Building Better:
Social and economic recovery through
fourth sector development
COVID-19 Fourth Sector Response is a collaborative, multi-stakeholder effort to rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis by harnessing the fourth sector of the economy to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future.
BUILDING A BETTER SYSTEM,
TOGETHER.
Rather than trying to rebuild an outdated system, we must build a better one by addressing the underlying structural flaws that have been exposed and exacerbated by COVID-19.
This effort is driven by a diverse
group of partners and allies, with a shared conviction that going back to
business-as-usual after the pandemic is not an option.
The fourth sector, emerging at the intersection of the three traditional sectors of the economy (public, private, and non-profit), and comprised of 'for-benefit' or 'purpose-driven' enterprises, offers a compelling pathway to update the underlying architecture of our economic system to address its flaws.
We want to unleash the power of purpose-driven organizations to enable us to build back better. By strengthening the supportive ecosystem for the fourth sector of the economy, we can rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 crisis to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable world.
This is a transformation journey, transitioning from what has been an organic, emergent process to one that is intentional.
We welcome new ideas and new voices every step of the way — such as yours!
Please join us in this monumental and worthwhile effort. >> LEARN MORE
Growing the fourth sector to create more equitable and resilient economies.
The efforts and innovations of millions of individuals and organizations has given rise to a fourth sector of the economy. Now it's time for massive collaboration, to overcome fragmentation and transition from what has been an organic emergence to an intentional one — and it will take all of us.
Demand. Innovation. Hope.
The fourth sector is fueled by rising demand and innovation — decades in the making.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
To scale the fourth sector globally and unleash the potential of for-benefit organizations to generate social, economic and environmental benefits, key strategic interventions from policymakers, business leaders, investors, academia, social innovators, and civil society are needed.
Resource Library
We invite you to utilize and contribute to a living library of tools, resources, and more.
How for-benefits are responding
Inspiring stories of for-benefits responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
PRE-CRISIS
CALLS FOR CHANGE.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the flaws or our economic system. These flaws were not unknown. Calls for change were being heard from every corner before the pandemic. Last summer, 183 CEOs of the Business Roundtable issued a statement calling for firms to abandon the supremacy of shareholder value and act for the benefit of all stakeholders. We have heard from voices as diverse as Greta Thunberg and the global pro-environment youth movement, Leaders on Purpose CEOs, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who last year warned that the relentless pursuit of shareholder value turned workers into line items on a ledger. In January, the World Economic Forum’s Davos 2020 Manifesto argued that the purpose of a company is to engage all its stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers, local communities, and society at large in shared and sustained value creation.
Take Action:
Governments have a huge role to play in scaling the fourth sector. However, to succeed, it will take all of us!