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Myths About Nonprofits

April 26, 2006

Every time I talk to people outside of the nonprofit world, they repeat myths about nonprofits that just make me cringe...

Myth Number 1: Nonprofits can't make decisions
You, our customers, make your decisions to buy GiftWorks within 33 days on average. You make decisions every day. You like to make informed decisions; once you have the facts in front of you, you make decisions quickly and with input from advisors and your board. Myth busted!

Myth Number 2: Nonprofits don't spend money
Now that's a funny one: You spend over $57 bilion a year on technology, and represent about 8% of the GDP. That's quite a little more than petty cash, eh?

Myth Number 3: Nonprofit employees aren't high quality
This on makes me really mad--the 'second-class citizen' attitude. We need to start budgeting better salaries, better health benefits, and better conditions for nonprofits and our employees (I'm speaking for my own nonprofit, not Mission Research, which is mostly for-profit, it's huge Tech Soup donation aside, when I say "our"). Nonprofits sport some of the most dedicated, most committed, most talented, most intelligent people I know.

Do you have any myths to share? Click on Comments below!

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2 comments have been made so far. Wouldn't you like to join the conversation?

Hi Charlie,

Some good myths! May I ask where the figure that nonprofits spend over $57 billion a year on technology comes from? I certainly believe it, but hadn't been able to find any hard numbers, and this seems like a useful one.

Thanks!

Laura

Laura Quinn
said on Apr 30 at 11:24AM

The $57 billion number is total spending, which includes universities and hospitals, so it's very skewed. We estimate there's about $1.6 billion spent by about 800,000 nonprofits in the small- to mid-sized range on a combination of services and software (hardware not included, nor batteries).

I think we got the number from a McKinsey report. Exponent Partners puts the number at $43 billion.

Charlie Crystle
said on Apr 30 at 1:27PM

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About GiftWorks

GiftWorks is fundraising software and so much more. It’s also a community of nonprofit experts and peers who help you make the most of your fundraising efforts.

GiftWorks helps you manage and cultivate donors/prospective donors, run effective fundraising campaigns, build targeted lists, send custom mailings and create robust reports. You can add GiftWorks Volunteers, Events and/or Online Donations for even more functionality.

GiftWorks is quick to set up and easy to use, so you can generate polished reports for your board in a snap. Best of all, GiftWorks is priced right so your big investments are in your mission, not your infrastructure.

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About The GiftWorks Team

The GiftWorks team is made up of hard working and caring individuals who have a heart for nonprofit organizations and a passion for making great software. For the past 7 years, our focus has been giving nonprofits the software and tools needed to accomplish their mission. Every day, the salespeople, software developers, customer support representatives, and every other member of the team work hard to get GiftWorks into the hands of nonprofits and help them to use GiftWorks to advance their cause, raise money, and accomplish their goals.

Many members of the GiftWorks team donate their time, effort, and other resources to nonprofits in Lancaster, PA and the surrounding area. We trust that our efforts, in cooperation with nonprofits around the world, can impact our generation and generations to come.

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