Organizational Governance

The Purpose Imperative Is Taking Hold — Here’s What We’re Learning

Social purpose is becoming a practical way to clarify direction, energize culture, and build a stronger value proposition in a noisy and competitive market.

Brand Provided | By Coro Strandberg and Fiona Famulak | Published 2 weeks ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Kampus Production

A quiet but critical shift is underway in how businesses understand their role in society.

Across boardrooms and shop floors; among manufacturers, retailers and service providers alike; a new conversation is taking hold — one that asks not only how a business succeeds, but why it exists in the first place. This is the essence of social purpose in business: the reason a company exists beyond profit, and the difference it seeks to make in the world.

For years, this idea gained traction in theory and in headlines. But in British Columbia this past year, it began to take root at scale.

The BC Chamber of Commerce — in partnership with the Canadian Purpose Economy Project (CPEP) and supported by Coast Capital — launched an education initiative to help businesses learn about, define and embed a social purpose. Co-developed and delivered by Mary Ellen Schaafsma, founder of Purpose Pathways Consulting and a CPEP Ambassador, the series began as a single webinar and grew into a movement — drawing over 700 participants and counting from across the province and beyond.

As the first initiative of its kind in Canada, the series provided an unprecedented opportunity for businesses to explore social purpose in a practical, accessible way. And with it came a new window into how — and why — businesses are stepping into a purpose-led future.

Why now?

Among the businesses that took part in the live series (now available to watch on demand), the motivation to adopt a social purpose was strikingly consistent. These businesses weren’t just reacting to pressure from investors or regulators — they were seeking to build trust, strengthen relationships, and attract and retain customers and employees. In short: to be more effective, resilient and relevant.

This is a fundamental insight: Social purpose isn’t seen as separate from strategy, operations or customer relationships — it is becoming central to them.

The idea that purpose is good for business is no longer theoretical. For many entrepreneurs and business leaders, it is becoming a practical way to clarify direction, energize culture, and build a stronger value proposition in a noisy and competitive market.

At the same time, businesses told us their greatest challenge wasn’t a lack of understanding about purpose — it was capacity. Competing priorities and limited resources were the biggest barriers to making progress. And yet, a third of businesses reported no barriers at all.

This underscores a critical truth: When businesses are ready, and when accessible support is available, the purpose journey is not only feasible — it’s welcomed.

The power of purpose ecosystems

Another insight: Businesses pursuing purpose tend to not go it alone. They are most likely to collaborate to advance their purpose with other businesses — suppliers, business customers, industry peers. They see social purpose not just as an internal commitment but as a shared opportunity.

This makes purpose a networked endeavour. Its success depends on the presence of purpose ecosystems — places where businesses, chambers of commerce, funders, and civic actors support and inspire each other to align for broader impact.

That’s why the role of business associations is so crucial. By offering credible education and convening trusted conversations, they create the conditions where purpose can flourish. In BC, chambers of commerce and boards of trade became multipliers of the initiative — connecting local business communities to this larger vision. Some have gone further, becoming social purpose chamber champions in their own regions.

This kind of leadership by associations — grounded in service to members but animated by a vision of a better future — will be essential to building a purpose economy, in Canada and beyond.

What's next

The early signals from British Columbia suggest something important is happening. There is momentum. There is interest. And, increasingly, there is action. The challenge now is to keep building.

We know that small and mid-sized businesses are willing to engage with purpose when they are invited in. We’ve seen that short, practical, accessible programs can equip them with tools and confidence. And we’ve learned that chambers of commerce and business associations are well-positioned to lead this work in their communities.

Now, we invite others to join. Business associations everywhere can bring this program to their networks. Funders can support the scaling of purpose ecosystems. And businesses can start — or deepen — their own purpose journeys.

Purpose isn’t a trend or a talking point; it’s a mindset. And that mindset is catching on — not because businesses are being pushed to change, but because they’re seeing what’s possible when they do.

Coro Strandberg

President
Strandberg Consulting

Coro Strandberg is President of Strandberg Consulting, which provides strategy advice to companies and industry associations that seek to integrate social and environmental considerations into their purpose, governance, operations and supply chains to create business value and societal benefit.