Bon Voyage to Kumbayah

I wrote this about a year ago and never published it. I know many people who have had the same experience as I have had. I'm happy to report that the for-profit space I now inhabit is significantly more humane than the non-profit gig I left behind. 

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I'm about to leave the non-profit industry after a 15-year career in the sector. When I first joined the non-profit world, I was looking for work that had meaning and made a social impact. I thought that the non-profit world would be kinder and gentler than the for-profit world. I thought that nice people with good intentions would be the people I with whom I would share my days. I believed that I would go home every day knowing that I had done my small bit to lift up humankind. 

In some respects, all of these things came to pass. I enjoyed a long career working alongside people who were passionate advocates for the less fortunate - and I went home every day with my head held high, knowing that I had endeavored to serve humankind. I met amazing people - strong, resilient people, who supported the work and the mission of the organization I gave my brain power to - who have shaped me into the mature adult I have become. I had the incredibly good fortune of working with leaders whose sincerity, authenticity, and ability to mobilize people are nearly unheard of. I've been mentored by the best, kindest people who saw more ability in me than I saw in myself. I discovered latent talents I didn't know I had. I was able to identify needs and devise ways to address them - and further the mission of the organization at the same time. What an experience!

I've also seen the darker side of the industry: people who use non-profit as a means to further personal ambitions without regard for the mission; foundations used as a means to cloak ineptitude and serve to legitimize incompetence; non-profit status to create the appearance of doing good while profiting greatly from the business activity. People whose sole reason for pursuing a non-profit career is to satisfy their desire to look like they are doing good - even if their heart is as black as night and they could care less for the people they are charged with serving. Executives whose interpersonal skills (more precisely, lack thereof) have gotten them booted from the business sector - and who have landed in non-profit through friends and relatives. Nepotism at a level not ever seen before. Political posturing and backstabbing that would make a seasoned business veteran blush. 

No, people, we did not sit around the campfire singing Kumbayah and holding hands. That didn't happen. We wish it would have, but it didn't.

So I am poised to go back to the other side - and help generate profits instead of donations. I've chosen an industry that actually wants to make a positive difference for people. I've chosen a business that is mission-focused, not just profits-focused. And should that business choose to be philanthropic, I know what to look for in a charity partner, and can steer that ship to support real people. 

Good luck, fellow unicorns! Keep the faith!