Can We End Bias Against Nonprofit Consultants?
Bias exists in many forms, and unfortunately, we here in the nonprofit management community perpetuate it like everyone else. While we try to follow each other’s good examples, we tend to copy the bad ones more often because “that is what everyone else does.” One of the biases we continue to perpetuate is anti-consultant policies for membership and event registration. These policies were established decades ago and many associations adopted them like these are a best practice.
From much higher fees to register or join, to outright exclusion from certain events, these policies have frustrated and discouraged consultants for decades. We’re told we can be members or attend, but then our experience is severely curtailed or minimized. We don’t get unique services or experiences, and we don’t often see value in these membership and registration investments. Whatever type of member you are, you want the value that comes from the member experience derived from community, inclusion, and receiving unique benefits for your member segment.
As a long-time nonprofit management executive with many years of consulting experience, I find it frustrating and annoying, in what should be a more enlightened age, that consultants are treated as if we are ATM machines. We are charged more for membership; we are charged WAY more for attending conferences; we are told we are not welcome at certain events.
How is this not a bias, and can you truly say this is the action of a profession that purports to support inclusion?
While you may, as an association executive who has never been a consultant, say “well you get EXPOSURE,” I can tell you from personal experience that your exposure argument is a myth. It also has no value to a nonprofit management professional who has two certifications and needs CAE credit. Telling me I am getting “exposure” and therefore have to pay more for events and memberships is ridiculous. Some people seem to think exposure = clients and paying work. Well, it may raise your name awareness but attending a conference does not always contribute to the bottom line.
Consultants contribute expertise, knowledge, and education session content, usually for no fee. Many conferences and webinars would not happen without consultants contributing to their success, yet we are treated like we are not “real” members. Some of the consultant differentials for attending conferences are outright extortion in my opinion.
For example, there is one regional organization and one national organization I personally have experience with that charge $500 more to consultants to attend the same meetings SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE CONSULTANTS.
There is no additional value for consultants or unique experiences. We just have to pay more because we are consultants. I did not register for the regional event. I demanded my money back from the national group that accepted my registration at the lower rate and then came back and wanted another $500 simply because I was a consultant. It didn’t matter to them that I was a CAE seeking education to maintain my credential, and not attending to get “exposure”.
In the long run, treating consultants disparately is bad business. Why? We don’t have to share our expertise or knowledge with other members, but we will share it if we feel appreciated. We don’t need your association to reach our audiences in this era where we all have websites and more of us have our own podcasts. Online communities allow us to connect with each other on our own with no “middle man” organization.
Many consultants are former association staff members who decided to start a consultancy because they have an entrepreneurial spirit and we feel we have something of value to share with a broader audience. However, we could get a job on staff again next week, and guess what? We’ll remember how we were treated.
I have been on staff at associations and other nonprofits; I have been a consultant; I have been a Chief Staff Executive. Now, I’m a consultant. That could change in a week or a month or a year, but in the end, no matter how my role is labeled, I’m still a dedicated nonprofit management executive with two credentials and a commitment to my profession – not a commitment to an association.
ASAE is starting to make changes but these are a long time coming. While we are pleased to see these efforts, I must ask why did it take so long when so many have asked repeatedly over a period of years? I hope that other associations will see these efforts and consider applying them to their own organization’s consultant members.
Can we end bias against nonprofit consultants? Yes. The question is: will we? Will we change our views and realize that we are stronger together because of the diverse experiences we have? Or, will we continue to cling to the old trope, “but that’s the way we’ve always done it?”
The choice is ours.
