Living out Front Porch’s mission as a not-for-profit organization

One of the questions I get all the time is what’s the difference in being a not-for-profit organization versus a for-profit in our field?

I know there are lots of perspectives on this question and I think we need to be careful about making lazy distinctions that being a non-profit is inherently better than a for-profit in terms of delivering senior living, care and other services and programs. I know that we in the not-for-profit sector don’t have a monopoly on compassionate people doing good work to help others and aspiring to do more.

If you strip it all away, although we must generate the revenue and ultimately operate with a “profit-margin” in order to sustainably deliver on our mission, what’s different is that not-for-profits aren’t required to generate that “margin” to pay to shareholders, stockholders or equity partners. We have the opportunity, and need, to see that that “margin” is invested back in to the organization to be sure that what we have remains strong and to strategically invest in those things that enable us to remain relevant in a dynamic world, seizing on opportunities to innovate and improve upon our mission and the manners in which can manifest.

As a not-for-profit provider of senior living communities and services Front Porch is driven by our values and a commitment to our residents, program participants and team. Our mission guides everything we do, from our decisions as an organization to the opportunities we provide for connection and quality living. The people we serve can feel the difference that comes from valuing mission at every level, every day. Although the services we provide generate a profit, the profit is not the point. We have a mandate to generate margin in furtherance of the organization’s mission so that we can live on, bringing that mission to others.

In the case of Front Porch, our mission is to inspire and build community, cultivating meaningful relationships and experiences that respond creatively to changing needs. You can see that in everything we do. Inspiring and building community is in our DNA. It’s not just in our buildings, not just in our senior living communities that empower individuals to live connected and fulfilled lives. It’s also in how we contribute to, collaborate with the communities around our buildings. And it’s in developing new ways to make sure other people have community where they live in connection with other people.

I want to grab just one aspect of how we express our not-for-profitness and live out our mission of inspiring and building community. As a not-for-profit, we get to have a community services division. It doesn’t produce revenue, but its programs – Well Connected, Social Call, Home Match and others – absolutely live up to our mission of inspiring and building community. Every year, we make an investment in this division, knowing that it makes a difference in the world. As a not for profit, we have the ability and intention to take dollars that we are able to generate over the course of time that would otherwise be characterized as profit, and reinvest them into existing communities and programs…and explore new things as well.

Another way we live out our not-for-profitness is through the Circle of Friends fund residents’ assistance program, a core philanthropic program of Front Porch Communities Foundation. The Circle of Friends fund allows residents who have run out of resources to remain in their community. Those being helped by the Circle of Friends fund have an average age of over 90 years, with 40% living with a higher level of care. They have been part of their communities on average for more than 16 years. Rather than see these people who have been part of our communities as a loss on the balance sheet, we know that they are valuable members of the community who have entrusted themselves to this organization. We’re honored to be able to live out that trust by continuing to care for them.

Fundamentally, a not-for-profit is a way of doing business. But at Front Porch, I’m proud of how we’re doing it, with an eye to our mission, our vision and our values, and always in service to the good of humanity as we invest in the future.

Sean Kelly, CEO