To be a catalyst for change in Broward, non-profits need corporate buy-in | Opinion

Since 1975, the Urban League of Broward County (ULBC) has worked to enable African Americans and others in historically underserved communities to secure economic self-reliance, upward mobility and lasting opportunity. As the community needs to evolve so, too, must the financial models that sustain this work. Today, ULBC advances the lives of nearly 14,000 individuals each year through six pillars of service: education, entrepreneurship, jobs, community justice, housing and health. In practical terms, that means helping someone land a job, start a small business, buy a home or remain in their home during a difficult season. The work has not always been easy. Progress can feel painstakingly slow at times, but meaningful advancement, especially economic advancement, is possible when people and institutions choose to move with purpose. Real economic empowerment and upward mobility do not happen by chance. As we know well at ULBC, progress requires courage, commitment, sacrifice and dedicated public servants working together over time. It also requires partners outside our community who are willing to invest consistently, not just occasionally.

Too often, conversations about corporate giving are framed in abstract terms — balance sheets, tax incentives, branding strategies. Increasingly, however, forward-thinking companies are recognizing that enterprise capital, flexible multi-year investment designed to strengthen an organization’s infrastructure and revenue-generating capacity offer a more sustainable approach than one-time charitable gifts.

When a student earns a college scholarship, when an entrepreneur receives funding to start a business, when a family avoids eviction or purchases their first home — that is what sustained investment really looks like. It is the result of capital deployed with intention, capital that strengthens systems, not just programs.

Corporate partnerships make that impact possible.

Last year, Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses (PMI U.S.) and ULBC announced a partnership with a $400,000 donation over three years to empower communities and change lives across South Florida. As part of this collaboration, PMI U.S. and ULBC co-hosted PowerPitch South Florida, a regional economic development initiative designed to elevate and accelerate local small businesses.

Kimba Williams, founder and CEO of women’s health brand Kushae, won first place and a $25,000 prize. Nadia Davis, CEO of Show Agents, and Kay Richardson, founder of Next of Kin, were runners-up, with prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

For these entrepreneurs, the prize money mattered — but so did the mentorship and the knowledge that their community believes in their success. When communities are supported consistently, trust takes root. That trust is the foundation of long-term growth and resilience.

Our vision is to serve as a catalyst for change in Broward County and to be recognized as one of the leading human service organizations in Florida. But the truth is, nonprofits cannot do this work alone. Government resources fluctuate. Individual philanthropy, while vital, can be sporadic.

Corporate partnerships bring scale and stability, especially when structured as enterprise capital investments rather than short term sponsorships. Enterprise capital allows nonprofits to strengthen operations, invest in technology and talent, build earned revenue strategies and create innovative program models that generate longer-term sustainability.

This approach deepens partnership. It moves the relationship from donor-recipient to strategic investor and community co-architects. It gives organizations like ours the ability to plan beyond the next quarter, leverage additional funding and respond quickly when the community needs shift.

Real, lasting progress takes time. But when corporations step forward as true partners, they help move communities forward faster, creating more opportunity, stability and upward mobility for the families we serve. Communities simply need more businesses willing to make that kind of sustained commitment.

Germaine Smith-Baugh has dedicated more than 30 years to the Urban League movement and has served as president and CEO of the Urban League of Broward County since 2006.