A nonprofit I work with frequently hired someone from the corporate sector to be the nonprofit's communications and event manager. After just one week on the job, he quit. Among his parting statements was this: "You need four people to do this job!" The rest of the staff, including me, all had a good laugh. Welcome to the nonprofit world! The two people in the position previously, who had each lasted three years, had been masters at juggling priorities, closing deals, pulling off events, meeting deadlines and putting out fires, often with a smile - or a smirk. And always with far less resources than they should have had.
So many people from the corporate world don't understand the nonprofit world, and they make assumptions about mission-based organizations - nonprofits, charities, NGOs, schools, etc. - that can doom any goal they might have or any partnership or support they want to provide.
Here are some of the most common misunderstandings many in the for-profit world believe about the mission-based world:
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The book can also help your company work with nonprofits and schools to help them develop virtual volunteering opportunities for your employees - something many organizations need assistance with. Many traditional volunteer centers are still struggling with the concept of virtual volunteering; corporate support could help greatly in getting volunteer centers to embrace virtual volunteering, a practice that's more than 30 years old and is undertaken by many thousands of people and organizations. Your support starts with your company fully understanding the realities of virtual volunteering, and this book can help greatly in that regard.
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