Fourth Sector Consulting, LLC

Owner: Nicole de Beaufort

Our mission, simply stated, is to serve society. We serve by using strategic communications to help private, public, and philanthropic sectors work better and work together. We want to be the “secret sauce” that assists those doing good to find more ways to do it well. Fourth Sector was founded to form collaborative, effective networks that will help people come together in a positive, productive way. With everyone playing a part and inspired to work for a reimagined world, we can tackle social problems. Fourth Sector is a new kind of business—a for-benefit organization (FBO). We make our living supporting and serving the kinds of organizations and companies that positively impact our society over the long haul. Our business is values first, not “value-added.” And at our core, we value integrity. Our pursuit of integrity leads us to these values: Coming back to the Big Picture. We love the bird’s eye view because it is a way to keep purpose and goals in mind. As we work on the details, we try to keep in mind the connections between elements and the system they make up. The reduction of our world and our humanity to single distinctive elements is like wearing blinders; you can only see what works in the short-term. Big picture thinking works long-term, and that’s what we’re interested in. Community Connections. This is our lifeblood and our purpose. We want to build community through partnerships, by making connections, and across sectors. In addition, we also care about our communities of place (currently, Twin Cities of Minnesota and Grand Rapids, Michigan). Fourth Sector gives money and time to the communities we belong to through select pro bono projects and team member involvement in civic life. People are First. We respect people (our team members, our clients, our colleagues) by understanding their visions, hopes, and frames of reference. Business practices based on care mean that we consider circumstances of life and its long-term impact, rather than simply short-term gain. In other words, we cultivate relationships rather than burn them out. Teamwork. We are better together than alone. We understand that the pervasive myth of individual heroes is damaging to our abilities to collectively create new possibilities in our world. Among team members, we communicate openly and intentionally even when it’s not fun. This team ethic supports us as individuals and strengthens us as a company. Learning. We try to defeat the perfectionists in each of us by repeatedly reminding one another that learning is more important than perfection and by encouraging inquiry and thoughtfulness. We commit as team members to share what we learn rather than hoarding knowledge or trying to hide mistakes. We avoid jargon and redundancy in our work because it muddies meaning and understanding. Fourth Sector provides professional development opportunities to team members as one way of practicing this value. And we allow the statement, “Uh…I don’t get it.” Is this business as usual? Not yet – but we’re hoping to help create a new way of working.