[mc32]

I understand the need for professionals, but what grates me is seeing the leaders of these organizations renting expensive venues to conduct some of their activities, sometimes display expensive art and so on. As if they need to impress their donors. No, donors already believe in the cause, they don't have to be plied, taken to expensive restaurants, served luxurious food, etc. in order to get their commitments. They should believe in the mission, run frugally and most of all divert the majority of the money to the cause.

I often hear, well, if you don't pay them top salary you are not going to attract people from private enterprise. I don't think you want people whose main motivation to contribute is money.

[pyrelight]

Yeah, it's too late to shift it, but from everything I've seen when researching on Charity Navigator, leadership at non profits is viewed similarly as C-suite with regard to salary. I suspect it's probably because to be effective, it's much easier to just network at the level that C-suite professionals would, rather than the grassroots approach that requires raw labor, outreach, etc.

It's probably easier to get that guy you know who is high-up at Kroger to get involved in your charity in a mutually-beneficial way.

Or maybe I'm just really really over the edge jaded and cynical. It's probably that.