No, Nonprofits Are Not Magically Fueled by "Passion"
As covid took hold in March 2020, Brightspot contemplated how we could best support nonprofits. We brainstormed content for webinars, developed specialized packages to help organizations through crisis moments, and distributed a collection of weekly resources. Then we decided to simplify. Let’s make a place for people to share their struggles, chat through what has worked in this moment, and to feel supported by each other. Our monthly “Community Calls” are Zoom-based gatherings that bring together nonprofit employees and leaders to commiserate on the joys and difficulties of running organizations during this crazy time. I think all three of us would agree that this virtual community has become one of the favorite parts of our work.
On one recent call, an attendee broke down. Her organization was on the precipice, she was feeling totally on her own, and she was 100,000% burned out. This wasn’t the first time someone shared feeling this way. At one point or another during the past 18 months, almost everyone shared feeling that way (us included).
As human beings, we’ve been put through the ringer. As humans who run nonprofit organizations, it has been a ringer on top of a gauntlet on top of a never-ending obstacle course. Organizations have had to constantly “pivot” to ensure that those who need their programs most have them even in these “unprecedented times.”
Unlike the struggles of many for-profit organizations, the well-being of people is attached to a nonprofit’s success. Their homes, their food, their mental health, their ability to thrive – all of this is often reliant on the services nonprofits provide, especially in times of crisis. That’s enormous pressure for the people involved in running these organizations.
Yet, the expectation is that nonprofit leaders are “in it for the mission.” We’ve heard about boards asking their staff members to consider becoming volunteers instead of employees. We’ve heard about boards asking their staff members how many fewer hours they could work and still run the same programs. We’ve heard about part-time Executive Directors who definitely work full-time hours to meet the demand necessary to simply keep the place afloat.
It sounds absurd if you imagine those suggestions in a for-profit context. Contrary to popular belief, nonprofits are not magically fueled by passion and heart and a drive to do good. They are fueled by skilled leadership, up-to-date technology, human capacity, and resources. Those things cost money. Unfortunately, some people are led to believe that nonprofit employees are willing to give their entire lives to “the cause” and can pay their rent, feed their families, or fill their gas tanks with that JOY they experience as a result of their work.
Many things needed to improve the sector are out of our control, but we can change the way we communicate about what nonprofits are (and aren’t), how they work (and don’t), and what they need (and don’t). For example, it’s up to us to stop highlighting a low overhead rate as a badge of courage. Nonprofits, like any business, need to invest in skilled leaders and resources to be effective. It’s up to us to push donors to provide general operating dollars and stop allowing them to pick and choose the pieces of the organization they deem worthy of their support. It’s up to us to start relaying that there is a full community of people and entities that make our organizations tick – it’s not just donors’ dollars that run the show. It’s up to us to stop exalting donors’ financial commitments in ways that diminish the people the entire enterprise was created to support.
Those may be small things, but if people understand that fully resourced organizations mean more effective programs and a better community for all, we will shift how nonprofits are viewed and supported. Most importantly, we must help the community understand how very valuable nonprofits and their staff are. We must start to support staff the way they need to be supported.
If we don’t, there will be none left.