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Where's the Line?
By: admin
| Information Technology
| December 10, 2007
An article last week on GuideStar's newsletter reminded me of the classic Wendy's commercial with an elderly woman demanding to know, "Where's the Beef?" The article, Branding as a Fundraising Tool by Larry Checco, suggests that transparency, accountability, tracking and measuring results, professionalizing development efforts, having a web presence, and promoting your brand are what successful business people would recognize and find relevant at nonprofits.
He writes: "When asked how they would feel about operating in a more businesslike fashion, as well as incorporating branding strategies into their daily activities, many nonprofit leaders still tell me that "it would make us look too much like the for-profit sector." And my response is always the same - Get over it!" Yet Checco does not advocate "nonprofits compromise their passion for their missions or co-opt their values or program strategies to appease business-oriented donors."
Keeping Steven Miller's comments in mind from the Under a Microscope discussion, are Checco's remarks in line with Miller? Above all, where's the line between charity and business?
He writes: "When asked how they would feel about operating in a more businesslike fashion, as well as incorporating branding strategies into their daily activities, many nonprofit leaders still tell me that "it would make us look too much like the for-profit sector." And my response is always the same - Get over it!" Yet Checco does not advocate "nonprofits compromise their passion for their missions or co-opt their values or program strategies to appease business-oriented donors."
Keeping Steven Miller's comments in mind from the Under a Microscope discussion, are Checco's remarks in line with Miller? Above all, where's the line between charity and business?