Great Moments in Nonprofit Chutzpah
by Gordon Haber
Here’s a really wonderful example of nonprofit chutzpah: The Taproot Foundation is advertising — on a job board — for pro bono copywriters.
And what is the Taproot Foundation? “A nonprofit organization that makes business talent available to organizations that are working to improve society.”
In other words, you (hereinafter referred to as “the sucker”) donate your skills to a nonprofit for free. And the nonprofit (hereinafter referred to as “an organization that wants something for nothing”) uses your skills to do some good in the world, if they are actually doing good in the world, because all nonprofits are not created equal.
And what does Taproot get? Well, if you’re an executive, a pretty nice income! Here’s what the top Taprooters earned in 2013 (I’ve removed their names because I have enough enemies):
Et tu, pro bono?
I’m sure that the Taproot folks believe that they provide a valuable service to the nonprofit sector. And maybe they are. But I can’t help but see this in the larger context of the American economy—the shift towards business models predicated on paying people starvation wages, or in this case, no wages at all.
As a paid staff member of a primarily volunteer run nonprofit I believe I am qualified to comment. Volunteers work for non pay because it gives them a chance to share their skills and make someone’s life better. They can’t do that in corporate world. The nonprofit benefits because they can’t afford to pay for those services. Volunteers do not receive ( as you refer to it ) “nothing” and they are not ” suckers”. They give from their heart and skills set. No one is twisting their arm. Taproot makes these relationships happen. In fact, some companies taproot engages with will pay their employees to work for the nonprofit. There is an exchange here that makes the world a better place. I’m sorry you do not feel that is valuable.
Many non-profits make great use of volunteer labor. But why post this on a job board? The economy is such that many people will desperate work for free in hopes of getting a full-time position, and posting a request for volunteers on a job board leads to that impression. It’s, at best, misleading, if not outright false advertising.
I think you’re the best, Karen, and maybe this organization does do some good. But I can’t get behind yet another institution that doesn’t pay people while its leaders earn a decent living.
“The nonprofit benefits because they can’t afford to pay for those services.”
Of course they can. They just think it’s *more* important for some to earn 6-figure salaries. This is part of the problem: institutions with multiple 6-figure-salaried administrators that wonder why they don’t have enough money to pay staff.