Coping with non-profit desperation
September 25, 2018 8:19 AM Subscribe
I’ve been volunteering with a small non-profit for a couple of years. I believe in the mission and like the people but am fed up with the dysfunction. Should I quit or help fix the problems?
I love this organization but the more involved I am the more I realize that it is highly dysfunctional. There are serious financial issues--we are funded primarily through donations and short-term grants and every year we have to make hard decisions to cut programming. Half the seats on the board are vacant, and our (charismatic and well-loved) leader is in constant conflict with the board. We rely on volunteer labor and have high turnover and burnout.
You’d think this place would close, with things being such a disaster, but it’s been like this for many years. Since I joined two years ago long-time members have been begging me personally to join the board or work another event, and at every event, there's an NPR-style pitch for funding and volunteers. They are desperate for people and the pressure is intense and really off-putting.
I’ve made friends there, I like the community, the leader really is charismatic, I believe in the mission, and I’d miss it if I left--it’s brought a lot of good to my life and I don’t really want to leave. But I also don’t really want to get sucked into the black hole...
Please give me your insight based on your experiences with your local dysfunctional school board or church or theatre or social service agency, etc. Did you leave or stay? And if you left, how did you take care of yourself in that environment?
I love this organization but the more involved I am the more I realize that it is highly dysfunctional. There are serious financial issues--we are funded primarily through donations and short-term grants and every year we have to make hard decisions to cut programming. Half the seats on the board are vacant, and our (charismatic and well-loved) leader is in constant conflict with the board. We rely on volunteer labor and have high turnover and burnout.
You’d think this place would close, with things being such a disaster, but it’s been like this for many years. Since I joined two years ago long-time members have been begging me personally to join the board or work another event, and at every event, there's an NPR-style pitch for funding and volunteers. They are desperate for people and the pressure is intense and really off-putting.
I’ve made friends there, I like the community, the leader really is charismatic, I believe in the mission, and I’d miss it if I left--it’s brought a lot of good to my life and I don’t really want to leave. But I also don’t really want to get sucked into the black hole...
Please give me your insight based on your experiences with your local dysfunctional school board or church or theatre or social service agency, etc. Did you leave or stay? And if you left, how did you take care of yourself in that environment?
Best answer: In my experience with a struggling non-profit, the only way change comes about is to get experienced people who will require accountability on the Board. If you love the org, maybe the best way to help it long-term would be to refocus your volunteer time and efforts on trying to find qualified candidates to serve on the Board.
posted by vignettist at 8:35 AM on September 25, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by vignettist at 8:35 AM on September 25, 2018 [10 favorites]
Best answer: I didn't even need to read below the fold to have an answer for you: You should quit.
I have worked in the nonprofit sector for almost 15 years and am now an in-demand consultant. I work with 100+ nonprofits a year helping them solve their intractable problems, and most of them can't, even with the help of a consultant.
You are not getting paid for this. Quit with no regrets, don't look back.
posted by juniperesque at 8:51 AM on September 25, 2018 [20 favorites]
I have worked in the nonprofit sector for almost 15 years and am now an in-demand consultant. I work with 100+ nonprofits a year helping them solve their intractable problems, and most of them can't, even with the help of a consultant.
You are not getting paid for this. Quit with no regrets, don't look back.
posted by juniperesque at 8:51 AM on September 25, 2018 [20 favorites]
Best answer: it's never going to get any better. just quit.
posted by celestine at 9:03 AM on September 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by celestine at 9:03 AM on September 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
Best answer: There is no doubt, sometimes you just have to walk away for the sake of your sanity.
If that's the case, you shouldn't feel guilty. It's your time to give the way you want.
But sometimes, there is a middle ground.
I was heavily involved in a volunteer organization for a long time before the frustration/burn out set in.
Since I believed in what they were doing, I compromised by only volunteering for the mindless/low responsibility tasks.
No longer would I volunteer to be chair or to run an event, but if they needed warm bodies to unstack chairs or sort donations, I was the go-to guy.
It let me help with the aims of the group on my own terms while contributing to the enterprise as a whole.
So maybe stay away from open-ended time sinks and limit your scope to things that can be accomplished in a discrete, self-contained event.
You may find that with a break, you are once again energized to take on additional responsibilities or you may find that stuffing envelopes is your happy place.
posted by madajb at 9:06 AM on September 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
If that's the case, you shouldn't feel guilty. It's your time to give the way you want.
But sometimes, there is a middle ground.
I was heavily involved in a volunteer organization for a long time before the frustration/burn out set in.
Since I believed in what they were doing, I compromised by only volunteering for the mindless/low responsibility tasks.
No longer would I volunteer to be chair or to run an event, but if they needed warm bodies to unstack chairs or sort donations, I was the go-to guy.
It let me help with the aims of the group on my own terms while contributing to the enterprise as a whole.
So maybe stay away from open-ended time sinks and limit your scope to things that can be accomplished in a discrete, self-contained event.
You may find that with a break, you are once again energized to take on additional responsibilities or you may find that stuffing envelopes is your happy place.
posted by madajb at 9:06 AM on September 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Generally I'd say every workplace has its issues, but your description makes the place sound like a tire fire. It sounds like your choices are step up to the board to try to fix things and be in aforementioned constant conflict with someone you currently have at least some positive feelings about (positive feelings that will go away if you are relating adversarially) or stay where you are and continue to feel like you're on a sinking ship. Neither sounds great. Maybe there are other organizations that you'd feel great about the mission of? It's possible they are also tire fires but sometimes one has more energy in a new situation.
posted by Smearcase at 9:27 AM on September 25, 2018
posted by Smearcase at 9:27 AM on September 25, 2018
Best answer: So many non-profits have the problems you've described - but a lot of them keep a strong outward appearance. Once you get a little too involved - you see "behind the curtain" and learn about the uglier side of the operations.
I highly recommend you volunteer at a new place, and don't look too closely "behind the curtain" - just cheerily show up, and try not to get dragged into the day-to-day too much!
posted by bbqturtle at 11:12 AM on September 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
I highly recommend you volunteer at a new place, and don't look too closely "behind the curtain" - just cheerily show up, and try not to get dragged into the day-to-day too much!
posted by bbqturtle at 11:12 AM on September 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I burned out horribly at a toxic non-profit, and have since quit and have zero regrets. It shaped me enormously and I miss it sometimes, but there's more that I don't miss.
I'd largely echo what everyone else said, if you do choose to stay with the org. The problems are with the Board, and if you can't do anything about that, then understand that this org is probably not going to improve, and may go downhill. Avoid as much drama as you can, and lay very strict boundaries for yourself; a lot of my problems started when I took on leadership roles.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about volunteers and volunteering, (and MANY feelings about toxic non-profits) and I would heartily recommend you not become me. Either walk away, or if you truly don't think you can, try to stay out of the awful parts and limit yourself to what you know you can carry out.
posted by kalimac at 11:34 AM on September 25, 2018
I'd largely echo what everyone else said, if you do choose to stay with the org. The problems are with the Board, and if you can't do anything about that, then understand that this org is probably not going to improve, and may go downhill. Avoid as much drama as you can, and lay very strict boundaries for yourself; a lot of my problems started when I took on leadership roles.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about volunteers and volunteering, (and MANY feelings about toxic non-profits) and I would heartily recommend you not become me. Either walk away, or if you truly don't think you can, try to stay out of the awful parts and limit yourself to what you know you can carry out.
posted by kalimac at 11:34 AM on September 25, 2018
Best answer: Firstly, if you are not getting any enjoyment out of volunteering then you should quit for the time being. You can always go back later but if your doing it just for the cause then you will burn out and hate it in the long run.
Secondly, is the dysfunction affecting the mission, and if so, how badly? Your story of a charismatic leader and funding issues reminded me a little of the British charity Kids Company which arguably was not serving the population it claimed as its mission at the time of its demise. Having seen that unfold in the news, I would stay away from a not-for-profit organisation which was not really delivering on its mission due to dysfunction, particularly if I believed strongly in the mission.
posted by plonkee at 1:03 PM on September 25, 2018
Secondly, is the dysfunction affecting the mission, and if so, how badly? Your story of a charismatic leader and funding issues reminded me a little of the British charity Kids Company which arguably was not serving the population it claimed as its mission at the time of its demise. Having seen that unfold in the news, I would stay away from a not-for-profit organisation which was not really delivering on its mission due to dysfunction, particularly if I believed strongly in the mission.
posted by plonkee at 1:03 PM on September 25, 2018
Response by poster: I hear you all. Not quite consensus but pretty close for MeFi.
The dysfunction is not harming those we serve (though we could do better) and I still like it, so I think I will stick around a while longer. But I am going to set firm limits around my time commitments and turn down anything I haven't already decided to do, stop listening or getting involved in any drama, never join the board, chair a committee or run an event.
And if I get involved somewhere else, I'll make sure to stay out of it from the beginning, now that I know.
posted by epanalepsis at 8:42 AM on September 27, 2018
The dysfunction is not harming those we serve (though we could do better) and I still like it, so I think I will stick around a while longer. But I am going to set firm limits around my time commitments and turn down anything I haven't already decided to do, stop listening or getting involved in any drama, never join the board, chair a committee or run an event.
And if I get involved somewhere else, I'll make sure to stay out of it from the beginning, now that I know.
posted by epanalepsis at 8:42 AM on September 27, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
It can be hard to say no in the moment if you don't already know you have to say no, so having those boundaries really help me be involved without getting emotionally overwhelmed. I really hope you find something similar that can work for you. Good luck!
posted by odd ghost at 8:32 AM on September 25, 2018 [1 favorite]