Something for funders to think about - important

Last week I met a young Trinity University student who is very interested in pursuing a career in the nonprofit world. She has everything it takes to be quite an asset to the industry. Intelligent, focused, business like, empathetic, and nice…..she is looking at going the nonprofit way with her marketing degree from the best liberal arts college in the region.

Telling her father about this on a recent trip home, the successful businessman asked, “OK sweetheart, you can pursue this passion to help the world out, but how will you pay the bills? You know nonprofit incomes aren’t enough to live on.” Good point! She stepped back to think about her options. Perhaps she should give the decision a little more time?

I can’t believe we are letting this happen every day. These extremely bright young people have great for profit options. Companies are hungry for talent that have liberal arts backgrounds because they can mix business principles with history and the arts, and the creativity that comes form these things when combined.

And it does have to do with salaries….because mortgages must b e paid, kids need to be educated, and mouths need to be fed. Working in the nonprofit world does not mean you are a nonprofit now, does it? In order to attract young talent we have got to pay reasonable wages.

We need this talent and we need to reward good work. After all, more and more we are realizing that it’s not going to be the government or politicians who make the changes we need to make – it’s US!!! So please funders, understand that nonprofits need a little help to attract and hire the best so that they can design and implement the best of the best! Do it now, or we’ll loose them to for profits.