Playing in the Sandbox: Moral Development and the Duty of Care in Collaborations between For-Profit and Nonprofit Corporate Persons

Over the history of the corporate entity, U.S. law has evolved to treat the corporate entity as a legal person under the U.S. Constitution. Despite the increased rights granted to the corporation as a legal person, both for-profit and nonprofit corporations have come under considerable scrutiny for misconduct and issues related to corporate governance. When for-profit and nonprofit organizations collaborate together, however, both organizations generally seek to achieve philanthropic good. On the other hand, both organizations and their management are bound by law to fulfill specific duties to their individual constituents. In the 1930s, psychologist Jean Piaget noted, “[t]he good, in short, is not, like duty, the result of a constraint exercised by society upon the individual. The aspiration to the good is of different stuff from the obedience given to an imperative rule.” Guided by the basis for Piaget’s above assertion related to the natural person, this article begins an analysis of the relationship between legal persons: collaborating for-profit and nonprofit organizations in light of duty, arguing that there is a balance between too much constraint and none that leads to sustainability of the cooperative venture

Scratch My Back, And I\u27ll Scratch Yours: Scratching the Surface of the Duty of Care in Cross Sector Collaborations - Are For-profits Obligated to Ensure the Sustainability of Their Partner Non-profits?

Nonprofits and For-profit corporations increasingly interact with each other to gain the mutual benefits of cross sector Collaborations. Nonprofits gain access to resources, expertise, and new business avenues, among other benefits. For-profits gain good will, trust, and access to new markets. The Collaboration can lead to corporate governance issues that should not be overlooked during management decision making. The article evaluates a Continuum of engagement in the For-profit and Nonprofit Collaboration that informs the requisite duty of care for the entities’ boards of directors. Ultimately, the duty of care owed by the For-profit to the Nonprofit depends on where the Collaboration lies on the Continuum