Stop Being a Not-for-profit

Nick Fellers | October 30, 2008

Stop being a not-for-profit.

Why do we define our selves in the negative? It makes no sense. Does your organization exist to ‘not make any money’? Or, does it exist to save lives, change lives and impact lives?

Stop defining yourself by what you’re not. Start defining yourself by what you are for: impact.

More than a shift in language we need a different way of being.

This shift is about attitude. It’s about your purpose (the WHY). It’s about re-thinking an entire sector (or two).

In 1950 Earl Nightingale wrote The Strangest Secret to Success. The secret (common to many beliefs, all sectors and all definitions of success): "We become what we think about". What becomes of us when our entire thinking is about nonprofit? What if we think instead about changing the world?* What becomes?

Then there is some great thinking from Peter Drucker who wrote, "Every organization has to prepare for the abandonment of almost everything it does." That’s powerful. We agree. A lot of ’stuff’ needs to be abandoned**.

Think not and be not about:		Think and be about:
Charity, 501c3 Tin Cups, Begging Not-for-profit OR for-profit		A cool business/entrepreneur- changing the world. “Selling your Vision” For Impact!

*The Movement: We’ve been sharing this message for the last 15 years and living it for longer than that. The past few years has given rise to an incredible conversation around this VOCABULARY and CHANGE: Social Benefit (Drayton). Social Entrepreneurs/Enterprise. Pierre Odimyer and other change agents are putting resources into ‘for-profits’ that change the world. Google.org comes out and says they will have a ‘for-profit’. It’s no longer about not-for-profit vs. for-profit. It’s about For Impact.

**Abandonment (a start): Direct mail. Lengthy Case Statements. Feasibility Studies. "Volunteer Solicitations". Survival Pitches. Small thinking. Cultivation. Special events (that aren’t special and don’t raise money). Letters that read “We are a 501(c)3” (who cares?). Committee Reports….

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3 Comments So Far

Mike Watterson - October 31st, 2008 1:55 pm

I think part of what we’re seeing is that shift from charity to philanthropy that you talked about at training camp. For us (at our church) we’re still seeing ‘tithing’ but also ’strategic investment’. Both are needed and welcomed but they represent two different orders of conversations and essential to our ministry.

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Mark Kordic - October 31st, 2008 3:02 pm

The focus of the media in reporting on activities of “non-profits” in this time of economic downturn has been magnifying the tin cup. In other words, the sum total of too many reports has been the fiscal woes of charities and the prospective reduction of services as a result. It is vital that “for-impact” organizations double efforts at highlighting their personal impact…thru stories and statistics. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association decided to do just that for their year-end campaign by zeroing in Dr. Graham’s 90th birthday and inviting tens of thousands to send birthday greetings describing the impact of their organization in their lives. Does anyone have examples of how they are using testimonials in a more up-front fashion to emphasize life-change?

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My Social Entrepreneur Identity Crisis… And, Philanthropy is Sustainable | forimpact.org - December 3rd, 2009 8:17 pm

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