Metromode received an abundance of provocative and inspiring ideas via our guest bloggers throughout the year, and it's our pleasure to share with you a selection of the most compelling.
The Nonprofit Utopia
Posted By: Best Blogs of the Year
Posted: 12/22/2011
By, Mike Tyson
As John Lennon said, "You may say I'm a dreamer…but I'm
not the only one." I believe that a 'nonprofit utopia' could exist, and
that the time is ripe for it to begin in Metro Detroit. We are at a
critical juncture. We are working to redefine ourselves, and to emerge
leaner and meaner, and yes even greener (as in eco-friendly). Shared
resources, collaboration, and creative synergy could exist in the
nonprofit community –and beyond – in and between Metro Detroit
communities, including the city of Detroit. Being a visionary is about
imagining the possibilities, closing your eyes and envisioning how
nonprofits in Metro Detroit could work together to achieve even greater
success than they do currently. But what would or could that look
like? And how would it work?
The truth is, some of this is
already happening through shared efforts and collaboration. Shared
accounting and human resources duties exist already between nonprofits
in our area. Shared office space and resources for organizations is in
existence right here at NEW.
There may be other collaborative efforts going on currently that are
not public knowledge – or are at least unknown to most of us.
More
could be done in collaboration in terms of information technology
(IT), allowing nonprofit organizations to share documents, best
practices, and software applications. The technology exists to allow
this to happen. All it would take is recognizing the benefit of the
collaboration, and reaching an agreement. It may be easier said than
done, but it is possible. Shared IT professionals could manage servers,
websites, and networks for multiple organizations.
It would be
necessary to find funders, philanthropists, etc. who are willing to
support "back office" sharing and capacity building, crucial to making
this successful. Getting the people who write the checks to buy into
the vision would be key!
The potential impact on the Metro
Detroit area if an effective nonprofit resource-sharing network were to
be developed is immeasurable. Streamlining the work we as nonprofits do
and eliminating redundancy of missions could make for a more
productive, dynamic and powerful nonprofit sector in Southeastern
Michigan. There are nearly 50,000 nonprofits in the state. Until the
economy improves, the competition for funding is extremely high. This
makes the entire sector vulnerable. Donors' dollars could be used more
efficiently and effectively. The focus on fiduciary responsibility is
vital to the survival of nonprofits, and the ability to use those
dollars more effectively and efficiently would certainly appeal to those
who are giving them. We have a duty to mission and money and that
includes respecting what donors want.
Are there things that NEW
could do to be a catalyst to this vision? Certainly there are. What
things is NEW currently doing toward this end? NEW's strength is in
governance and IT capacity building. These are especially important
components to making improvements in the nonprofit sector. It is
important, now more than ever, to have strong infrastructure. We can
help improve operations so that nonprofits can focus on mission. NEW
also has the tools to help nonprofit boards focus on everything that has
been discussed in this blog over the last three days!
In summary
of the last three days of being a guest blogger here, I would like to
say that I have enjoyed having this opportunity not only to tout the
strengths of the company which I lead, but also to propose a bold vision
of what could be, and to solicit input for getting there.
NEW
uniquely understands the challenges of the nonprofit community. NEW is
in the trenches with our clients. We understand nonprofits because we
are a nonprofit. What makes us stand out is that we've embraced the
philosophy that you can do good, make a difference AND make money doing
it. Other nonprofits have learned this valuable lesson. Has yours?