A New Spin on an Old Topic—We want to hear your thoughts!
Many of you reading this are supporters of CURE, and may even work in the non-profit field yourselves. I encourage all of you, when you have about 15 minutes, to watch Dan Pallotta’s take on how we perceive charitable success and stewardship. I found the video fascinating and provocative, as he raises issues and concerns we face on a daily basis at CURE. Our administrative staff works very hard to ensure that 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to support epilepsy research—we know that many donors look for that type of fiscal responsibility before making a contribution. Adhering to this ultra-lean model, though, necessitates that we pass on some opportunities and initiatives, which may require larger financial support. Like most non-profits, we tend to focus on the 90 cents and not on how an investment now may pay off with higher returns in the future.
Please take a few minutes to watch Dan’s video—and then we’d really like to hear what you think! Does Dan have some valid points? Post your comments on CURE’s Facebook page!
And I wanted to share a little eye candy with you! I received this photo from Norah’s mom, Abby, and couldn’t resist posting. Norah is decked out with her CURE iPhone cover and shopping bag—irresistible!
Norah and her CURE gear—just one of the many kids your donation will help.
I completely agree with Dan’s thoughts about playing by the same rules as the For-Profit world but measurable goals must be set against which the success or failure of the non-profit can be defined, just as they are in the corporate world. If the service or product is well defined, engineered and delivered, the investors are happy. If measurable results are quantifiable (i.e., better treatments, reduction in SUDEP, elimination of seizures related to new treatments, etc., ) then donors are happy and continue to “invest.” Also I agree that Non Profit rules make it difficult to recruit the best players. How can we expect to recruit the best players if they aren’t allowed the same resources and rewards, like an advertising budget or a bonus for exceeding specific goals? I do have a problem, however, when funding continues to support a need that no longer exists In the US, the need for breast cancer awareness was successfully achieved long ago. Today, everyone understands the meaning of the pink ribbon. Yet there is no measurable improvement in the elimination of breast cancer. Donors should be treated like investors. They want quantifiable results but it’s up to the non profit to make sure their goals are realistic, specific and measurable against a time-frame. We may still be in the paleolithic ages when it comes to epilepsy awareness but I have seen positive improvement in reaching that goal, though we still have a long way to go. More importantly, I have seen new treatments and new products to assist individuals with epilepsy as a result of the work of the Epilepsy Therapy Project and CURE, in a relatively short time-frame. Playing by the same rules as the For Profit world would most certainly help us achieve our goals much faster. Go for it. – Eileen W.