Nonprofits

Working in nonprofit is gratifying and at the same time challenging. As an administrator for a major nonprofit organization, I have witness first-hand the effects of staff retention and excessive turnover and its effects on the quality of service provided to clients and the increase in the cost of recruitment. However, recent data support how nonprofits continue to experience growth, while the private sector remains stagnant. Per the nonprofit quarterly the steady growth of nonprofit was estimated at 14.4 million people in 2013. In 2003, nonprofit organizations paid an estimated $425 billion in wages. Ten years later, in 2013, total nonprofit wages had risen to $634 billion. This increase in paid wages represents a growth of 49.2 percent (Nonprofit

The diversity of nonprofit organizations, services provided and the problems faced shows that nonprofits require leadership with an in-depth understanding of the multifaceted nonprofit landscape. Understanding the culture of nonprofit work is also crucial and much easier to understand once you have been through a nonprofit management program. My career interests lead me towards an avocation of a deeper knowledge of strategic management/planning, legal structure and standards, increase my skills in quantitative analysis of policy, financial governance and developing fundraising strategies. These areas allow for macro management within the nonprofit

Throughout my career in the social sector I worked with a variety of for-profit companies; over the last few years I’ve noticed interesting trends. Corporations are changing how they structure and evaluate philanthropic partnerships and fewer and fewer organizations are opting to donate through traditional methods. Social entrepreneurs are even integrating philanthropy into their business models. Just consider, big names such as Toms and Seventh Generation and newer start ups like Bombas (a sock company that donates socks one-for-one for every pair they sell). One-time event sponsorship and foundation giving seems to be losing ground to newer, innovative community investment strategies. These shifts have encouraged non-profits, including

Collaboration among organization members and community stakeholders is very important, we must begin to study and understand nonprofits not merely as organizations housed within four walls but as catalysts that work within, and change, entire systems. The most effective of these groups employ a strategy of leverage, using government, business, the public, and other nonprofits as forces for good, helping them deliver even greater social change than they could possibly achieve alone (Crutchfield, 2012). There is also an understanding that community partnerships and assistance from caring individuals will be of a great benefit to the organization and the young men they serve. The different chapters in the organization are funded through member dues, grants and contributions from corporations, foundations, individuals and combined federal

The nonprofit sector in America is a reflection some of the foundational values that brought our nation into existence. Fundamentals, such as the idea that people can govern themselves and the belief that people should have the opportunity to make a difference by joining a like-minded group, have made America and its nonprofit sector what it is today. The American "civil society" is one that has been produced through generations of experiments with government policy, nonprofit organizations, private partnerships, and individuals who have asserted ideas and values. The future of the nonprofit sector will continue to be experimental in many ways. However, the increase of professional studies in nonprofit management and the greater

With an economy driven by our relationship with capitalism and bottom lines, it seems inevitable that nonprofits also tap into these business dealings if they are to survive. The third chapter of Leslie R. Crutchfield’s and Heather McLeod Grant’s book, Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits, titled “Make Markets Work,” delves into the strategies used by nonprofits who harnessed business tactics in an effort to increase their social impact. Using three overall strategies- change business practices; partner with business, and run a business- Crutchfield and McLeod Grant describe how non-profits have achieved successful leverage in the business world.

Imagine a time where Non-Profits weren’t needed because everything ran perfectly and there were no pain or suffering, a dream world for sure. There seems to always be a need and that need is constantly trying to be filled. One need that is in high demand to be filled is the underfunding of our public education Low in-come neighborhoods are having a hard time funding their schools, which is only making the issue worse of the low-income neighborhood. Teachers of those schools are also feeling the pressure to figure out other ways to obtain donations and funds to be contributed to the schools they work for. Out of this desperation, funds are beings asked of for-profit organizations that they in turn use the schools for free marketing. The using of these businesses for the funds causes issues with the schools and the teachers that feel guilty for becoming a “walking billboard” for these businesses. Corporations stepping into nonprofits may cause mistrust with their patrons, a possible misdirection of the mission, and the possible wrong influence on those they are serving.

Organizations that are not highlighting financial sustainability could jeopardize tumbling into what is called the nonprofit starvation cycle (Goggins & Howard, 2009). When this happens it is often because funders consume impractical anticipations the amount to maintain a nonprofit (Goggins & Howard, 2009). The agency may feel forced to obey unrealistic expectations if exchange for funding, could lead to the consequences of underspending spending funds which is not good for funders (Goggins & Howard, 2009).

In our text it states, “Leaving aside for the moment the view of those who do not favor the involvement of nonprofits in commercial activities at all, opinions on the appropriate relationship of the activity to the mission fall at two poles” (Worth, 2014, p. 314). This example leads on to the idea that nonprofits should solely stick to missions and stray from opportunities that might increase revenue. This concept is important in order to maintain the nonprofit integrity but is not always as simple as it might sound. Revenue could absolutely help the mission and provide a stronger concept and better opportunities. The ventures must be weighed and the negative and positive advantages must be thought over very

According to Cannon (2011), the safety net nonprofits have provided for America’s neediest individuals and families has flopped, because nonprofits have no safety net of their own. Three years later the impact was still felt, as Cannon (2011) writes “87 percent report the decline in the U.S. economy continues to impact their operations”. In addition, nonprofits anticipated a continuous increase in demand beyond 2011. The problem, Cannon (2011) states is that “only 46 percent of these expect to have the ability to accommodate these increases”. Fortunately, nonprofits facing limited resources to meet looming increases in demand have found new strategies, like partnership, to increase efficiency Cannon (2011). Over the years, Cannon (2011) writes, “strapped nonprofits have seen increased civic engagement, as volunteers have helped fill the gaps when budgets are tight…they have also employed online strategies to open new revenue models and

Crutchfield and Grant identify six practices of high impact nonprofits: advocate and serve, make markets work, inspire evangelists, nurture nonprofit networks, master the art of adaptation, and share leadership. All of these practices proved to be crucial in the success of the twelve-featured nonprofits, however, there are two practices that I find to be more intriguing than the rest. “Advocate and serve” and “inspire evangelists” are the two practices that stand out. The practice of “advocate and serve” was a new concept to me, which is, in part, why I found it particularly interesting. The practice of “inspiring evangelists,” is a concept I am familiar with, but I have never seen it articulated this well.

The most successful organizations, the ones that demonstrate a strong competitive lead over their peers, are not just firms striving for higher profits. Some nonprofits take a lead in addressing problems faced by society. They know what they are supposed to be doing for whom. They go at it single-mindedly.

Both organizations bring in a profit but what they do with the money is what makes them different. The main difference lies in the organization's mission. A nonprofit must have a strong mission that will greatly help the community and if they address this mission properly and effectively, it will not bring in any money to the company. This causes the company to lose money but what you typically don’t realize about nonprofits is that they have other activities that do bring in money to help balance out the money lost for the main mission that betters the community. This talk showed that nonprofits must have a strong mission in place in order to make the nonprofit a success but they also need to have other activities and projects to balance out the loss of money that comes from carrying out a strong

Weisbrod explores the second question through a comparative examination of the economic competition and cooperation between the three sectors. In his results, he deduces that “nonprofits have thrust themselves into new arenas, generating increased competition and growing political attention.” (Weisbrod, 1997) as well as a growing cooperation between the three sectors through alliances and the commercialization of nonprofits. The evaluation of the third question focuses on the efficiency and quality of the nursing home services provided by nonprofits compared to private institutions as well as volunteering. Weisbrod utilizes statistics to measure labor inputs, consumer satisfaction, opportunities for volunteers, and compensation for top executives (Weisbrod, 1997). Overall, he discovered that nonprofit organizations are “socially valuable not only because of the kinds of outputs they produce but also because of the ways they distribute their services.” (Weisbrod,

Social entrepreneurship is gaining such strong interest in nonprofit world because of the economic challenges that have plagued this sector with cuts in philanthropic and government funding. According to Nash (2010) not only are there cuts, there are many organizations vying for the limited funding. Studies support, the attitudes in capitalistic America, and the ease of nonprofits to embrace this concept; evidenced by their ability to sell their once free services, to meet the demands of the consumer. According to the IRS (2010) nonprofits have increased their selling power on unrelated business income, to the tune of 184% increase, in a sixteen-year time frame. This writer, believes these numbers are evidence which support this trend is