OKAY radical honesty time!
I’m not Catholic, but here’s my Confession:
Cynicism was a coverup. For the last two years, I have not known what the next five years would hold. I felt incapable of making a decision about the future. I felt demotivated about the nonprofit world and fundraising in particular. And then, tonight, I surprised myself. It hit me. Why I couldn’t imagine a future.
I held a position in the last few years that left a bad taste in my mouth. For this nonprofit, I wrote the grant proposals, and they got funded. I wrote the compelling appeal letters, the annual reports, the newsletters, and they brought in the money, but I felt disconnected, and I felt ashamed that I was getting money for a nonprofit that would only squander what I was hired to help them get. And I was not sure that any nonprofit that I worked for in the future would be any more deserving, that they wouldn’t also be corrupt and squander my hard work.
And I had not analyzed my motivation in that light, but it really affected me. I felt rudderless. Drifting, wanting to believe that all we needed to do as a sector was band together and the world would magically become a better place.
BUT My own experience with bad leadership belied that. My own experience told me that people involved in nonprofits are just as much out for their own material gain as anyone else, and what’s more, they are forced to conceal this or try to convince themselves that they have a higher, nobler purpose. And most of the time, the board is not paying attention to what is happening, and embezzlement continues to happen, while leaders stay in place, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE CAUGHT. Having a nonprofit job has become just that, a job, instead of a calling.
Let me explain.
URGENCY: Remember when American women got the vote? Women worked tirelessly for two years to get it in America, in 1910, and once they did, then the groups disbanded.
This structure we have is a false one: Causes and nonprofits were never set up originally to employ people like corporations. They were set up to achieve a mission, and then disappear. And presumably people were supposed to figure things out after that.They were never meant to be 9-5 jobs that you showed up for.
They were meant to be things you did because you cared about the mission. Maybe you would work on the cause after your job in the factory, or in your spare time when you weren’t taking care of your children. The urgency was palpable. You HAD to be there. You NEEDED the change. Desperately.
You look at nonprofit job descriptions now and the mission is kind of thrown in as an afterthought. They want you to have experience helping some other mission. They want you to have a background with software. They want you, in short, to be employed, like a corporation would employ you, for wages, where you will hopefully go about your job without too much fuss about whether or not you fully believe in the mission.
What’s the Point? Here’s the clincher. In fundraising, I feel like the most cynical idealist imaginable. I worked tirelessly for women’s rights for several years. And then was thrown out on my ear for absolutely no reason at all. Then I tried to go work for a cause that was about social justice. But when I saw that no one cared about the mission, when I saw that the urgency had left, and that there was no vision from senior leadership, then I just felt completely demotivated about fundraising. I just started to have a bad case of NOT GIVING A RAT’S ASS ABOUT ANYTHING. What was the point? I wondered. What was the point in getting money just so the Executive Director could squander it in some new pointless way ? What was the point if the board were out to lunch and no one actually was paying attention to the real mission? I can say this here, to you, that the status quo suits some senior leaders very well.
So when I went out and looked at other nonprofits and their missions, I saw some people clinging to the tiny raft of their ideas in a sea of administrative bloat and incompetent leadership. And I just thought, you know, there are few enough rewards for fundraising staff at dysfunctional organizations, maybe it’s better to help a lot of different nonprofits than to try to chafe under that yoke again. Can you relate? Have you ever had a terrible case of the FUCK-THIS-JOB-WE-ARE-NOT-REALLY-HELPING-PEOPLE?
If this system is broken, What can we do about it?
I WANT to believe the world will be better if nonprofits can just get their acts together, but in reality, we have to get EVERYONE to get their acts together. And that’s not going to happen in a blog post. But here are some ideas.
- Big ideas and dedication aren’t going to save us. The most tireless, selfless, dedicated people in the world can get used and abused by a nonprofit corporation.
- A good board isn’t going to save us either. Boards change up every year.
- A degree in nonprofit management isn’t going to save us. Just like an MBA doesn’t teach you how to lead a company day-to-day. Theory is nice, but you learn by doing.
- Looking at administrative overhead is not going to save us. Every nonprofit calculates this differently. Just because you’ve learned to read a 990 form does not make you an expert on organizational effectiveness and mission fulfillment. The 990 doesn’t talk about that. Because measuring that is a LOT more complex.
Here’s what I propose:
Unionization: A decent, living wage for nonprofit workers, which will probably only happen if we unionize. Whether you’re a nurse at a nonprofit hospital, or a fundraising professional, wages need to rise with the cost of living, every year.
Remote Working: Living more lightly on the earth. We’ll cook more wholesome food if we work less. We should be able to choose if we want to work from home, to save on commuting costs. Saves on office space too. Extra incentives to use public transport or to bike.
Dignity for All: Nonprofits set up more like Co-Ops, with every employee able to make suggestions and have a voice in leadership. Everyone allowed to come to board meetings. Everyone allowed to help make decisions about who will be the head of the agency. Hiring and firing by communal vote.
Return to Mission: Each year, ask everyone, Are we successfully fulfilling our mission? How many have we truly helped? Should we still exist? Is there someone else out there who is doing what we’re doing? What can we learn from them? How can we partner?
What do you think?
Have you ever felt completely demotivated in fundraising? In philanthropy? In feeling like you’re “making a difference” in this broken system?
What did you do about it? Did you surprise yourself? If so, how?
What do you think this system needs?
Please leave a comment.
I love what you have to say about remote working. In my current quasi-nonprofit, quasi-state employee position, I am actually unionized, but per what is cited as union fairness, I’m not allowed to work from home — because it’s not a benefit that can be extended to all union members. So, for my own circumstances, it would probably be better if I weren’t in the union, and were allowed to work from home.
Also love your new site design. Great tagline — I like the emphasis on “YOU” and changing the world!
Good grief … we seem to have a remote that clicks onto the same channel, because what you’re talking about is EXACTLY what I’m feeling. And, unfortunately, it’s the way many others in my organization (regardless if they’re in fundraising or not) are starting to feel. It’s sad because our mission is “evergreen” – yet the burn-out is quick and the bitterness from the experience of working here is deep.
I think that’s what keeps me working here … that I still do believe in the mission. But I also believe there are other places that can do this mission better or at least with less of the bureaucratic, oppressive approach that we’ve experienced in the last three years.
If this were the French Revolution, heads would literally, not figuratively, roll by now.
I really like your idea of return to mission, and as a lefty and the grandson of a former labor union organizer, I’m supportive of nonprofit workers’ right to organize.
I don’t know how pervasive the problems that you mentioned are in our industry as a whole. I’ve seen sick nonprofits like the ones you described, and I’ve seen healthy ones like where I work and where I’ve done volunteer work.
I guess I don’t have any big ideas on how to fix things, because I feel like those sick nonprofits out there can only be fixed if the people working there want it to be fixed, especially management. If they’re ok with the way things are, then it might not even be worth your energy to try.
As individuals, I think the best thing we can do for the nonprofit world is to lead by example. You have done an excellent thing by using your platform to start the conversation, to get the problem into people’s minds, and with the first comment, to get other people talking about their experiences with it. This is how change happens in the causes that we champion and how it could happen in the nonprofit world. One person stands up, followed by a few more people, followed by a neighborhood, then a city, a state, a country, etc.
I hope this made sense and didn’t sound too disjointed. I’m happy to hear your feedback on it. One final thought: some people are motivated by money only, and other people are motivated by the cause. I’m somewhere in the middle. I love the fact that I can make a living by helping people. I love making a difference, and I have to feed my family.
Dear Andy,
Thank you for writing such a fabulous comment! It definitely does not sound disjointed. We do have to lead by example, and I appreciate that you think this blog is a place to stand up for better working conditions for us all!
I feel, though, that even if we stand together here, MORE needs to happen on the outside too. MORE organizing. MORE advocacy. MORE nonprofit unions that allow people to work from home.
I love that I can make a living by helping people too. And I want to keep doing it. It’s doubly satisfying for me.
Here’s where prevailing theory falls down: Love of money and love of working at nonprofits aren’t mutually exclusive.
Steve Jobs helped a lot of people too, and worked in the for-profit sector. And never gave a dime to charity. But people use his technology every day to help others, The iPad apps for Doctors, Nurses etc that they have now are changing the way we deliver medicine. And that’s just one lone example. (Dan Pallotta’s recent article talks about this, also see his book Uncharitable for a full run down.)
Bottom line: LOTS of different professions can help people, you know? Not just nonprofit ones. So if you decide the system or the nonprofit is broken, you can STILL help people without working at a nonprofit directly. Does that make sense?
I really do agree with your point that the sick nonprofits have to recognize they’re sick AND want to change. But it’s hard for people to even talk about the sick ones, even if they haven’t worked there for years. (Notice how I chickened out and didn’t name names? YEAH.)
I wish there was a way for people who worked at sick nonprofits or who used to work there recently to come together and discuss the issues in a public forum, so that donors could see the problems and offer solutions, or just decide to give somewhere else. If they’re not open to change, then I’d rather starve the sick nonprofits of funding than keep feeding them. What do you think?
Hi Pauley,
Thanks for commenting, and for saying that what I wrote resonated with you. I completely agree, the burnout is quick, and bitterness runs deep when a nonprofit starts to go bad. MAN. It took me YEARS to even dig out from under my bitterness, to even recognize the source of my lack of motivation.
Did you know that when there’s workplace abuse, like people being asked to take on too much work, the symptoms you can feel include PTSD? No lie.
Dear Christina,
I’ve never been in a nonprofit union. What’s it like?
That’s SUCH a bummer that being in a nonprofit union prevents you from working remotely! That really doesn’t make ANY sense. Can you agitate to change this in your union? There HAVE to be exceptions to the rule.
I heard from another reader who works at Planned Parenthood in the pacific northwest and she told me that they are unionizing and it will cost $1000 a year. But I think it’s worth it. What do you think?
Mazarine,
This is a very provocative clarion call. Are you willing to lead the revolution?
I think if there can be more transparency around nonprofits and how they are managed (and not just the percentage going to administrative), donors will vote with their feet.
Hi Don!
Thanks for commenting! It’s funny, another friend of mine was asking me that, are you going to lead a nonprofit union movement?
I am willing to help everyone learn how to change their situations, I would never claim to know what’s best for everyone at nonprofits, but if people want to get on board with this, well…. I would be willing to make partnerships with them and figure out how to make it happen! If enough people want to do it, I’m game to brainstorm solutions!
I think transparency is one of those weasel words that we have to pin down before we say that transparency solves things. I think the top way to define if a nonprofit is functional or not is the tenure of their development staff. If there is a new person every 12-18 months, it’s not a good place to invest. If there are people there who have been there for years, and the impact keeps increasing year on year, then I would say that’s a good one to invest in. But that’s MY version of transparency. What would you have in mind?
Peace,
Mazarine
What a brave confession. I have been reflecting on this since you posted, and I just want to say that I admire your honesty. It is very difficult to “go there” when you work with/for nonprofits. While I have felt many of these frustrations over the years (nearly 20 years in the grant writing/fundraising profession), I’m not sure I agree with unionizing – having worked as an independent contractor for many years, I have always been happy to have flexibility and judgement in how I worked with individual nonprofits of various sizes with various needs. It seems to me that a great start would be to educate professionals in fundraising about some of these ideas and advocate for change as a profession, rather than forcing lock-step through a union. Organizations like AFP have a great opportunity to advocate on behalf of their membership, as well as provide opportunities to discuss issues like pay, contract work, flexibility, and remaining true to and inspired by your mission.
Dear Katie,
Thank you for your thoughts on this piece. I appreciate that you took the time to reflect before responding. I’ve never been a part of a union so I admit I don’t know if a union would truly help nonprofits or not. But I think it’s worth a shot. As an independent contractor myself, I don’t think a union would necessarily preclude hiring independent contractors for certain things. And I also think that having an independent contractor union would help independent contractors get paid on time and get health insurance too.
What do you think?
Peace,
Mazarine
Mazarine – Wow – imagine a world where independent contractors could get insurance…and could maybe negotiate a better tax rate than the self-employed nearly 30%! Count me in! My real concern isn’t about hiring as much as a union dictating rates, how business is done, etc… But if a union could make it cost effective to be an independent contractor in nonprofits, it might be worth losing a little of that control. I had to get out of contract work because I had to charge so much to make any money after taxes (with no insurance) that I was pricing myself out of my nonprofit market. It just isn’t a tax rate that makes sense when you can’t charge what a private sector contractor might be able to bill. I have no illusions of getting rich, but it would have been nice to afford, say, health insurance! 🙂 Has getting paid/paid on time been a problem for you?
Katie
Hi Katie, sorry it took me so long to get back to this comment.
I don’t think the union would dictate how business is done as much as it would be there to protect nonprofit consulting workers so that we could get paid, get health insurance, and have some channel of getting new jobs too. Right now it’s catch as catch can,
wouldn’t it be nice to have one place to get consulting gigs that would all pay above $50/hr for a long term contract?
Peace,
Mazarine