The language of switching sectors Wendy Bay Lewis @ nonprofitcareermonth.org

One of the enduring songs from Cole Porter’s 1949 musical Kiss Me Kate is Brush Up Your Shakespeare.  Today, we often use that phrase to let people know when they need to update their expertise or keep up with the times.  If you plan to enter the nonprofit sector after a career in business, you may need to brush up on the particular language of the nonprofit sector in order to sound credible in a job interview or new job.  Here are some words you will hear and use comfortably when you understand the context: 1. Beneficiaries.  In the for-profit sector, you were selling a product or service to a consumer or client who was motivated primarily by the quality or price of what you had to offer.  In contrast, nonprofit organizations offer a huge variety of educational, economic, cultural, and other benefits for the common good.  Direct recipients of services, especially those who are economically disadvantaged, are called beneficiaries.  When the purpose of a nonprofit organization is to advance the interests of a group in public discourse or to pursue their rights, such as gay marriage, the people for whom the organization speaks are called constituents. 2.  Programs.  Most nonprofits have a set of initiatives called programs.  For example, Big Brothers Big Sisters provides mentors for children ages 6 through 18. Programs are the essential services that support an organization’s mission or purpose.  The mission of BBBS is “successful mentoring relationships for all children who need and want them, contributing to brighter futures, better schools, and stronger communities for all.”  The mission is the touchstone for programs.  You’ll hear staff discuss programmatic successes, failures, changes and strategies. 3. Issues, advocacy and campaigns.  A sub-group of nonprofit organizations are advocacy groups that are formed around a specific issue, like affordable housing, and then influence public policy to benefit society at large.  Their mission is to be actively engaged in educating the public and elected leaders through forums that run the gamut from letters to the editor to meetings with legislators and community organizing. For example, The Wilderness Society’s web site lists five campaigns (wilderness, global warming, energy, roadless forests, stewardship) that support its mission: “To protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places.”  If the word advocacy sounds daunting, think of it as public education, not lobbying (that’s another article). 4. Development, philanthropy, charity.  You might be used to talking about project development, real estate development, or economic development, but in the nonprofit sector, development usually means fundraising.  The chief fundraiser is the Development Director.  Within development, there are specialized areas of fundraising such as corporate sponsorships, major donor development, special events, and government grants.  The term philanthropy describes monetary gift-giving, but don’t confuse it with development or charity.  Philanthropic giving refers to large contributions from individuals (philanthropists) or grants from private foundations that are intended to create measurable impact and strengthen an organization over the long term.  Please don’t use the word charity unless you are talking about giving away your old clothes. 5. Staff and volunteers.  Welcome to the linguistic mine field for sector-switchers.  If you are coming from a tightly controlled and hierarchical organization, you definitely need to brush up your lingo.  First of all, let go of any predisposition to patronize volunteers.  They are not working in the mailroom, making copies, going on coffee runs, or stuffing envelopes.  Today’s volunteer is a highly professional and dedicated individual in any nonprofit organization that is worth its salt.  Remember that the Board of Directors is composed of volunteers who are running the show.  Major donors are volunteers and they’re providing financial support! So, don’t bite the hand that hires or feeds you. In contrast to volunteers, staff members are the paid employees of an organization, including the CEO or Executive Director (the “E.D.”).  Nonprofits cultivate environments in which everyone, paid and voluntary, has a valuable opinion.  One of the biggest mistakes I have witnessed among sector-switchers is the impatience they demonstrate when neither staff nor Board members respond to command-and-control decision-making.  What appears to be a lack of discipline in the nonprofit environment is actually an organizational structure in which everyone has value.  Isn’t that one of the reasons for switching sectors?

CivicDictionary.com - WendyBayLewis.com © 1997-2010 Wendy Bay Lewis. All Rights Reserved.