Rebuilding Broken Systems

CHAPTER 3Nonprofits Beyond the Soup Kitchen

“The world we’re living in right now, at least in our own country, is that there’s such disagreement about what the problem is or problems are. That makes it hard to work toward solutions … I think the failure to listen to the people who are experiencing what it is you’re trying to fix is a big historical failure.”

—Ginny Finn, Chief Development Officer, Milwaukee Area Technical College

We’ve all done it. Made a side-by-side comparison of two products and bought the significantly cheaper one because, hey, how much different could the name brand be from the no-name version? What was it for you? Knock-off chicken soup that tasted like salt and chemicals? A stylish blouse that fell apart after one washing? Bargain airline tickets for a flight that was inconvenient, uncomfortable, and a lousy way to start a vacation? I’m not saying that the most expensive option is always better or even justifiable. But more often than not it is still true that you get what you pay for.

What does this have to do with nonprofits? Everything.

Collectively we have come to view many nonprofits as the “off brand” solution to social problems. Cheaper, not very attractively packaged, less efficient perhaps. The perception being that these are efforts run by good-hearted though possibly less capable people doing “good enough” work for the money we donate.

Over time the perception shapes the reality. Nonprofits largely have come to be defined by a scarcity mindset. ...