Why Do We Undervalue Impact in the Private Sector?
Published about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Why Do We Undervalue Impact in the Private Sector?
Impact isn’t only a nonprofit story - it’s about how business gets done.
When I moved from the private sector into the nonprofit world, I was often introduced as someone who had “seen the light” or “stepped over to the good side.”
At the time, I laughed along. But part of me also felt embarrassed about my private sector beginnings, as if they somehow counted for less.
Looking back, I realise that some of my most impactful work came in those years. I was sourcing products globally for a retailer, shaping sustainable supply chains, and influencing how millions of consumers, workers, and farmers were connected. I learned leadership, strategy, and how to think in terms of return on investment.
Fast forward to today, and I’m more convinced than ever:
Impact doesn’t belong only to nonprofits.The private sector is essential to development.
Some of Africa’s greatest needs are GDP growth (to pay for the things ODA has been paying for), jobs for a huge and growing youth workforce, sustainable and scalable businesses - which cannot be met without a thriving private sector.
Myself with Justin King, the CEO of Sainsbury's in 1998 (hence I look much younger) when I took him to visit Fairtrade certified groundnut producers in Malawi
Of course, the landscape has shifted since I left the corporate world nearly 15 years ago. Today we see B Corps, ESG priorities, and new accreditations that help prove social and environmental value. But what interests me most isn’t CSR projects bolted onto the side of business. It’s when impact is baked into the core of how a company operates.
I know there are a lot more complexities to what I have shared here.
But it is why I want to work with leaders across both sectors. I don’t want to be seen as “just a nonprofit specialist.” My focus is helping purpose-driven leaders navigate growth, strategy, and impact - wherever they sit.
So I'd love to hear your own perspective:
Do we still undervalue impact when it comes from the private sector?
What bridges do we need to build between nonprofit and private approaches to impact?
👉 Hit reply and share your view - or pass along someone who is working in that space
Warmly, Liz Strategic Advisor | Former CEO | Founder, Volante
Your year end review should not contain surprises Agreeing what success looks like is only the start. Keeping that understanding shared takes work throughout the year. Dear Reader, As we head towards the end of the year, many of us will be preparing for performance reviews. Either our own, or those of the people we lead. I have been thinking about two questions. Have we kept a shared understanding of what success looks like? And are we recognising the full contribution we expect from senior...
You promoted your best performer. Now it isn't working. Before deciding what to do, work out what has actually gone wrong Dear Reader, They were one of your strongest performers. So you promoted them. Six months later, they are struggling. Or perhaps worse, they are still delivering, but the way they are leading is creating problems for everyone around them. I have seen this quite a few times. And I think one of the mistakes we make is assuming that because someone was ready for promotion,...
Is your strategy driving your choices, or are your choices rewriting your strategy? In a difficult funding environment, staying anchored to the problem matters more than ever Dear Reader, There is a phrase I keep coming back to: Fall in love with the problem, not the solution. It sounds simple. In practice, I think it is becoming increasingly difficult. This is an incredibly tough funding environment. Organisations are cutting costs, looking for new sources of revenue and asking where the...
