Posted 5/22/01
Submitted by Cyndi Upthegrove, President, KC
Enterprises, Washington/USA
Thank you - you are Right ON - I am a generic non-profit consultant,
having put in several years (of my many) as a paid volunteer coordinator,
as well as serving as paid staff in many non-profit positions - including
Executive Director. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a consultant
being paid to manage or to advise on volunteerism - for all the reasons
you stated. Never apologize for earning an honest living. Some people
are becoming entirely TOO politically correct.
Posted 3/21/01
Submitted by Amy, Portland, Oregon
For me the issue here is how much are paid consultants making off
of non-profits? I don't think it's OK to claim to be a community servant,
whether as an employee or as a consultant, if you are living considerably
above those you serve. Everyone deserves a living wage, of course,
and non-profit employees and consultants should make enough to live
enjoyable lives. But I have seen way too many consultants who live
(literally and figuratively) so far away from the paid staff and clients
that it is frustrating.
Response from Susan Ellis:
As with everything else, Amy, there are two sides to this. First,
how do you feel when you learn the salary of, say, the CEO of a hospital
or the head of the United Way? Not all nonprofits pay poorly--at least
not at the top levels. Second, be careful not to assume that what
a consultant charges you can be multiplied into some astronomical
annual income. A $100/hour or $2000/day fee can rarely be earned 5
days a week, 52 weeks a year. That fee must cover all the expenses
of running the consulting firm, plus pay for those "down times"
when the consultant is planning, travelling, or following-up other
work. Certainly some consultants may overcharge, but it is important
not to compare the average hourly wage of a full-time employee to
the per-hour fee of a consultant.
Posted 3/16/01
Submitted by Melissa Eystad, President, World Spirit Consulting, Minnesota
Being a consultant focused on volunteer development and management
is not the easiest career path to tread! I suspect that Susan (and
the somewhat small, dedicated group of consultants in this niche,
including myself) do it because they see the need, have the varied
skills that one needs to be effective in this field, and are willing
to risk the uncertainty that goes with being "unattached" to any one
organization. I totally agree with your comment that when you are
a full-time volunteer management professional, you generally do not
have the time and resources to keep up with all the latest in the
field. Most consultants specialize, meaning you can get expertise
in specific need areas at much greater depth and in a shorter timeframe.
Posted 3/12/01
Submitted by Rob Jackson, Volunteer Development Officer, RNIB, London,
England
I have a slightly different take on the issue. I think our field is
in a strong position to actively market ourselves as consultants to
the for-profit sector. Volunteering is becoming more prevalent as
a skills development tool for HR departments of companies. These same
departments are also struggling to learn more motivational ways of
managing their people in the changing world of work. Those of us in
the volunteerism field have the skills and experience business needs
to evolve into more socially responsible organisations for the 21st
century. However, as long as prejudices abound regarding for-profits
then will this opportunity ever get realised?
Posted 3/12/01
Submitted by Vicki Leighty, Leighty Consulting Services,
Missouri, USA
As a consultant/grant writer for nonprofit organizations, I can relate
to this issue. I often see my business as operating as a "nonprofit"
in the sense that I offer a sliding-scale rate to my clients based
on their operating budget. When I started out I was told by other
"professionals" that my offering a sliding scale looked "unprofessional"
and implied a "lack of confidence in my work." But for me it is a
philosophical choice I made since I know that many grassroots social
change organizations simply do not have the means to pay $75-200 per
hour for a grant writer. I work with a lot of start-up organizations
with little to zero funds. Attending conferences and events, and purchasing
some publications are simply out of range for me, because I do make
a comfortable income, but by no means can afford the exorbitant "for
profit" fees for these services and materials. So, yes I have felt
disappointed by the disparity in rates/fees based on whether one is
a "for profit," and have been tempted to raise my rates, but the rewards
I get from helping so many good causes and organizations make a difference
in the community is such a strong part of my motivation to do this
work.
Posted 3/8/01
Submitted by Jayne, Cravens, Bonn, Germany
Consultants are absolutely necessary to the profession of volunteer
management -- or any other field, for that matter, nonprofit or otherwise.
IMO, consultants often think "outside of the box" -- I know that's
a really cliched term, but it's true, at least for good consultants.
They can look at thing from a very unique perspective, and present
things in a way that I may or may not have thought about before. The
volunteer management field most definitely needs consultants. I don't
care if they are university-based or running their own business, so
long as they are true experts in the field, they are passionate about
the subject, and they know things I don't!
I do have a prejudice against some consultants -- those from the corporate
world that go into consulting to try to "teach" nonprofits how to
manage themselves better. Most of the time, in my experience, they
don't understand nonprofits, they don't understand volunteerism, and
they don't even try to understand these things. And it particularly
irks me when these kinds of "consultants" want to spend an hour or
two with me, unpaid, of course, so I will "give them an overview"
about these two areas. Argh! As long as a consultant is obviously
immersed in the subject they are speaking on, and I'm interested in
that subject, I'm going to listen quite happily and earnestly.
Posted 3/7/01
Submitted by Susan Ellis - an addendum to the hot topic
I just received an "Exhibitor Information and Application Form" for
the CIVICUS World Assembly this August. The fee schedule for an exhibit
table is shown in Canadian and in US dollars as follows:
- Nonprofit members of CIVICUS: US$ 100
- Civil society organizations, non-profits and artisans: US$ 250
- For-profit organizations and corporations, government institutions
and CIVICUS corporate members: US$ 2,000
Note that there is absolutely no additional services or space that this
enormously disparate for-profit fee buys. In this case, even government
is discriminated against.
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Lucia Vaughn, Cause & Events, Massachusetts
I was pleased to see your comments on non-profit vs. for-profit organizations.
I am presently developing a business plan to build a fundraising consultancy.
It seems certain to me that the only difference between non-profit
and for-profit, is symantics. In order for any organization to survive
and thrive, it is necessary to produce streams of income. Because
in non-profit the term is "surplus revenue" does not make the money
any more pure, nor any less functional. I agree wholeheartedly with
the idea that professional management requires fiscal responsibility
to all steakholders including most especially, our customers. I applaud
your willingness to take a stand on this issue and start to possibly
change some closed minds as to the true essence of business, be they
Non-profit or otherwise.
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Reenie Marshall, Volunteerism Development Consultant,
Virginia Office of Volunteerism, Virginia USA
Doesn't it boil down to this question? "What's free?" If a non-profit/NGO
is providing low- or no-cost technical assistance and training, its
donors are subsidizing the partakers. If a state (or some other government)
office of volunteerism is offering the assistance, taxpayers are footing
the bill. When a for-profit consultant provides the service, the persons/organizations
receiving the assistance pay rather than relying on donors and taxpayers
to subsidize professional and organizational development. To take
Susan's argument one step further, isn't it time our field reformed
and took itself off the dole? We're guilty of the same mythical thinking
about the worth of our profession that comes from the belief that
because volunteers freely contribute their hearts, hands, brains and
mouths they arise and support themselves by spontaneous combustion.
If volunteers aren't free and the people who manage volunteer resources
aren't free (whether or not they receive a salary), why would we expect--or
even want!--our professional development to be free?
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Ken Culp, III, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, KY
I want to respond to your Hot Topic on a variety of levels; as a volunteer
administrator, an academician teaching graduate courses in Volunteer
Administration, a VA researcher and finally as a relatively new consultant.
What a great article! Accurate, pointed, concise and articulate! Extremely
well said! I'm going to ask the graduate students enrolled in our
Volunteer Administration Academy at the University of Kentucky to
access and read it. Our profession needs the input and expertise of
a variety of people from all levels of involvement in order to be
in the best position to strengthen, grow and develop volunteer administrators,
volunteer programs and non-profit organizations. We need to recognize
and value divergent thinking, different approaches, evolving philosophies
and emerging leaders. This will provide for the greatest possible
base and will add strength to our profession. Thanks again for your
terrific insight!
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Ada Nanning , Hull Child and Family Services
Profit is not a dirty word, even though many of us operate in a non-profit
world, the concept of profit and non-profit sectors have many shades
of grey. Many non-profit organizations have created profit centres
to keep the "non-profit" portion alive. Without professional volunteer
management consultants, the volunteer world would not be where it
is today.
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Irene Van Dusen, Coordinator of Volunteer Services, Oregon
Coast Aquarium, Oregon, USA
Amen! When I transferred into the nonprofit field from the world of
business for profit more years ago than I want to count, I was amazed
at what was accepted practice "because we're nonprofit." Good business
management was somehow looked upon as suspect and not important to
the service mission. Volunteer managers, as a rule, do not have access
to multiple volunteer organizations and resources-or the time to research
them, if they did. Consultants can glean that information, present
it in a timely manner and help us apply the information to our needs.
The consultants are contributing greatly to making this a "profession."
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Christer Leopold, Senior Officer, Volunteering,
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
Geneva, Switzerland
Volunteering, like everything else, is more and more depending on
knowledge. Any volunteer organisation that wants to have a bigger
impact, improve its services and/or have better organised volunteers,
needs to access and introduce knowledge on how to do this. There are
many ways of doing this. One of the most time and cost effective ways
is to use the right consultant. I noticed that in the workshop programme
of the World Volunteer Conference in Amsterdam there was less emphasis
on organised volunteering and more emphasis on activism and on ideological
and political aspects of volunteering. It was more of a manifestation
and less of a knowledge sharing exercise. In this way, for me, it
was a step back from the previous one in Canada. I think most participants
would have profited if there were more workshops led by Susan Ellis
and other consultants. The existence of for-profit consultants in
the voluntary sector is a sign of development, of maturity. But there
are consultants and consultants. As a customer you must chose wisely.
A conference workshop is a good testing ground. There you can find
out, for instance, if the consultant is firmly rooted in our (non-profit/voluntary)
sector or not. If he or she will be useful for your organisation.
Posted 3/6/01
Submitted by Lesley Dunn, Executive Director, Volunteer Resource Centre,
Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
Revenue generation and sustainability are challenges we all face regardless
of our for-profit or not-for-profit status. I will speak only for
the Volunteer Centre in Halifax when I say that educational programs
and consultation provide a small revenue which enables our other services
to exist. At a meeting 12 months ago with representatives from the
government, business, not-for-profit and charitable organizations,
I was surprised to hear that small business considers charitable organizations
that offer programs and workshops a threat. Our goal in Nova Scotia
is not to be territorial over program delivery, but ensure that the
publics we work with receive the highest quality professional development
opportunities available within our province. If the service can be
delivered by us that's great. If we need to refer them to another
source that's okay too. Who are the experts? We both are! Together
our combined skill build a stronger voluntary sector. The end result
is all that matters.
