I don't see any indication of Promise being a non-profit. It seems to me that you're just trying to break into the prison-industrial complex. I am doubtful this is much better than current for-profit prisons considering you still require prisoners in order to make money. Come back as a non-profit or not-for-profit and then maybe you can change something.
I work as an executive at a non-profit, and have worked in other non-profits. With that said, I don't think this makes sense as a non-profit. Primarily, you choose to be a non-profit if you want to get your revenues from donors. They are targeting government, and so unless they thought they could fund their program through governmental grants, it makes more sense as a for-profit where they are bidding on government work.
Keep in mind, a for-profit can have a social good mission and remain aligned to it (See Patagonia for instance).
Wouldn't the right answer to this be some sort of Public Benefit Corporation where the board does not have an ultimate obligation to maximize shareholder value? As I understand it, they're available in more than half of US states, including CA and DE.
Just because you are a for-profit does not mean you are beholden to pursuing profit at all costs. But yes, a B corp is another good option, though it has its pluses and minuses as well.
Why so much faith in non profits? If they have some specia sauce I’m not sure what it is. They still require the prisoners in order to exist and grow. And economically there’s this old joke...they’re not for profit, but they’re not for loss either.
I've heard this one before when discussing a non profit that was thinking of shopping itself around for an acquisition: "I thought they were not-for-profit?" ... "Well, yeah, but they're also not-for-going-out-of-business."
Can't they do both? I don't think they're going to be in short supply of prisoners anytime soon. And running as a for-profit, they're going to have significantly more resources.
>Can't they do both? I don't think they're going to be in short supply of prisoners anytime soon.
Except there should be a much smaller supply of prisoners because many laws are unjust as they are now. The drug war directly serves the prison industrial complex and private prisons are one of the biggest lobbying groups against decriminalization and legalization.
Now maybe Promise won't lobby for the war on drugs because it would shatter their illusion of social good, but if they grow they will end up lobbying in other ways that will directly oppose public interests.
