One of many greatest red-herrings I see nonprofit boards pursue is a pipe dream of “self sufficiency” for his or her nonprofit. Reasonably than pursuing their mission, the board directs the chief director to have a look at promoting issues and renting issues in a quixotic try and be financially impartial.

It’s as if they see fundraising as a “cease hole” resolution. One thing momentary. One thing considerably much less noble than having different revenue. As if fundraising have been at odds with “sustainability.”

What if this looking for of sustainability have been all a waste of time?

“Are the t-shirt gross sales, the spa product gross sales, the hyperlinks to on-line mall, the bake gross sales, the raffles and the looking for facility leases furthering the mission of your group? Or is it distracting the employees out of your nonprofit’s mission?”

Cultural norms towards self-reliance

Self-reliance appeals to many people within the West. It’s how we have been raised, saturates the tales that encompass us, and impacts most of our training.

So a board looking for to assist a nonprofit turn into self-reliant easy “feels” proper. We should always be capable of do what we need to do with out counting on anyone else, proper?

Mistaken.

Human Expertise & Company Buildings

Human expertise exhibits that folks assist folks. We’re depending on one another.

Even probably the most “self-reliant” particular person in your board nonetheless relies on the work of others. They probably use cell telephones, have trash picked up from their workplace and residential, use electrical energy…the checklist of their dependency is lengthy. The truth that our Western cultures systemically don’t acknowledge this reliance is a big concern.

So no nonprofit is “independent” – simply as no retailer can exist with out clients.

Moreover, by design, nonprofits are neighborhood organizations. By selecting a nonprofit designation, a nonprofit founder provides up their very skill to be self-reliant. They get a good tax standing however are required to cede management of the group to a board of administrators.

Nonprofits are ruled and funded by a neighborhood.

Fundraising is a reliable sustainability alternative

Simply as gross sales is a reliable funding stream for firms, fundraising is a reliable funding stream for nonprofits. And simply having repeat clients seen as successful in enterprise, having repeat donors is a really constructive indicator for nonprofits. It’s not “going to the identical effectively time and again” as a lot as growing mutually appreciative relationships that create wanted impression.

Too typically, board members’ want for different types of income isn’t to essentially assist the nonprofit. This want is actually because the person board members are uncomfortable being requested for cash. They usually need to take the stress off of their being accountable for funding the nonprofit.

In case you serve on a board, ask your self: are the t-shirt gross sales, the spa product gross sales, the hyperlink to an internet mall, the bake gross sales, raffles and looking for facility leases furthering the mission of your group? Or is it distracting the employees from serving the mission?

Executed effectively, fundraising from the neighborhood is 100% about furthering the nonprofit’s mission.

Don’t let your discomfort with being requested for cash hinder your nonprofit’s skill to meet its mission.