The Kindness of Strangers .. an essay on the non-profit world

Whenever I think of the term "non-profit" I always think of Blanche Dubois' famous line "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." It is easy to see the reason why since most non profits do, for the most part, depend on the kindness of strangers to do their work. Now, those strangers may have varying degrees of wealth but no matter what the size of their income it is nonetheless their largess that will make or break a non-profit. In my opinion this makes a non profit professional a career alms solicitor.

It is a dysfunctional mentality with which to run an organization and one that - sooner rather than later - implodes in on itself. Most recently i had a chance to see the beginning of just such an end for one high profile non profit. It started out ferociously out of the gate and left all other non profits behind in terms of money, prestige, media. It is now, I believe, going super nova and about to collapse unto itself. The problem with non profits, I believe, is that their very nature prescribes their demise.

The nature of a non-profit worker is encapsulated in the very word. Non Profit. Not for Profit. In our capitalist society, this is inherently dysfunctional. To me a non profit person is one who is willing to accept sub standard pay for the work they do. They are willing to enter into an inequitable working relationship in which they know that they will make considerably less than their counterparts in the For Profit world. This feeling of "lack" thus begins to permeate the mindset that governs every aspect of a non-profit. Non profit workers are always the co-dependent ones that will do more, accept less and who wallow in the deep waters of low self esteem all the while draped in the velvet robes of entitlement as a consequence of their sacrifice.

The world of non profits begins and operates on the notion that there is not enough to go around and draws to it a type of individual who chooses less for themselves as a matter of rule. Career non-profiters are often a toxic cocktail of bitter but self righteous workers who purposely conform to lives that lack abundance but who do so under the guise of the "greater good." Much like the about-to-go Super Nova non profit I wrote of earlier, a particularly great non profit may initially be able to attract top tier talent, perhaps even stealing talent away from for profit companies. But, once times are tough, a non profit will always lose the top tier back to more lucrative opportunities. The reasons why are as follows: 1. If a person is a top tier worker, odds are they will not want to continually receive sub par salaries in exchange for their work. Their very talent makes them unsuited for the non profit world. 2. Should there be a dry spell at the non profit, the decision will inevitably come down to let go of the very talent that has made them great. 3. Because the Non Profit is not autonomous but rather a ward of the their director's board, they are at the mercy of the board's decisions. No matter how detrimental to the organization. 4. Even if none of this happens, a smart, strong, skilled worker will want to follow their goals for achievement, financial abundance and success. The restraints of non profit operations will probably begin to chafe rather soon.

The lessons here are that the entrepreneurial/capitalist drive are hard to suppress, all the more so because they are often grounded in a healthy self esteem. Those that can suppress it, wind up in non profits. And, eventually, an organization that lives off the kindness of strangers will always have to dance to that stranger's tune, even when that tune leads them like lemmings to the sea.