Unethical Non-Profit Behavior
I am currently pursuing a certificate in non-profit fundraising. One of the workshops I took focused on effective budgeting. After three hours, I left the workshop disillusioned and frustrated with the idea of working in a non profit.
Many of the behaviors that define non profits are not merely accidental. They are actively encouraged to keep costs low. The Nonprofiteer lists them below:
Staffing issues identified by respondents to the Nonprofit Quarterly survey–in descending order:
-retention is difficult (receiving by far the greatest number of responses);
-benefits and wages are a concern . . . .
-recruitment is difficult . . . .
-The organization is faced with underperformance of staff members.”
To combat legitimate concerns about respect and adequate pay for people doing work that essentially holds the nation together, people offer what I consider an intellectually lazy argument: “You dont do non profit work for the money.”
It’s time to bury that argument.
Firstly, there are plenty of non profit workers who make exorbitant amounts of money. These people are usually CEOs/executive directors. Their pay is rarely disputed since it is argued that their pay match what their skills are worth in the general market. Does this logic only hold true when you reach senior management? What about the myriad of positions under that which require skills that are no where near being matched?
And quite frankly I find it unethical that many non profits will lobby for living/fair wages for the poor yet refuse to offer the same to its employees. It is hypocritical and quite frankly poor business. Why do non-profits insist on acting as though basic standards of employee appreciation do not apply to them because they are “in the business of saving people”? If you don’t compensate us according to our skills and the work we do, why would you be surprised at poor performance, lack of motivation, poor retention and recruitment? If a for-profit business treated its employees this way, there would be (and has been) outrage.
The goal should be to increase the number of people committed to social justice—not drive us into the arms of corporations or the government.
Thankfully, my generation is growing increasingly intolerant of this. We want to work, but work will not be the end all, be all of our lives. We believe in our worth and demand to be fairly compensated. We have no problem leaving places where we don’t feel appreciated and have no problem asking questions—essentially questioning the top-dog, “be seen and not heard” method of working with and treating young employees.
A litany has been written about what we want and non profits are not exempt from the new changes that we are bringing to the workforce. They would be wise to pay attention and change
