As many of you know, I spent 13 years enjoying a wonderfully successful and happy career in the corporate sector. My career transition was inspired by some changes in my personal life, which led to a desire to make a greater impact on the world around me. It was not out of any malice or unhappiness with my work, or the companies I worked for.
I learned a lot in those 13 years. I learned to build new business and new markets from scratch. That meant dealing with sales and all the infrastructure that supports sales: pricing, inventory, forecasting, credit/collections, customs, logistics, customer service, proposal writing, presenting, technical support, marketing, sales meetings. The list goes on and on. I learned how to make business happen and get things done, and those lessons continue to benefit me in my non profit work.
When I transitioned to the non profit sector, I began a new learning experience. Despite protests from all sides about how different it would be, it's not all that different.
The 2 main differences in non profits are the board of directors and the challenge to hire great people. However, the process of connecting with people, learning about them and ultimately inspiring them to buy/give -- is exactly the same. And while the talent pool for non profits is small (largely because non profit people are paid about 40 - 50% of what I made in my corporate job), there are some wonderful, brilliant people working in this industry.
The Corporate View
There's a sense from people in the corporate world that non profit employees are lazy or incompetent... and that they lack accountability and drive. I understand where that comes from - and there is a need for NFP's to do a better job of focusing on and measuring results. However, that requires money, funding and expertise.
People don't want to donate to measuring impact - they want to donate to feeding a child. Boards of Directors are often hesitant to invest in developing those systems, because their priority is the immediate need/s of the client base (i.e. feeding kids, planting trees etc.) It's a conundrum for charities. If you want charities to do a better job of measuring that success, join a board of directors and ensure the board invests funds into developing those systems.
The Non Profit View
On the other side of this equation is the sense that corporations and corporate leaders are bad because they want to see recognition and results from their corporate social responsibility efforts. Nonsense! A partnership that generates a mutual benefit or gift that receives recognition, is no less generous or genuine than an anonymous gift. Recently a non profit peer compared business leaders to sociopaths. I find this notion incredibly offensive. These people are your donors. They are generous people who are GIVING you their money. They deserve your gratitude and respect, not a bugrudging thank you muted by hubris and contempt.
The Reality
BOTH types of businesses (and yes charity - you are a business) need to generate revenues. And lest you think that your purpose is somehow more important than a "for profit" business... think again. Both change the world in different and important ways. Both are made up of good people and people who are less good.
It's time to come together to combine the best of both worlds and build something remarkable. When you make something great for everyone - everyone benefits... and I don't know how that can be anything but good.
Hi Laurie,
I found your blog by reading your comment on BigAl's blog and was encouraged to see we have similar opinions on the subject. I blogged about it yesterday (http://lauramanivong.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/i-gave-5-stars-to-a-book-i-never-read/) and wanted you to know not everyone wants to see this woman driven into the ground. She made a big mistake but I think she's had her due. Happy day to you...
Posted by: Lauramanivong.wordpress.com | March 30, 2011 at 09:36 AM