What organizations fall under the “Business” category? And what types of positions can they post?

The Business category encompasses Social Enterprises and traditional for-profit companies that have social-impact jobs and internships.

Social Enterprises are social impact-driven businesses. Their primary purpose should be to use the company’s for-profit business model and strategies to achieve a social mission. To be eligible to post on Idealist, a social enterprise must meet the definition above and clearly demonstrate, via their website or other public documentation, that their for-profit business model has the primary purpose to achieve a social mission and that they are currently fully operational with impact-related results.

There is no legal designation for social enterprises in the U.S., but these companies can become certified as B-Corporations or join social enterprise networks. Social enterprises are not required to be legally registered or certified as such in order to be listed on Idealist. The United Kingdom has a legal status for social enterprises, and some other countries also choose to legally recognize these kinds of businesses.

Approved traditional for-profit companies are allowed to post social-impact jobs and internships. These roles are dedicated to making the world a better place and can generally fall under these areas: Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Citizenship / Engagement / Responsibility, Philanthropy, and Healthcare & Healing. 

• Sustainability: from income inequality to climate change, these jobs and internships are focused on meeting the present social, economic, and environmental needs of the corporation in strategic ways that do not compromise the future of society. 
• Diversity & Inclusion: these positions have direct focus on initiatives that empower and include individuals and create a diverse workforce by respecting and appreciating what makes everyone different, including, but not limited to, age, religion, ethnicity, gender, education, ideology, and sexual orientation.
• Corporate Engagement / Citizenship / Responsibility: this type of position focuses on internal and external efforts of the corporation which generally enhance society. This might include volunteer programs, employee engagement or citizenship, community belonging initiatives, or partnerships with nonprofits.
• Philanthropy: these positions focus on corporate giving, whether it is through employee programs, an established foundation, or the general donation of money, goods, and services to organizations which focus on the public good.
• Healthcare & Healing: these jobs and internships either focus on providing healthcare directly to patients or help support others doing the same (like record-keeping or appointment-setting for a doctor).

If you would like to post a role that you aren't sure about, please Contact Us! We're always happy to help!