Today the New York Times wrote an article about Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House’s comments to Congress.
“Ms. Pelosi was asked what she would say to House Democrats who were “in real fear of losing their seats in November if they support (the healthcare bill).”
“But,” Ms. Pelosi continued, “the American people need it. Why are we here? We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress. We’re here to do the job for the American people, to get them results that give them not only health security, but economic security.” ”
This is an admonition worth taking to your own nonprofit and the nonprofits around you.
If your leaders seem more interested in self-aggrandizement, chasing grant money, or their social lives than working to solve the problem that your nonprofit is supposed to solve, say it straight.
You’re not here to keep your job or look good. You’re here to do your best for the cause.
I’ve seen several nonprofits in the last few years who had leaders whose social lives and self aggrandizement were more important to them than their mission. Nonprofit leaders who came into work 2 days a week and gave themselves a raise. Nonprofit leaders who ran for office without mentioning their nonprofit cause in their platform. Nonprofit leaders who were out of the office, never available, who never answered email, voicemail, letters, or any attempt to get in touch with them. Nonprofit leaders who entered into sexual relations with committee members and then broke up with them right before a big event. Nonprofit leaders who were the highest paid in the organization and complained that they did not have enough money to provide an expensive international trip for their children. Nonprofit leaders who everyone knew that if fundraising was successful, it was despite them, not because of them.
Yet when asked by the board why the organization was not thriving, they always pointed their fingers at the fundraisers.
Some nonprofit leaders are acting suspiciously like congress right now, bought out by corporate interests and only interested in their personal bottom line, instead of the people they’re supposed to be helping.
You can vote with your feet, for sure, but how can you confront nonprofit leaders that are abusing their power?
You can find a sympathetic board member and tell them what you see, in confidence.
However, you need to realize that as a fundraiser, there is only so much that you can do to overcome what your leaders refuse to do.
As for how to bring their behavior to light, get them fired, and get a person actually committed to the cause in there?
Blue Avocado might have some measure of how to make people more responsible for the fate of their nonprofits.
Make sure that people have clear, written job descriptions with measurable expectations on what they are responsible for, and make sure the nonprofit leader knows that there is no exception just for being at the top.
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