Giving Compass' Take:

• Sara Potler LaHayne explains how her organization, Move This World, came to the decision to shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit model in order to achieve their desired impact. 

• How can funders help nonprofits evaluate their structure options and make necessary adjustments? 

• Learn about the convergence of the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. 

Move This World incorporated as a nonprofit in 2010, designed to deliver our work with impact first. We were continually trying to answer this question: How can we most effectively strengthen the mental, emotional and social wellness in the greatest number of students and teachers?

We learned a lot of lessons along the way, but most of them stem from a simple truth: the legal structure of your organization will dictate how you spend your time, and how you spend your time will determine how much impact your organization can have.

By 2014, our model of providing direct service to schools was showing significant results. As we worked to scale our impact, despite generating revenue, it was clear that we needed more funds. How else could we train qualified trainers to deliver our program across the country? So I focused my time and energy raising philanthropic capital, which caused a series of disconnects that were counterproductive to scaling our work.

As we entered 2015, it was clear we had to revisit our original question: How can we most effectively strengthen the mental, emotional and social wellness in the greatest number of students and teachers?

Despite the fact that we had a working model, it was stagnant, and so was the organization. Throughout the year, we analyzed every aspect of the company. It was uncomfortable, difficult, and provoked anxiety, but our core group of supporters knew this was a necessary undertaking and gave us the space to explore what we needed to do.

We had to set up a for-profit model.

Read the full article about choosing to become a for-profit organization by Sara Potler LaHayne at EdWeek.