It is my contention that one area where all non-profits can agree is in the promotion of workplace giving as a common good. If sixty percent of all employees working invested just $5 per pay period in the community non-profits of their choice, it would make a huge difference to thousands of non-profits in the United States. If 60 percent (which is an attainable goal) of all Federal employees participated in the CFC, it would double the amount donated annually to $500 million, which would go to thousands of local, national, and international charities. If the procedures were changed to make it possible for Federal retirees and survivor spouses to continue to participate in the CFC upon retirement, the potential is for that $500 million to double again to $1 billion annually.

Let me be clear, I am recommending that the entire non-profit sector promote workplace giving by designation, and through payroll deduction. By this method, as exemplified by the Combined Federal Campaign, more than 92% of the funds go to charities designated specifically by the donors.

I am not in favor of promoting the arrogant method of workplace giving, “Give me your money, I’m smarter than you, and maybe I’ll tell you where I spent it.”

A second organizational common good that I believe the entire non-profit sector should promote, and would benefit by doing is to encourage all staff members to serve on the board of directors of a non-profit that is not in competition with the employing non-profit. And this means that if the other non-profit has a board meeting Tuesday at noon, the staff member is excused to go to the board meeting. This would provide a staff development opportunity and strengthen the sector by having more people who actually understand non-profits, contributing in the board room.

This recommendation about encouraging non-profit professionals to serve on non-profit boards addresses two issues that the sector has identified as major concerns:

1) Professional development of nonprofit staff, and serving on a board helps in this arena.

2) In many cases, board service will also be an exercise in working across generations, as Frances Kunreuther says in the report How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector – “how will it change the structure of your organization, including boards? (p9 in the report).

Many MSOs have some type of recommended guidelines/best practices for their members. If these recommendations were adopted by the MSOs it would help the entire sector.

Regards,
Bill Huddleston
http://www.cfcfundraising.com
http://www.cfctreasures.wordpress.com