Coworking for a Cause: The Rise of Mission-Based Coworking Spaces

You’ve come to know the usual crowd that flocks to coworking spaces—tech revolutionaries, graphic designers, solo-entrepreneurs. While this may be the case in most major cities, there’s an increasing number of shared offices geared toward the atypical, cause-focused freelancer—makers, nonprofit organizations, socially-driven businesses—individuals looking to make a difference in their communities. Primarily a local initiative, several nonprofit and for-profit coworking spaces have sprouted up across the nation in cities like Detroit, Raleigh, and even Los Angeles in order to aid low-income, community-based professionals and nonprofit leaders. Each one, as Sean Captain outlines in his article here, is targeted to that specific community’s needs. Most offer cheaper fees to rent and regularly host networking and creative events for the entire community to enjoy. While this grassroots campaign is mainly contained in smaller US cities, for-profit coworking spaces are picking up on the trend. Some traditional desk-sharing locations are providing discounts for nonprofit owners in major markets. The benefits are twofold. Freelancers and charitable organizations receive the perks of cheaper office space and networking opportunities, while the rest of the community reaps the rewards of these efforts. Read Captain’s full article to learn more about cause-based coworking spaces and how this new idea can transform your own community.   causecoworkingcoworking for a causemissionnonprofit