Lesson Two Reflection

In this week’s reading and lesson, we learned about the many forces that shape nonprofit organizations, including the media, funders, celebrities, the general public, government agencies, etc. While these forces can provides vital resources for nonprofits, they also can shape an organization’s priorities and mission statement, for better or worse.

Some pros of the fact that there are so many forces shaping nonprofits include:
– The general public, individual/corporate/institutional funders, and the government keep organizations accountable and transparent. Without them, organizations could make more unethical choices

– Other nonprofit organizations, foundation, and the government help keep nonprofits competitive and innovative – the race for funding causes nonprofit organizations to be the “best and brightest”

– the media and celebrities help to highlight the important work that nonprofit organizations do – this can be both good and bad. It is good because great press helps nonprofits secure volunteers, clients, and funding.

Some negatives include:
– 
Nonprofits can be pulled in a lot of different directions by different forces – nonprofits often have to please “everyone” which can be challenging. Many different groups are constantly telling nonprofit organizations how to allocate its resources, when ultimately the nonprofit should do what is in the best interest of their clients/constituents

-The media and celebrities shape nonprofit priorities. It is bad because often nonprofits will take on projects that are most “marketable” – giving teddy bears to children in hospitals will of course grab the attention news outlets or social media, but will HIV confidentiality work do the same?

– Outside forces often don’t understand what is going on internally at the nonprofit. While funders often want nonprofits to pay their staff “reasonable” salaries (which can sometimes be very low), they often don’t understand how talented, hard-working, etc. that someone is, they just see a row in an excel sheet that has their name and salary amount.

– It’s no secret that there is often a tension between nonprofit management staff and the on-the-ground staff – there is also often a tension between the board of directors and the staff. Nonprofits must manage these tensions and come up with solutions that appeal to everyone.

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