Ted Talk

This made the rounds awhile back but the points remain as valid as ever. Dan speaks to why non-profits limp along in terms of raising funds and scaling impact and the backward cultural reinforcement that perpetuates it.

In the video he calls for a re-thinking of how we approach non-profit donations and our aversion to the term "overhead." While I couldn't agree more, I wonder how the non-profit world would react to more consistent capital? Would a radical change take place? I haven't spoken to anyone in the non-profit world who doesn't say their organization/agency/etc isn't a mess...would opening the proverbial flood gates, providing access to capital revolutionize the impact the non-profit sector has? Probably, but I believe it would also magnify many of the challenges sector currently faces. 

Some of the issues that could potentially be magnified are covered in this article from the Center for Investigative Reporting on the Dirty Secrets of the Worst Charities.

Either way, this talk clearly articulates some of the chalenges that exist with the way we approach supporting non-profits with dollars to achieve their mission.