If you support the mission of a nonprofit as an employee, volunteer, or donor, something in you already understands this truth.

In many ways, the nonprofit sector exists to fill the needs of those who have fallen out of an economic system that was never intended to care for the whole community. Nonprofits endeavor desperately to fill the gaping holes through which so many fall due to our society’s inadequacy in caring for all people, regardless of their economic means. Most nonprofits clearly see economic enablement as part of our missions.

Nonprofits advocate and serve more than people and are in a unique position to provide a meaningful cultural and psychological shift to arrest fossil fuel induced global warming. Nonprofits understand that fresh air, clean water, and healthy soils are not there for the benefit of just a few. Nonprofits have long understood something that others have failed to see: We are all community and we are all connected.

We live in a world where our economic system significantly undervalues natural and human resources and rewards exploiting the natural world for private profits, resulting in degradation of life. Natural resources necessary for all life are controlled by a small group of individuals and corporations.

As individuals, it’s natural to feel like there’s no stopping this process. We all live inside this system, and it can be hard to see any other way of doing things. We’ve come to believe there is no other way of living.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

We need a drastic change of consciousness in how we define and measure a successful life. Deep down, nonprofits already know what that means.

Read the full article about community benefit models by Pamela Davis at Blue Avocado.