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Time-and-time again I have heard people who work in business share their wisdom in the non-profit context. As someone who has spent most of my working life in non-profit organizations, I have found there are many lessons businesses can learn from non-profits as well.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Given the turbulent times, rising costs, concerns around corporate social responsibility and looking for meaning in a post-COVID world, small and medium businesses need new and innovative ways to be successful. Some of their challenges include addressing financial pressures both on the cost and revenue side of the equation and supply chain issues. On the people front, concerns for employee wellbeing and mental health, learning and development and expectations that businesses reflect their culture and values in their actions and behaviour, make for an increasingly complex environment. Non-profit organizations have been grappling with these issues forever. Business leaders can look to non-profits to learn many important lessons.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0To start let us look at how for-profit and non-profit organizations are similar. Both:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Non-profit organizations have always had to navigate complex environments with fewer resources and this capability has served them well during times of crisis such as COVID.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What makes non-profits different from businesses? Most non-profits:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n