Both in the social entrepreneurship space and across the corporate landscape, companies are struggling to keep their legal heads afloat with newly founded missions that move beyond the simple accumulation of profit. This focus of shifting organizational goals towards a more holistic worldview encompassing people, planet, and profit – often referred to as the “triple bottom line” – brings with it tremendous legal questions.

Corporations, by default, have an obligation to provide maximum value for their share-holders.  And all-too-often that means the relentless pursuit of profit.  Others have written about the potential legal implications of an organization moving past a singular worldview dedicated to profit in order to accomplish other, often socially minded goals.  Theoretically, an investor receiving what in their mind would be substandard returns could stake a legal claim against the corporation for fulfilling a motive that does not lead directly to profit.

Absent negative consequences for pursuing a triple-bottom-line approach to an organization’s mission, numerous new structures abound.  Low-Profit Limited Liability Company, or the L3C Corporation, is a newly forming legal entity that is slowly gaining traction across the country.  The B Corporation, similarly, boasts of a number of powerful businesses who now proudly proclaim their mission as one transcending the simple pursuit of profit.  And as organizations prepare to deal with their legal structures, including resolving that most important initial question of whether to file as a for- or non-profit entity, little clarity remains as to the costs and benefits of doing so.

Funding remains an additional, and highly important, organizational question.  As new types of enterprises emerge, new forms of organizational venture funding are rapidly establishing and presenting the marketplace with dollars to backup triple-bottom-line missions.  Social capital venture funds like Good Capital and REDF, or venture philanthropy firms like Venture Philanthropy Partners now exist to fund both for- and non-profit organizations committing themselves to societal wellbeing.

In this muddled legal, financial, and organizational context, a program entitled Structure Labs is emerging to bring clarity to entrepreneurs, executives, and social change leaders eager to take advantage of new opportunities, but unclear about the ramifications, risks and benefits involved with filing under one of the various available legal structures.  Structure Labs, one-day, intensive learning seminars, are being held across the country to facilitate clarity in an organization’s efforts to understand the range of potential legal structures at play, and then the various risks and opportunities each structure affords.

Criterion Ventures is leading the Structure Labs programs across the country, and is an organization that provides resources, capital, and scaling capabilities for social ventures.  These Structure Labs are being held in major cities across the United States:

Seattle, WA – January 27th
San Francisco, CA – February 4th
Los Angeles, CA – February 5th
New York City – February 25th
Chicago, IL – March 3rd
Minneapolis, MN – March 4th
Boulder, CO – March 10th
Miami, FL – March 17th

Spots are available to register in each of these cities, and participation is limited to between 25 and 40 individuals per session.

Full Disclosure:  The Hub LA is co-sponsoring the Los Angeles Structure Lab, and I work for the Hub LA on their social media team.  That said, I was not compensated for this post.