Last night I attended a Town Hall meeting for Non-Profits to discuss developing a national agenda for Non-Profits. The organizers were wonderfully efficient at getting our input. I always love to attend a well-facilitated meeting that allows for interaction between dedicated people. I heard a lot about the problems facing non-profits and a heard a lot about what's right with non-profits. The meeting was both thought-provoking and reaffirming.
By the way, I am not the regular author of this blog; I am a friend and a fan of non-profits. I guess you could say I am in the non-profit world vicariously. I have dealt with non-profits from a funders' perspective. I'm with a governmental organization that has contracted with local non-profits to provide services to people seeking employment. These contracts have been some of my organization's greatest successes and worst nightmares. But one thing has always been true, the sincerity of the people we contracted with was never a question. Unfortunately most of the time a contract failed to perform was a question of capacity-not capital capacity, but human capacity. Over the years, I've seen great endeavors die because of a lack of management talent. Whether we were talking about volunteers, paid staff, or the need for innovation, success comes down to the people inside your organization doing and creatively managing the work.
Interestingly, that was one of the conclusions of last night. Also, there was a great deal of talk about innovation and being more like business. Personally, I'm not such a great fan of business as a model for non-profits except in one respect-innovative for survival in a changing environment. There's a lot in common between the local non-profit bemoaning the new non-profit competition taking funders away from "tried and proven" organizations and American industries such as GM. Those industries lost their "customers" to those who adapted and provided better choice. There was a time when GM didn't think you'd buy a Toyota. They were wrong.
The 21st Century of globalization has taught business that they can't count on their customers because infinite choice and market is available to the American consumers and American non-profits need to learn that lesson. That's another post though. My point here is that your non-profit is not going to stop change in your environment by remembering the good old days. Adapt or die. And if you die, who will be there for the people you help? Best way to adapt? Invest in your people. Hey, that isn't always financial. It's also about making an environment that attracts the people you want and need. Surprisingly, you've got a lot to offer that money can't provide- satisfaction and fulfillment (stop laughing, it's true). The need for purpose is in the people who work for you, those who volunteer for you, and those who give you financial support. Start looking at putting some assets into that human capital account. By the way, innovation is not an event that happens outside of human thought. Invest in it.
If your interested in the non-profit congress conference and the results of the town meetings across the nation, go to www.nonprofitcongress.org.
Sounds like a great meeting. I hope many non-project biz would still continue to operate amidst the lack of funds.
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