Supply Chain and Nonprofit Effectiveness

Several months ago I read this editorial regarding the work of a Chicago-based nonprofit called World Bicycle Relief (WBR).  As an avid bicyclist I found this interesting and as a supply chain manager I was fascinated - whether they were specifically thinking "supply chain design" when developing this program or just good business sense it is clear that they used good supply chain principles - local sourcing, availability of spare parts, design for manufacture (and repair!).


I was not surprised when this week I heard that Barrons ranked them #12 on their list of 25 Best Givers, a ranking of donor impact.  It is clear that good supply chain principles can improve the bottom line for the organization whether they are a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization.  (I should add that my bicycle racing team, xxxracing.org, is a supporter of WBR and I have indirectly donated to WBR through my team; I plan to assist them further in 2011).

Please let me know of other examples of good supply chain principles deployed by nonprofit organizations and their positive impact on the triple bottom line.