I recently overheard a nonprofit comment that "they are on a budget" in regards to planning an important decision. This comment struck me as interesting in a number of ways. One, I have never heard of ANY non-profit that does not have a budget, no matter what the size and how seemingly well-off. Two, it seems to indicate that a budget is some external force imposed on the organization, of which they have no control.
While it is difficult in a tough economy to control income, decisions about how money is allocated and spent are all 100% in the hands of the organizational leadership. Ideally, the budget allocations reflect the values and goals of the organization. If education is a top priority, then one would expect to see educational expenses as a key part of the budget. If growing the membership is a top priority, then one would expect to see membership programs as a key part of the budget. Instead what seems to happen is that the budget reflects assumptions from a different generation and a different environment.
We have heard of an organization that spent a significant amount of money on a new on-premise phone system, because it was in their budget, based on the age of the previous on-premise phone system. Not one board member asked the question of why do we need an on-premise solution, when significantly more cost-effective Internet phone systems exist, and have rapidly improved in the last 5 years. When later questioned by a younger staff member why the money was spent, the answer was well it was in the budget. As if the budget itself has control of the organization, not the reverse.
The other mentality is when making a decision about a purchase is "What can I get that is free or close to it." Lets see how this logic plays out in our personal lives: I need a car to get to work every day. Its extremely important that I am on time each day. I will see what I can find at the junkyard that still can be fixed up. My brother is a mechanic, and he is available to fix it if I get stuck. Or I need cabinets for my kitchen, I can buy them them piece-by-piece on Craig's List, then ask my cousin to modify and customize them to fit together in my space. That is less expensive than buying a matched set that is new. (Never mind that I will be irritated for years by the cabinet door that does not close properly. Or that my car repair bills just for replacement parts will be expensive, and when my brother moves out of the area the labor costs for a professional mechanic are higher than I planned.)
While these examples seem silly, they all based on financial decision making I have seen at non-profits.
A great quote I saw in an IdealWare article:
"If you can't raise $300 to purchase a donor database that will help you solicit donations more effectively, you need donors much more than you need a database."
The CiviCRM core team regularly organizes full-day and multi day training sessions on CiviCRM for end-users and administrators. I am excited to be teaching this 2-day training session downtown Chicago.
Seating is limited, so you should register right away to guarantee your seat.
I saw a post on the Internet describing the reasons administrators are afraid of social media. I have adapted this to synagogues fear of the Internet and social media.
Every organization, especially nonprofts, needs a “Single Source of Truth” about their people. They may call their people different names, such as congregants/community/members/volunteers/donors/supporters/partners. No matter what the label, the need for a single source of truth exists.
Normally the phrase the “digital divide” refers to technology haves and have-nots. The haves are typically described middle-class folks with their own personal computer and access to the Internet. The have-nots are typically described as low-income folks who do not have a computer, or if they do lack Internet access.
