I spent about twenty some years in non-profit management and program work. I felt I was undercompensated and over-worked most of the time. Foundations were then - and still are - a big source of the problem. Because they generally think what we do is not central but rather additive to our communities. The idea that someone would “fall in love” with NPO managers strikes me as pretty paternalistic - certainly the expression itself is. Today I am an investor in lower middle market companies. We place large, multi-million dollar bets on businesses and their management teams. But no one in our business would regard it as prudent or sane to “fall in love” with our CEOs. That’s not respectful nor does it measure the importance of their roles in making sure our investment gets the return we expect. This is more of the same - NPO managers are stuck with begging bowls, inadequate resources and convoluted governance structures. They can’t be effective in all phases of their organizational mission and the general philanthropic view is that they are “good people” who are making sacrifices. Why to acknowledge their importance, pay them and give them the capital resources they need to be successful rather than treating them like the faculty English department at a small liberal arts college?
Thank you for this article. I have spent the last 25 years working in non profits—the latter 15 as an ED. There is certainly an intangible pressure and responsibility placed on this position that is, I believe, unique. If you haven’t been there, it is difficult to understand. Between the growing complexity of non profit business practices, to developing and, essentially, managing a volunteer board, the reasons why most of us work in non profits can, at times, seem out of reach. The earlier commenter is correct, NPO staff and management is generally overworked and underpaid. This applies to EDs as well. I see a looming crisis in non profit management in the next 15 years. The for profit sector is just too tempting, and the pay gap continues to widen. Competent EDs are increasingly uncommon, and unless programs/grants and support like those mentioned in the article become standard, the non profit sector has set itself up to fail miserably. Effective leadership is essential, and worthy of competitive compensation at least in the same ballpark as corporate leaders. I am thankful I have a board that understands that. NPOs lose too many potentially potent leaders because of a system wide failure of recognition and support. Hats off to those who lead our non profits, and those who meaningfully support those leaders!
COMMENTS
BY Joseph Bute
ON May 23, 2014 05:41 AM
I spent about twenty some years in non-profit management and program work. I felt I was undercompensated and over-worked most of the time. Foundations were then - and still are - a big source of the problem. Because they generally think what we do is not central but rather additive to our communities. The idea that someone would “fall in love” with NPO managers strikes me as pretty paternalistic - certainly the expression itself is. Today I am an investor in lower middle market companies. We place large, multi-million dollar bets on businesses and their management teams. But no one in our business would regard it as prudent or sane to “fall in love” with our CEOs. That’s not respectful nor does it measure the importance of their roles in making sure our investment gets the return we expect. This is more of the same - NPO managers are stuck with begging bowls, inadequate resources and convoluted governance structures. They can’t be effective in all phases of their organizational mission and the general philanthropic view is that they are “good people” who are making sacrifices. Why to acknowledge their importance, pay them and give them the capital resources they need to be successful rather than treating them like the faculty English department at a small liberal arts college?
BY Chris
ON April 15, 2015 07:24 PM
Thank you for this article. I have spent the last 25 years working in non profits—the latter 15 as an ED. There is certainly an intangible pressure and responsibility placed on this position that is, I believe, unique. If you haven’t been there, it is difficult to understand. Between the growing complexity of non profit business practices, to developing and, essentially, managing a volunteer board, the reasons why most of us work in non profits can, at times, seem out of reach. The earlier commenter is correct, NPO staff and management is generally overworked and underpaid. This applies to EDs as well. I see a looming crisis in non profit management in the next 15 years. The for profit sector is just too tempting, and the pay gap continues to widen. Competent EDs are increasingly uncommon, and unless programs/grants and support like those mentioned in the article become standard, the non profit sector has set itself up to fail miserably. Effective leadership is essential, and worthy of competitive compensation at least in the same ballpark as corporate leaders. I am thankful I have a board that understands that. NPOs lose too many potentially potent leaders because of a system wide failure of recognition and support. Hats off to those who lead our non profits, and those who meaningfully support those leaders!