The Nonprofit Dilemma explores why nonprofit management is so challenging. It is based on the simple idea that nonprofit leaders frequently encounter a choice between advancing their organization's impact or its financial health. Nearly every decision comes with the same underlying question—which aim to prioritize?
Although written for an American audience, The Nonprofit Dilemma is highly relevant to Canadian charities. Leaders of U.S. nonprofits grapple with many of the same challenges Canadian charities face: small, underfunded organizations; boards that struggle to be effective; staff on the brink of burnout; and the constant pressure to demonstrate impact and foster stronger partnerships.
The book tackles a broad array of topics to help nonprofit leaders:
Written by DC Armijo (a retired nonprofit executive), The Nonprofit Dilemma delivers a fresh perspective on these issues and a wealth of practical advice and actionable tools.
The book is organized in a unique way. Each chapter contains three sections: foundational guidance for future leaders, insights and strategies for executives and managers, and a section tailored to the needs of board members.
Here’s an excerpt on the importance of marketing with purpose.
“…the nonprofit leader’s responsibility to continually share their vision of strategic success. This requires the development of a cohesive and meaningful organizational identity to align and motivate your teams and partners.
Nonprofit marketing is about building partnerships with others who share your goals and growing organizational support among funders and other stakeholders. For many nonprofits, it is also about marketing to drive social change. Examples include: awareness campaigns, attempts to pressure policymakers, change business behaviors, influence health behaviors, or other constituency-focused engagement strategies. Marketing is only useful to nonprofits with clarity of purpose and firm strategic intentions. In organizations lacking those attributes, marketing typically results in wasted effort and a muddled brand. Said another way, you need to know who you are, why you exist, and what you are trying to accomplish before embarking on marketing efforts to get others to support you.
Effective nonprofit leaders continually describe why the problem they are trying to solve is important and how the organization is making progress in pursuit of that mission. Being effective isn’t just about doing good work; it’s about helping others to develop an appreciation for the problem you are working to solve and for the impact your employees and volunteers are making. The better you can communicate those things, the more support you’ll receive from funders and donors, and the stronger your brand will become among partners, stakeholders, and clients.
Another piece of advice I’ll offer about communicating impact is particularly relevant to small nonprofits. When I compare the marketing collateral of a large organization with a small one, some common themes emerge. Most large organizations (nonprofit or otherwise) have figured out their story and have “productized” their offerings. They’ve clearly defined what they can deliver at different price points. Their marketing material is polished, and their solutions are more standardized and sold as if they were individual products. This leads to increased confidence for the buyer (or grantor).
On the other hand, the marketing collateral of small organizations tends to drip with desperation (if they even have collateral). It may contain exaggerations of capabilities or previous engagements. Flexibility, or the customized nature of what the organization offers, tends to be overemphasized. The materials usually feel more aspirational rather than based in fact. There’s nothing wrong with positioning your small nonprofit as a partner, willing to do what it takes, etc. However, the more you can refine your story and define what you can commit to delivering, the more confidence you will engender. You don’t really need a marketing department; you can do it yourself if you carefully (and honestly) consider how outsiders see your organization and its marketing materials.
As you improve upon the story of your organization and demonstrate your impact, your integrity as a leader and the perceived integrity of your nonprofit increases. A compelling and honest narrative fosters a culture of integrity, motivates employees and volunteers, and demonstrates your effectiveness and authenticity to external audiences. It creates a sense that you have a dream for a better world, are vigorously pursuing that dream, and are making admirable progress. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that?”
In both the U.S. and Canada, exceptional nonprofit leaders and their teams are purpose-driven. They are motivated by personal meaning in their work and deeply committed to their organization’s mission and its financial health. Armijo wrote The Nonprofit Dilemma to help these leaders thrive by helping them strike the right balance between money and mission to become more effective catalysts for change.
After graduating from Oakland University and the University of Michigan, DC Armijo spent the past 25 years working in the nonprofit sector. His dedication to purpose-driven work is founded in a childhood marked by poverty and a father’s illness. Those early challenges gave him the lifelong gifts of resilience, empathy, and purpose. The Nonprofit Dilemma was written with one goal in mind: to help you become a better leader so that you and the nonprofit you care about can thrive.
