actors.

I became aware of Super Global after Sam sent me an article he wrote on why why doing pro bono work might be the worst decision for profit companies can make. Intrigued, I had to learn more and I think this conversation goes straight to the heart of what this podcast is all about - how we’re seeking to break the mold of the social sector.

Over the next 45 minutes or so, Sam and I talk about the nuts and bolts of starting an initiative like Super Global, the key points of that negotiation between for profit services and the charities that seek them, and some of the sexy (and not so sexy) project that Super Global has attracted already.