Being NOT Something

I’ve always taken a little offense to the term “not-for-profit”.  I like aspirational and empowering terms and being described as NOT something implies being less than or second rate. Maybe it’s somehow related to some people having lower expectations of these organizations (but that’s a whole other discussion).  I’ve toyed with terms like the “independent sector” or the “third sector” but they seem a bit awkward and take too much time to explain their meaning. Last week a friend gave me a new term that I really like.  His point is that some corporations are “For Profit” while others forego the profit to be “For Impact”.  I understand that we can’t easily change the Ohio Revised Code or IRS regulations so we’re going to be stuck with tax-exempt not-for-profit for a long time.  But I feel a certain comfort and challenge in working for an organization that is for impact.