Wednesday, September 05, 2007

At nonprofits, asking for money becomes part of the job

The Boston Globe reports:
When Gina Purtell became director of Mass Audubon's Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Dartmouth, it seemed like her dream job. She envisioned spending her days clearing woods, building trails, and counting birds at the property's 1,000 acres of salt marsh, coastal oak woodlands, and grasslands.

But she didn't realize that she was also expected to beg patrons for cash.

At first, soliciting donors "definitely felt uncomfortable, and I was very hesitant and resistant, even resentful," Purtell said. "I was like, 'That's not my job!' "

With competition for donor dollars growing ever stiffer, many nonprofit organizations no longer consider fund-raising and marketing the exclusive realms of development officers. As groups search for more creative ways to raise money, they are often turning to other members of their staffs to help pass the hat. This approach widens the circle of fund-raisers and, several nonprofits say, helps add to their coffers.
The self-interest of the so called "non-profits".