According to the National Center for Chartiable Statistics, there are currently over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States.
Non-profits are both weathering the economic storm and at the same time trying to aid those most vulnerable in our communities with food, shelter, cultural programming, medicine, and job training. I thought I would share some 'slang' from my daily life in the non-profit arts world.
Thin envelope - a rejection letter from a foundation or funding source. "We got another thin envelope today, we might have to cut some programs."
Pimping Poverty- when non-profits sell poverty to a funder. "Did you hear them pimping that poverty to the Ford Foundation, and all of their staff graduated from the Ivy League."
Founders Syndrome - when the founder of a non-profit continues to control the organization long after they should have let go. "That is one bad case of Founders Syndrome."
Read more below the fold. Add your own my fellow non-profit workers..
Make Them Say No Strategy – sending a request to a funder who you know will probably say no. "I know you don’t want to submit that fifteen page proposal to the Rockefeller Foundation, but you should go ahead and make them say no."
Red Army or Zombie RFP – a request for proposals (RFP) from foundations that will fund a very limited number of sources, but which the foundation seems to want thousands of applicants do an ideological writing exercise. "That is a Red Army RFP if I’ve ever seen one."
Time to Make the Donuts – time to write a report, proposal, or visit a donor. "I would like to work on our literacy program, but it’s time to make the donuts."
Blame-storming session – a meeting that is about attacking unpopular, not present, dysfunctional staff or divisions.
Horizontal violence – when staff turn against each other. "This is the boards fault, but instead we’ve got some horizontal violence going on here."
Phantom Non-Profit – a non-profit that receives funding and spends most of their time working on having a high profile, but at the grassroots level doesn’t seem to exist. "Man, I see these them at every conference and convening, but I can’t figure out what they actually do...it is like they are a phantom non-profit."
Non-Profit Industrial Complex – what frustrated workers call the non-profit field. "I wish I had stuck with that job cutting lawns instead of entering the non-profit industrial complex."
No Ceiling – a non-profit gig in which you’ve reached the top of the ladder your first day of employment. "I like the work, but it’s a no ceiling sort of gig."
Please add your own from your non-profit experience...