It seems that folks are allowed to move the goal posts when it comes to charities. Accountability without the expenses related to a book-keeper and the visit of the auditor. Safety of clients without the cost of a supervisor or any cost of training. Performance data without the costs of the record-keeping or writing the year end report. Fund raising without someone to make the presentations, orchestrate the even or write the fund raising letters. I don't see why the employees of a non-profit should be expected to make substantially less than people across the stret doing the same work. I certainly don't seeing people offering to put in a 35 hr work week for free.
We are told the charity needs to be run more like a busines. but the message is contradictory. In business you don't blink at paying a going rate for good staff. In a charity, you are criticised for paying staff a wage enabling the raising of a family. A business is doing great if a major project yields a 20% profit. A charity is criticised if the fundraising event doesn't have 80% profit.
Lots of folks criticize charities but the funny thing is I don't see a lot of folks willing to work for a non-profit sector. People here say they will offer their time but few will donate a full 8 hour day everyweek (weekdays) as the organization I work for needs 11,000 staff hours/yr to get the frontline job done. Criticism however is plentiful, as is complaining that not enough is being done to help people.
Note: An interesting book (by an extreme point of view) on the obstacles and double standards placed on charities is "uncharitable" by Dan Palloto. I don't agree with everything he says but he offers something to think about.
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