Non-profit groups come in all shapes and sizes. It is an interesting study to watch how they grow and how they control ethical issues as they grow. There are a number of non-profit watch groups out there that that keep tabs on this sector and some of the findings are amazing, and scary. There is way too much personal expenditures and write-offs for executives of non-profits, that is one huge problem. But those are not the only issues with non-profits.

Not long ago I met a lady running a very tiny non-profit group involved with Autism and she contacted me to assist in helping with fundraising activities. Turns out she is a one-person show, with her unemployed husband (claims to be a stay-at-home-dad). They are parents of six kids, one has Autism and another was recently caught selling drugs in town.

Immediately, I noted the emotional baggage of the mom and the stress level. It appeared to be obvious that she was doing all the work herself. The last fundraiser she did was a bowl-a-thon that actually lost money, so it was imperative that any fundraiser in the future do quite well. So often in case studies we find that civic leaders, non-profit volunteers and solo-non-profit leaders fail in their personal lives and families while they try to give so much to the common good.

This case study may not sound typical, but it is, and I can attest to have been involved in enough civic activities enough to watch all the personal problems, emotional baggage and family disasters behind the scenes, as I have known many of these folks on a personal level. Indeed, not only do they have problems in their personal lives they often fail to perform under pressure, as they are splitting time between on-going crisis. Perhaps you will consider this for your thought of the day.

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