Administration is not a dirty word!

 

This will be my last post as a GCC employee, as I’ve accepted an incredible opportunity with Environment Canada, so I’ll try to make it interesting.

 

I want to tell you – I love non-profit organizations (aka charities, aka non-government organizations). I’ve loved working for them, I love seeing them succeed, and I love supporting them. Leaving a nonprofit environment to go to government will be very different, but I am very excited about what awaits me, and I still intend on volunteering and supporting the GCC with monthly donations.

Which leads me to this post – donations.

 

I saw a brochure today about what to ask when you’re donating to a nonprofit. Many of the questions were great, and completely fair. Ask about a tax receipt. Ask about the board of directors. Ask what they do, their successes and the plans for the future.

 

What got me was the question: Ask how much of what you give goes directly to helping the cause, and how much goes to administration.

 

A few years ago, there was a real push in media for people to ask what organizations spend on administration, how much of your money goes to administration, and how much goes to the cause. The underlying message was clear: spending donation money on administration is bad.

 

While organizations must be vigilant to ensure they don’t spend a disproportionate amount on administration, administration is the cost of doing business. Administration fees cover things like a roof over our heads, the phone we talk on, the internet we communicate with you by, not to mention the staff that take care of our contracts, make sure we get paid and ensure that the work we promise to do is getting done. Imagine if that was stripped away?

 

One of the most important positions in any non profit organization is the executive director. Did you know that many funders will not fund this position? What about the person who makes sure this busy ED—who is running the ship, ensuring funding, building partnerships—has his or her travel arrangements, or books those important meetings with politicians that will make a difference to their cause? Difficult to fund. And virtually no one funds a Fundraiser.

 

Most funders are happy to fund program staff, and the costs associated for completing a project. But administration, which is applied to all funding proposals in a small amount, covers all the things that help those program staff succeed. Sometimes your donations are needed to fill those gaps to ensure we can continue doing the good work we do.

 

While it’s always wise to look through annual reports and see that administration money is spent wisely, don’t discount an organization just because your donation may go in part or in whole to its administration. After all, how can we make a difference without a roof over our heads and the internet to spread this message?

 

I look forward to adding to this blog as a GCC Volunteer soon, and helping the GCC spread the word about the great work they do, and why it is so important.

 

Viva la grasslands!

 

Tasha