BY MORGAN LITTLE / AUG 31, 2015 (nandyphotos/ThinkStock)
What’s really driving nonprofit workers up the wall? One member of the community speaks out.
The world of nonprofits is as exciting and as dynamic as ever, with a seemingly endless supply of innovation fueling organizations far and wide. But in spite of this, those in the sector just have to vent sometimes, and that’s exactly what Rainier Valley Corps Executive Director Vu Le does in this post on Blue Avocado.
“Nine Nonprofit Trends that Need to Die” speaks for itself, but there are some common nitpicks and issues Le highlights that are sure to be achingly familiar to those of you in the nonprofit sector.
For example, one-day volunteer events can be great for strengthening the bonds between nonprofits and private enterprise. Or they can be a total mess.
“[W]hen done right, it can be a great partnership. And a great photo-op for everyone,” Le writes. “But usually the business people don’t realize how much time it costs us nonprofits to coordinate this. Often, the business folks leave feeling like heroes, and we end up cleaning up the mess and then we never see them again.”
And then there’s fundraising, which Le often sees being mentioned as “some sort of miracle elixir that will solve all our fiscal ailments.”
“We all know effective fundraising takes time and resource and at least one reputable psychic, so crowdfunding is just one more tool in our toolbox, not some sort of panacea.”
Special thanks to Morgan and Associations Now for this article
