Disposable Non-Profits

The other night I was watching television when on came this commercial (I honestly do not remember what product they were hawking, so someone at the ad agency failed Marketing 101) in which a series of people are experiencing some form of existential angst.  Each person appears to have just purchased a new techno gadget and then discovers that there is a new and improved model out.  This ad got me thinking (rather than buying, which again means someone on Madison Avenue needs to reconsider if they are in the right line of work) about our culture.  In particular two things came to mind.  First, we live at a time in which nothing has much of a shelf life.  There is always something new out there, even if the product you or I just purchased says it is the latest and greatest.  Second, manufacturers, and the marketing professionals employed by said manufacturers, want us to take part in an endless chase to acquire the new.  Whatever we have now is not good enough.  We cannot be content or complete unless we have spent our hard earned money on buying the cutting edge of whatever techno gadget catches our fancy.

In some ways, the proponents of mass consumption of disposable items have already won.  At least, they have bludgeoned me into submission.  I fully expect that the smart phone I purchased in December (which replaced my last smart phone which was an upgrade from my previous cell phone which I had for about a year...) is no longer the most advanced.  Heck, it is not even 4G.  I knew when I bought my phone that it was only temporary.  Like a high school romance, my phone and I are destined for some wonderful memories and an ugly breakup after a few short months (18 months to be exact, then I get an upgrade!)  But even then, whatever I buy will soon be outdated.  And, even if I wanted to have a long-term relationship with my phone, they are not built for years and years of service.  Nothing is.  It is assumed that when something breaks, rather than repair it, we will simply buy a new one.  I am old enough to remember when televisions weighed a thousand pound and when it broke you had to figure out a way to get it into your car without seriously maiming yourself or your loved ones so that you could take them to the repair store.  Do people even repair televisions today?

OK, so what does this have to do with those of us who work in the world of non-profits?  Our organizations are not consumer electronics.  Granted, but I think that the mindset of disposable mass consumption that has shaped a couple of generations of Americans does impact the way we think about everything.  Including non-profit organizations.  Especially non-profit organizations.

Those of us who have worked with non-profits for a while have witnessed a significant change in values and attitudes.  For lack of a better phrase, there is little institutional loyalty.  I remember working in a church where every week we got checks from people who had not been to worship in several years.  These were elderly folks who could not get out but still felt like they belonged to the congregation, which meant they supported the church financially.  That seldom happens with younger generations.  From Boomers on down there is a lack of investment in institutions.  If your organization is doing what folks feel passionate about then they might support you.  But if your mission changes, or their priorities shift, or they simply get distracted with other things in their life, well don't hold your breath waiting for that check every week.

Part of this change is rooted in our disposable culture.  People don't expect things to last and they do not expect that they will be using them very long.  Sure, we all have televisions, but how many of us honestly expect we will be watching our favorite programs on the same set we have now in ten years?  Or five?  Or even two?  I am convinced that we view organizations the same way.  Those of us who work in non-profits may be trying to create an organization that is built to last but that does not mean the people we are trying to reach, either as clients, donors, or supporters, see us as being a part of their life for very long.  This is a reality that can be mind numbingly frustrating as we try to keep people actively involved with our organization.  I have worked with countless non-profits who struggle to understand why folks drift in and out and seem reluctant to make a commitment beyond the next meeting or event.  They search for new programs or marketing techniques to keep people's attention and support when what they should be doing is rethinking whether their institution, often built on organizational principals from the early 20th century, is really able to work in a disposable mass consumption culture.

Related to this is the understanding that whatever exists today, no matter how fresh and relevant it may be, tomorrow something better will come along.  Fashion changes, technology changes, restaurants change their menus so they can serve the latest craze, everything keeps moving forward.  While a good bit of this change comes from the human desire for expression and creativity, our disposable mass consumption culture requires constant change.  You can't sell the next generation of whatever if there is not a next generation of whatever.  We anticipate that there will be new goods and services available everyday and we are prepared to shift our allegiances, and dollars, to whatever comes next.

Most non-profits have not been very good at understanding this.  We see needs in our communities and we try to create organizations that will meet those needs.  Often the problems we are trying to confront are long standing and require years and years of hard work to solve.  Yet, many of us struggle to bring about the change we envision because we live in a society that does not think in terms of years or even months but in terms of moments.  Our organizations may be doing fantastic work but in the backs of peoples minds is this sense that something new, different, perhaps even better, is going to come along.  Soon.  And when it does they are culturally conditioned to jump.

In my next blog post I will explore how all of this might change the way we think about non-profits in 21st century America and offer up some ideas about how organizations can adapt.  In the meantime I would love to hear what you think so feel free to post a comment.
©2011 Roger Burns-Watson, All Rights Reserved

Sharing Your Passion

"Jesus is not a zombie.  Alright.  I shouldn't have to tell you that."

Special Agent Seeley Booth, Bones

My oldest daughter is addicted to the television show Bones.  Wait, addicted may not be the right word.  Perhaps obsessed is a better description - in need of a twelve-step program obsessed.  Being a good parent I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about before I staged an intervention, so I sat in on an episode from the first season on DVD.  The main character, Dr. Temperance Brennan, is an atheist.  Her partner, FBI Special Agent Booth is a devout Roman Catholic.  When the pair investigate a murder in New Orleans, a crime that appears to involve the use of voodoo, the topic of zombies comes up.  Brennan, somewhat suspicious of Booth's religious faith, remarks that because he rose from the dead Jesus must be a zombie. Booth is upset by her observation and quickly objects, claiming that Jesus is not a zombie and that Brennen should know better. 

What struck me about this scene is the way that Booth reacts.  He is not just upset that his partner would claim that Jesus might be part of the flesh-eating undead, but also that he would even have to correct her.  Everyone knows that Jesus is not a zombie, including Brennan!  Right?  Somethings are just self-evident, beyond the need for explanation, part of common knowledge.  Right?  When we passionately believe in something it can be jarring to discover that other people don't share our convictions.  Or, worse yet, they don't even understand why we care in the first place.

I have been working with non-profits for two decades and I have seen hundreds of organizations run by thousands of people that exist to make the world a better place.  The hungry are fed, the homeless given shelter, the abused protected, the environment cared for, the illiterate taught to read, the list goes on and on.  There is an overabundance of passion and dedication in the people who work in non-profits.  And like Agent Booth, they are often flabbergasted to discover that other people do not understand why they do what they do.  What seems so clear to those who care is lost on those who don't.

For those of us who work with non-profits there is an important lessons to be learned (yes, I know, the idea that television could teach us something is a bit of a stretch, but stay with me here).  Whether we like it or not we are going to have to tell people, over and over, why our organization does what it does.  I am not talking about what is commonly called "branding" where we seek to create a sense of identity for our organization in the minds of the public.  Rather, I mean that we have to convey our passion, our reason for being, why the world would be impoverished if our non-profit did exist.  We cannot assume that everyone or anyone knows why these issues are so important.  It is our task to tell them as many times as it takes until everyone understands.

I will even go one step further and argue that successful non-profits are the ones that not only know they have to convey to the world their passion and compassion, but they embrace the task.  They are not offend, like Agent Booth, that someone would question the obvious.  These organizations and their members understand that each time they encounter a person who does not share their enthusiasm an opportunity is present to make a new convert to the cause.  Each person who gets excited about their mission means they are one step closer to making real, lasting, sustainable change.

Is your organization dedicated to sharing its vision with the world?  Do your people welcome the skeptic?  If so, I salute you and encourage you to keep up the good work.  If not, what might be holding you back?

©2011 Roger Burns-Watson, All Rights Reserved