Educational and research nonprofits typically garner considerable respect and goodwill from the surrounding community. Not only do NPOs generate support at levels vastly higher than for-profit enterprises, they can also generate real change in the business community, as well.
Nonprofits are in a unique position to support university work in their local communities. For example, a number of NPOs that have been established in small college towns have found success in creating a demand for students who have recently graduated. Through the nonprofit organization, some of the intellectual resources that may have fled a community end up remaining in it. This supports the local university as well as the surrounding community, and generates substantial goodwill.
In the same way, NPOs can support their local business community, as well. Organizations that are involved in vocational or industry-specific training can provide trained labor for local industry, a mission which assists not only nearby enterprise, but individual needs, as well. By providing these opportunities, NPOs assist the community in becoming more self-sufficient, and assist people in career shifts and additional skill training. Working to make each individual member of a community more valuable and employable is considered a public good, as nonprofits with an industry-training business model are often responsible for attracting for-profit businesses that wish to utilize the newly trained local population.
Communities that provide the foundation for educational or research nonprofit organizations gain considerable benefits. NPOs can support the local community in a way that for-profit businesses cannot. Through education and employment, nonprofits can change the landscape of a community, bring outside dollars into the community, and help individuals and enterprises form lasting partnerships and relationships.
