How many non-profit organizations do you think there are in the United States? Go ahead, take a guess.
According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics there are…
1,496,773
as of June of 2008.
Holy crap! Each one with an office, of course, and a staff. Non-profit maybe, but don’t kid yourself – it’s a business like any other.
Yes – of course they are, however they are accountable for every penny they bring in and spend. Just because it is a non-profit org. doesn’t mean those working for that org should be volunteers… or those running the org shouldn’t get compensated for their work. A non-profit org needs quality employees just as other cooperations would in order to succeed. Volunteers are a huge part of any charity work, but you can not run all charities soley with volunteers. It is the AMOUNT spent on admin costs you should be concerned with – also be concerned with those “non-profits” that don’t follow the guidlines, and who call themselves a non-profit, collect money from people – just enough to keep under the minimum for having to file a 990 disclosing their earnings.
I work for a non-profit org – and I do mean WORK! The number of staff hired to perform the amount of work we do in a day, week, month and year is low – 26 pple running an international organization from one office to keep the admin costs down. This is my job. I work hard and should not be made to feel bad because I draw a paycheck, just like you do from your job. The amount of good we do for children is why I am willing to do the work of two or three pple, for a lower than average salary for my experience. Compensation? Hell yes. Run like a business? Better be!
I don’t know how you found it. I didn’t think anybody read this.
I don’t mind you earning money working for a non-profit. That’s not what I was saying. It’s just the sheer number. It seems to me that much more effective work could be done with less charities rather than more. Looking at Charity Navigator, there are a handful of (sizable) autism-spectrum charities, dozens upon dozens of cancer charities and more “peace” organizations than you can shake a stick at. Each one of these takes a cut for administrative costs and the like. My issue is not non-profit organizations themselves. Obviously there are great organizations out of the 1.4 million. But good grief – 1.4 million? I’m just highly skeptical.
What International Organization is it that you work for?
That’s a lot of people helping people. (Well, hopefully. Or, I guess they could be helping animals. Or something…) I think I agree – if they sort of grouped themselves into categories, wouldn’t they be able to get a lot more done?
Food for thought.