– Sitting at the intersection of Technology, Communications, and Data. I speak fluent Nonprofit
– Sitting at the intersection of Technology, Communications, and Data. I speak fluent Nonprofit

Process v. Impact

Let’s face it. Most nonprofits out there aren’t really about making an impact.

Oh sure they have lots of great messaging about the amazing work they do, and a statement of change with a logic model and a great mission and vision. And of course they are filled with people who are all fired up to make a great change in the world.

But they aren’t about impact, really.

What they are about is their process.

Process is what they protect. What they are proud of. What they brag about. 

Why should anyone give to your nonprofit? One might ask. Well because we have this incredible way of helping people. We are the only organization that does things in just this way. There might be 10 other organizations (or even 1) in the same space, working on the same problem but they don’t do it ‘our way’.

Very few organiztations will spend the time, effort or resources to find out if their way is effective (let alone, the most effective), and because of the lack of true market forces in the nonprofit sector there is no reason that an organization can’t keep working indefinatly as long as they can convince donors that their ‘way’ is cool enough.

Most nonprofits are not in the business of making an impact, they are in the business of convincing constituents that their ‘way’ is worth funding.