This article was originally published here by Biola University’s Crowell Business School blog.
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by Steve Rundle

There is a lot of excitement nowadays about businesses that have multiple “bottom lines.” Whether one calls it “Social Entrepreneurship” (SE) or “Business as Mission” (BAM), the idea that businesses can be financially successful while also addressing social problems (and spiritual needs, in the case of BAM) is a popular one. But is it true? What evidence do we have that confirms that it’s possible for a business to consistently and simultaneously achieve such diverse goals?

Most evidence to date is anecdotal, or in the form of case studies. Having written a few case studies myself, I know they can be interesting and helpful. But cases are idiosyncratic, often difficult to replicate, and not well suited for identifying generalizable best practices. Some scholars complain that many cases tend toward promoting “hero worship” rather than critical reflection.

In an effort to approach this question more dispassionately, I recently conducted an anonymous survey of 119 “Business as Mission” practitioners from around the world. Among other factors, the survey looked specifically at the source of their salary (does it come from the revenues of the business or from donors?) and the outcomes of the business in terms of the four “bottom lines” of economic, social, environmental and spiritual impact. The reason one’s source of salary is interesting is because many people in the ministry/missions world believe that donor support helps ensure that practitioners stay focused on the ministry goals.

This study essentially found the exact opposite. It found that practitioners who are fully supported by the business tend to out-perform – sometimes significantly – donor-supported BAM practitioners, and are no less fruitful in terms of spiritual impact. This finding holds up even after controlling for things like geography, firm size, and firm type.

For those who would like to learn more, the findings were presented at the Global BAM Think Tank that was held in April 2013 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The 23 ½ minute presentation was videotaped, and is embedded below. The PowerPoint slides used in that presentation are available here. In addition, the International Bulletin of Missionary Research has published the study in January 2014 under the title “Does Donor Support Help or Hinder BAM Practitioners: An Empirical Assessment.”

The moral of the story is that economic incentives matter. Contrary to the mission community’s concern that self-support will take one’s attention away from the ministry goals, the truth is that only by creating a successful business can a practitioner hope to have a meaningful and holistic impact on a community.

Watch Steve Rundle’s presentation, Maximizing the Impact of BAM, below!

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Today’s guest is one we’ve been excited about for a long time. Bob Doll is a leader in the faith-driven investing movement from his work at Oppenheimer Funds, Merrill Lynch, BlackRock, and now, Nuveen. 

You may have seen him on one of his frequent appearances on CNBC, and we were honored to have Bob join us last summer for the Faith Driven Investing gathering in Utah. The work he’s been doing for the best few decades has been instrumental in shaping the conversation this website is stewarding.

We owe a lot to Bob Doll and we’re excited to share the hard-earned wisdom his experience has yielded. As always, thanks for listening.

Useful Links:

Bob Doll’s 10 Predictions for 2020

Bob Doll on Faith and Finances

Maintaining a Christ-Like Attitude with Bob Doll

This article was originally published here on Medium.

Check out VillageCapital’s blog for more quality content!

by Rob Tashima

My genes make it tough to find jeans. I’ve got short legs, and finding a pair of trousers to fit them can be a challenge. They are either too short, too long, too tight or too baggy, so when I find a pair that actually fits, I end up buying several of them to stock up. This means I’m not a big fan of current fads: I do not look good in skinny jeans.

I’m hardly alone in facing this challenge — we’ve all got different body sizes and different body types — and yet, unless you’re able to buy your Japanese raw indigo custom cut to your measurements, we’re all forced into the same small range of jean styles and sizes.

We get frustrated when our clothes don’t fit. If we really like them, we have some options to adjust to them: cuffing them, taking them to a tailor, losing some weight to squeeze into them.

But otherwise, if a pair of jeans don’t fit, we don’t wear them.

If we take this approach to jeans, why don’t we take this approach to venture capital?

Read the full article here!

This article was originally published here.

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by ReligiousFreedomandBusiness.org

A growing trend in corporate America that is being embraced by some of the largest and most recognizable companies will be the topic of a first-of-its-kind conference in February. From Google to Facebook to Walmart, companies from a range of industries are recognizing that faith-friendly environments mean better workplaces and better businesses.

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and the Busch School of Business at Catholic University will hold a groundbreaking conference for employees and executives to discuss the importance of corporate programs that foster religious inclusion. The two-day conference will take place at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., on February 13 and 14, 2020. The event will feature executives and members of faith-oriented Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) sharing best practices, challenges and opportunities.

Check out more details for this event (and register) here!