About This Resource

What is a DBL and what can it do?

Double Bottom Line (DBL) financial analysis helps us understand how financially self-sustaining each part of our ESE is.

Have you ever wondered …

1. Whether your goal for how the business financially supports your social mission is really being achieved?
2. How to convince your customer to pay a higher cost for your product or service because you also have a social mission?
3. How to demonstrate to your board or other stakeholders that your business and employment operations are truly sustainable?
4. How to communicate and justify the amount of philanthropic funds needed to sustain the social mission?
   1. What is the right % philanthropic funding vs. business revenue to run your ESE?

DBL can help with all of the above.

Below is an overview with the following goals:

• Understand what SOCIAL COSTS are and identify them in your ESE

• Identify what % of your INCOME and COSTS are driven by business activities and what % is driven by program activities
• Determine 
  • Is program revenue subsidizing business? or 
  • Is the business subsidizing program? or
  • Are they both financially self sustaining?
• Understand why we conduct DBL Analysis

The resource below goes into depth more on this concept.

Looking for a DBL template? Download this resource below to create and analyze your own DBL income statement.