If 2025 was the year purpose went quiet, 2026 is when the fork in the road will become impossible to ignore. Insights from the Purpose Collaborative, a 40-member network of impact-driven companies, predict what the year ahead will mean for responsible businesses.
On one path, companies move purpose from statements and discrete programs into the structure of the business: strategy, governance, KPIs, products, data, and even AI. On the other path, purpose gets quietly defunded, depoliticized, or pushed so far into the background that only a handful of insiders can see it. Both routes have real implications for long-term business success.
“For companies that can integrate and connect purpose to actual business value, it will be a source of competitive advantage, helping them stand out from the AI ‘workslop,’” says Caleb Gardner, managing partner of 18 Coffees. “For others, it will fade into the background as they fight for survival.”
Many of the experts we spoke with identified this bifurcation. Some organizations will double down on purpose as a discipline and driver of resilience. Others will keep doing the work with as little visibility as possible, hoping to avoid backlash in a polarized Trump era. The stakes are no longer about having a nice-to-have “purpose platform” but about whether purpose becomes the backbone of the business or disappears completely.
Against that backdrop, we asked members what they see as the biggest trends, the hardest barriers, and the boldest steps leaders should take. Their answers point to a year defined by proof, participation, courage, and resilience.
A fork in the road: Structural purpose vs. quiet retreat
Members see a widening gap across sectors and regions. On one side are the companies treating purpose as a long-term operating system: one that’s deeply integrated into strategy, measurement, and governance.
“The dominant purpose-related trend will be the shift from ‘Purpose as Story’ to ‘Purpose as Proof,’” says Fabio Milnitzky, CEO of iN. “Companies will move away from treating purpose as a slogan and toward treating it as a disciplined, measurable system that must demonstrate impact on people, planet, and profit.”
Purpose will only be credible when it can withstand scrutiny from investors, regulators, employees, and communities—and when it shapes what a company does and doesn’t do.
“Purpose will stop being a department and start being a discipline,” says Joe Waters, founder of Selfish Giving. When companies embrace purpose in this way, every partnership, product, and story flows from a coherent set of values. Purpose will show up in hiring, investment decisions, access to capital, reputation, and resilience if (or when) a crisis hits.
“There will be a bifurcation of companies that quietly remain focused on purpose and embed it deeper into the enterprise, and those who retrench in favor of prioritizing to focus on short-term business pressures,” says Karimah Huddah, founder of illumine.earth.
On the other side are organizations scaling back external purpose work in response to political pressure, ESG and DEI backlash, and economic uncertainty. “Purpose will move from public declarations to quiet, behind-the-scenes stewardship,” says Jessica Marati Radparvar, sustainability communications strategies and founder of Reconsidered. ”With political, cultural, and regulatory uncertainty rising, companies will shift their energy inward.”
For these companies, the work may continue, but it will be far from the spotlight. That may protect them from some political blowback, but it also risks eroding trust if employees and communities can’t clearly understand what the organization stands for. “Corporations may decide that they can cancel or reduce their purpose-based work based on the current political climate,” says Marcus Peterzell, CEO of Passion Point Collective. In this environment, whether purpose is structural or superficial will matter more than ever.
From story to proof: Purpose balances performance and risk
If there’s one global through line for the year ahead, it’s that purpose must prove itself.
“Over the last decade, most large companies have adopted purpose statements, but relatively few have embedded them deeply into strategy, culture and governance,” says Milnitzky. “Pressure from investors, regulators, employees, and society will increasingly be: Show the proof. This means linking purpose to hard indicators such as retention, safety, inclusion, decarbonization, product portfolio, reputation, and total shareholder return.”
Purpose has moved out of the brand book and into the boardroom. The organizations that lead will treat it as a performance system with clear inputs, outputs, and accountability, not as a set of inspirational words on a wall. That proof is not just about upside: Members see purpose moving squarely into the language of risk and resilience.
“We’ll spend less time touting the business case for sustainability and move more proactively toward a steely, laser-focus emphasizing the financial and reputation risks inherent in ESG-related decision-making or inaction,” says Sarah Riley, sustainable brand advisor at R&G.
As Riley notes, the challenge isn’t convincing stakeholders that ESG issues exist—it’s cutting through fatigue, denial, and politicized narratives with honest assessments of what’s at stake.
“Resilience will be a dominant theme,” says Neill Duffy, chief executive and Founder of 17 Sport. “Around the world, people are living through instability that feels both relentless and unpredictable. Climate volatility, political polarization, economic pressure, and the erosion of institutional trust are no longer background noise, they’ve become part of daily life.”
Purpose, Duffy says, becomes a stabilizing force—something that keeps organizations principled when incentives reward caution and short-termism. It can also “support communities not by shielding them from disruption but by helping them navigate with greater clarity and confidence.”
The metric that matters most may not be return on investment, but something more human: “Return on involvement. Brands that help people act on their values—not just advertise them—will win the decade,” Waters says. Taken together, these perspectives suggest a new equation: purpose equals proof, resilience, and participation.
Beyond campaigns: Participation, community governance, and creator ecosystems
What does purpose-led participation mean in the year ahead?
“We’re entering a ‘Participation Era,’ where purpose is defined by what brands help people do rather than what they say,” said Fred Haberman, CEO of Haberman. “With loneliness at an all-time high and trust in brand messaging at an all-time low, people are seeking real connection and meaningful experiences. The organizations that lead will use technology with intention to create more space for humanity: building micro-communities, inspiring acts of service, and helping people come together around shared impact.”
Here, purpose is measured less by impressions and more by involvement: who shows up, what they do together, and how those experiences change behavior and community outcomes.
Participation is also about power. Instead of treating communities as audiences to consult, leading brands will share in governance, says Melissa Orozco, CEO and chief impact officer of Yulu Impact Communications. “Indigenous-led councils, youth panels, and lived-experience advisers will shape how purpose programs are designed and evaluated, marking the end of performative engagement and the rise of shared power.”
That shift from feedback to co-ownership raises the bar on authenticity. It asks brands not just to listen, but to structurally redistribute influence over how purpose programs are conceived, funded, and evaluated.
Members also point to creators and influencers as catalysts in this ecosystem. “Purpose will become far more collaborative—and more creative, too,” says Carrie Fox, founder and CEO of Mission Partners. “As nonprofits continue to face headwinds from shrinking government and corporate funding, we can expect to see a surge in cross-sector innovation, including deeper corporate-nonprofit partnerships, the formation of creative coalitions, and the development of new revenue-generating models designed to sustain mission-critical work.”
“Brands will move beyond hiring influencers to building purpose-centered ecosystems alongside them: codesigning programs, educational content, resources, and community-driven activations, and ideally doing this all with creators with specific lived experiences and a clear alignment to the brand’s products and purpose,” says Stephanie Belsky, cofounder and CEO of Love of Good, Inc.
But this dynamic of influencers as collaborators only works if companies are as clear and committed as the creators they partner with. “Influencers are increasingly choosing partnerships based on shared values, not just rates,” Belsky says. “Many brands still lack the internal clarity to meet that standard. This can erode trust. Audiences can instantly detect when a creator is asked to carry a message a brand hasn’t embodied internally. Purpose work thrives when brand story, operational behavior, and creator messaging are aligned.”
The message is clear: in the Participation Era, you can’t outsource purpose to your partners. They will simply reveal whether it’s real or not.
Purpose under pressure: Polarization, caution and the courage gap
The political context for 2026 is impossible to ignore. Purpose Collaborative members point to Trump-era politics, ESG suppression, and culture wars as defining pressures. “We’re entering a new era thanks to the rise of Trump-style politics and it’s one that seems outwardly to be stymieing sustainability efforts through green-hushing and straight-up ESG suppression,” Riley says.
“Political volatility, economic pressure, ESG and DEI pushback, and climate anxiety are creating an environment where many organizations instinctively pull back, speaking less, committing less, and protecting themselves from scrutiny rather than advancing their principles,” Duffy says.
“The continued polarization of social issues will remain one of the most significant barriers,” Fox says. “As issues become increasingly politicized during a midterm election year in the U.S., corporate leaders, celebrities, and public figures may hesitate to take clear stands, instead opting for softer, middle-of-the-road positions.”
Taken together, these perspectives describe a “caution culture” in which organizations say less, do less, and hope to ride out the storm. But as several members warn, that instinct can undermine purpose at its core. “The biggest challenge is courage,” says Bianca Bello, strategy director at HelpGood. “With Trump in office, the priorities of this country have shifted dramatically away from marginalized communities. Committing to purpose in 2026 will feel increasingly risky, and businesses are risk-averse.”
Some argue that the riskiest move is trying to appease everyone. “When we talk about bold steps leaders must take to protect purpose in polarized environments, the first thing I say is this: neutrality is no longer a strategy—it is a form of erosion,” Milnitzky says. “In politically and culturally divided climates, purpose becomes fragile when leaders attempt to appease everyone.”
Others frame it as a test of long-term consistency and a willingness to speak when others are staying silent. “Think long-term about your purpose and be boldly consistent, and you’ll be rewarded for it no matter the political climate,” Gardner says.
And in some cases, silence “will no longer be neutral; it will be a risk,” Orozco says. “The brands that choose courage, and back it with transparency, consistency, and community investment, will win long-term trust and loyalty.”
“In a moment when the cultural and political ground feels increasingly unstable, the boldest leadership move is also the simplest: stay rooted in your purpose,” Fox says. “Set a clear strategy aligned with your values, and don’t back away from it when the climate gets tough.”
Filling the gap: When business becomes the backstop
Members anticipate that shrinking public funding and evolving regulation will widen gaps in the social safety net.
“I hope that the biggest trend will be an aggressive search for ways to fill the services and funding gap of the federal dollars that have been taken away from public assistance programs,” Bello says. “Companies that value purpose should fund and lift up nonprofits and grassroots organizations working in local communities to fill this gap.”
Here, purpose becomes less about “nice to have” programs and more about filling structural holes in healthcare, housing, education, climate adaptation, and community resilience. Corporate resources, relationships, and platforms can help sustain work that would otherwise fall through the cracks.
Against this backdrop, members expect more experimentation: new revenue models, cross-sector coalitions, and influencers mobilizing audiences at scale. “We can expect to see a surge in cross-sector innovation, including deeper corporate-nonprofit partnerships, the formation of creative coalitions, and the development of new revenue-generating models designed to sustain mission-critical work,” Fox says.
“National politics doesn’t play out the same way at the local level,” says Laura Ferry, president of Good Company. “Invest in regional partnerships, local suppliers, community health, and small business ecosystems to make purpose tangible. Local impact builds broad, cross-partisan support.”
In an era of national polarization, the local dimension of purpose may be where the broadest and most durable coalitions form.
Inside-out: Employees as the engine of purpose
When purpose is stress-tested, employees feel it first. Many members highlight internal culture, communication, and middle management as make-or-break factors.
“We’ll see a renewed focus on internal communications—not just to defend new initiatives with solid business cases, but to reassure employees that the company hasn’t abandoned its values,” Radparvar says. “Leaders will need to protect morale and culture at a time when being too loud puts a target on your back, but being too quiet risks letting purpose wither from within.”
“With the policy landscape shifting, companies are rediscovering that their most powerful driver is their own people,” Ferry says. “Expect a stronger push toward purpose-driven partnerships that energize employees, strengthen culture, and demonstrate values in action.”
Middle managers are key to this effort, yet they are not always empowered to be champions of purpose. That middle-management bottleneck is where many purpose strategies stall. Without the tools, time, and incentives to act on purpose, even the strongest commitments can remain theoretical. And directives must come from the top. “You must have leadership buy-in,” says Phillip Haid, founder and CEO of Public Inc. “If the CEO is not bought in, don’t bother as it won’t gain traction. Tangibly map out how the company’s purpose drives internal and external business results as it’s the only way to ensure the purpose is truly lived and sustained.”
“Purpose is real only when it is lived inside the organization well before what’s declared outside of it,” says Nicole Rennie, CEO and executive producer of FORWARD storystudio. “Make space for employees to share their stories, their why, and the impact they feel they’re having. Invite them into the purpose dialogue early and often.”
Purpose, AI, and the future of human work
AI runs through many of our members’ predictions as a force reshaping the logic and value of work.
“The shift won’t just be about more AI or smarter tools,” says Sophia Story, chief revenue officer of 3 Sided Cube. “It will be about how responsibly we use them. Ethical, transparent, measurable AI will become the new baseline, with teams doubling down on clear policies, real guardrails, and continuous improvement to make sure their tech is doing good, not just sounding good.”
“Over the last year, AI-enabled ‘jobless growth’ forced companies to answer an existential question: What are humans actually for?” Gardner says. “Companies have justified centering purpose at least partly because they needed humans (who deeply care about their impact on the world) to be productive. If the narrative becomes about how AI can do the work better, purpose advocates may lose their most powerful business case.”
Story points to data, regulation, and skills as three pressure points: “Purpose-led data models only work when there’s real clarity around governance, stewardship, rights, and what happens when things go wrong. Right now, that’s still pretty messy. Regulation is another pressure point. New rules are landing fast. If organizations don’t design in data ethics and responsible AI from day one, they’ll end up scrambling to retrofit compliance later.”
For some, purpose may become the lens through which AI is deployed. “With purpose and AI working together, companies can accelerate advances that strengthen communities, address major social challenges, and expand human potential at a pace not seen since the rise of the modern web,” says Kristian Merenda, partner at Carol Cone ON PURPOSE. But that will only happen if organizations slow down long enough to redesign systems, workflows, and habits. “The biggest challenges will center on building responsible AI use policies, realigning systems, and redesigning workflows so organizations can use AI effectively and ethically to create both business and social good,” Merenda says.
Importantly, “make sure work isn’t muddled by the mire of AI-gloss,” says Elliot Kotek, founder and CEO of The Nation of Artists. “Ensure that real people and real stories feel represented and honored at the ‘deep-gut, big feels’ level. There’s a strength that comes from those stories that realistically represent their communities that can’t be manufactured en masse, and audiences respond to that sincerity—it’s that old adage that you always remember how someone, or something, made you feel.”
AI will either hollow out the human business case for purpose—or, if guided well, become one of the most powerful tools for scaling it.
Leading organizations will navigate barriers and emerge stronger
Across all these predictions runs a common idea: pressure is not just a threat to purpose but a test of whether it’s real. “Let pressure clarify your purpose, not cloud it,” Fox says. “Leaders often describe this moment as heavy, dizzying, and uncertain. And it is. But as one nonprofit leader reminded me recently: diamonds are formed under pressure. The same is true for purpose. Under intense conditions, your purpose can either crack or sharpen.”
In 2026, the purpose that survives will be the kind that is disciplined, measurable, participatory and brave. It will be embedded into structures and systems, not just stories. And it will be carried not only by enterprises, but by employees, communities, and creators who see themselves as part of something bigger—and are willing to take on the mantle of participation.
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