The Unneeded Preoccupation with Overhead
If we are going to be obsessed with waste and excess, let’s look at the charity’s whole picture, not just one half. The emphasis should be on impact, not on this silly preoccupation with overhead.
If we are going to be obsessed with waste and excess, let’s look at the charity’s whole picture, not just one half. The emphasis should be on impact, not on this silly preoccupation with overhead.
Major donors want to make an impact with something they have a passion for. This is why you need to package your entire budget into the different projects and programs you have going on, as you work to change the world.
Major gift officers are routinely failing to deliver on the basic promise of major gifts, which is simply this: “If you give, this is what will happen.”
This year, more and more non-profits will get back to the business of really fulfilling their mission and focusing on making more good happen on the planet, rather than obsessing about the overhead.
One of the key areas of concern by major donors is summed up in the question “am I making a difference?” And the next question that usually follows is “how much of my money is going directly to program”?
Overhead should not be a stand-alone category that MGOs raise money for. It should be allocated to program. Every program category, no matter how large or small, should carry its share of overhead.