The Business of Belonging: Why Community Investment Is Good Business

Historically a business' role has been defined by one factor - its ability to make a profit, whereas charities are seen as the sector focused on ‘doing good’. In fact, the charity sector is sometimes referred to as the ‘for purpose’ sector, as if businesses can’t be purposeful. A shift in thinking: Doing good is good for business The economist Milton Friedman's famous position was that a company's only social responsibility was to increase its profits. Social problems are for governments and individuals, not corporations to solve. Peter Drucker, a contemporary of Friedman's, argued the opposite: that a company's real job is creating value for everyone with a stake in it — employees, customers, suppliers, and the communities it operates in. Harvard's Michael Porter and Mark Kramer took it further still with the idea of "shared value" — the argument that a company's competitiveness and the health of the community it operates in are inseparable. Their core claim: creating shared value is the practice of creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. Profit and purpose don’t have to be in tension - in fact, solving social problems can be a competitive strategy. The two can absolutely co-exist. This is the direction the whole sector is moving. And at 45South we’ve built our BforGood Initiative around it. The gap: good intentions, no strategy Most businesses want to give - but they tend to be reactive - sponsorships and donations given when asked. These decisions are often made under pressure rather than by design. It's well-meaning, but it rarely compounds into anything lasting, for the business or for the community. What it looks like on the ground: a local example This is where 45South's BforGood Initiative comes in through both our BforGood Bespoke (our one-on-one advisory work) and BforGood Programme (our 4 part workshop series). We set out to give local business leaders a practical, structured way to move from ad hoc giving to strategic community investment — grounded in real relationships with the people and organisations doing the work. This is how our whole community thrives. Queenstown Airport trusted us to put this into practice directly. The ZQN Community Fund, administered by 45South on the airport's behalf, distributes $50,000 a year in grants to grassroots organisations across Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago — on top of the $150,000 the airport already invests through sponsorships and partnerships. In the most recent round, that meant funding flowing to 15 organisations doing vital, often invisible work: youth mentoring, food security, disability support, community hubs. All of it meeting real, local need. Leading in thinking — and in action: the BforGood Programme The BforGood Programme, run in partnership with the Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce and supported by Central Lakes Trust, puts business leaders through exactly this shift. "We used to be quite reactive to requests for support... Now we are more strategic, and I understand that we have a story to tell with our giving." Tori Keating, Managing Director, xtravel, BforGood Programme 2025 cohort "The BforGood Programme created a collaborative space where we learned from peers and real-world examples that shaped our own approach. 45South's expertise helped us understand the 'why' behind everything — from meaningful reporting to choosing the right partnerships and staying true to our values." — Olivia Bollen, Incentive Motivation Ltd, BforGood Programme, 2025 cohort We're advocating for, and supporting, businesses of all sizes, to achieve more intentional giving that goes beyond donating products and services. Through the programme we help them think through other ways of supporting the community from sharing resources (meeting room facilities, vehicles etc) with non-profit partners, through to encouraging workplace giving through payroll giving, sponsoring local projects or establishing a local giving fund with 45South. Whatver form it takes, BforGood empowers businesses - giving that has a real impact in the community to help solve its challenges, through strong partnerships. Businesses that understand their own "why," can have honest conversations with the not-for-profits they partner with, and see community investment as core to who they are, not an afterthought. Purpose and values aligned. Want to hear it in their own words? We've put together a series of videos with cohort one alumni — some faces you might recognise — talking candidly about the shift from reactive to strategic giving. You'll find them on our YouTube channel. Building something bigger than a programme We don't think this work belongs to us alone. Our BforGood Initiative, including both the bespoke work we do with businesses, and those that join the programme, become part of a wider shift in how Queenstown Lakes thinks about community investment. The next BforGood Programme cohort launches 31 July. If you're ready to move from ad hoc giving to a strategy your business can stand behind, we'd love to have you join us. Thanks to Central Lakes Trust, subsidies are available. Register here to join us on the 2026 cohort: https://www.45south.org/bforgoodreg