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Friday, March 29, 2024

A call to support nonprofits, all year long

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Reflecting on the recently completed holiday season of giving, I’m reminded how it is more important to give than receive — and of the overwhelming number of people in our community who need a helping hand. 

According to Exponent Philanthropy, an organization that supports nonprofits, there are more than 1.5 million organizations in the U.S. nonprofit sector. As the phrase “nonprofit” implies, these organizations seek to serve the needs of others while not intending to make a profit for the owners and the employees of the organization. Nonprofits use their revenues to further the organization’s mission rather than distributing those revenues to shareholders. These charitable organizations are necessary to perform essential functions that for-profit organizations do not, and they provide services to those who otherwise cannot afford them.

Philanthropic organizations aim to give value and administer services to those they serve. They seek change in us as giving human beings. They appeal to individual values, goals and interests. We want to support them not only during the holiday season, but throughout the entire year.  

Charitable organizations have customers, just as traditional businesses do. They are typically called donors, members, sponsors or volunteers. These people sometimes need to be persuaded to work with a nonprofit, just like a business’ customer. They need to understand the benefit of becoming a donor, member, sponsor or volunteer. They need motivation

Each one of us may have a particular passion or cause that is fulfilled by a nonprofit organization, and we may support that particular organization through financial means or by volunteering our time and services. Our support of nonprofit organizations appeals to our individual sense of doing good for others and likely stems from our need to help others in a particular situation based on our own personal experience with a particular cause or circumstance.

Nonprofits need quality and engaging employees and volunteers. They need strong inspirational leadership and passionate advocates to achieve organizational goals. Like for-profit organizations that are accountable to their shareholders, nonprofits must also be accountable to those they serve and those who provide financial and human service support to their organization.

 

Darrell Brown, Ph.D., is a clinical associate professor of management and director of diversity at Indiana University Kelley School of Business Indianapolis.

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