Has Our Profession (Nonprofit Management) Lost its Way?

I framed this title as a question because I have a lot of questions about the state of our profession, and I’m sure there are people in our profession of nonprofit management who think everything is fine and dandy. The status quo is continuing so why worry? We are going along the same way we always have. The same tired beliefs are passed around and unfortunately repeated to newer professionals. We are practicing acceptance in a bad way because it is leading us to stagnancy.

I know people don’t always see what I see but I hope that I am not the only one noticing.

As I look back over my career in nonprofit management, which began in 1988, and I currently prepare to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Rogue Tulips Consulting this fall, my concern for the nonprofit management profession is growing fast. One of the things that is alarming to me is the continuing fragmentation within our profession, the community it serves, and the growing leadership vacuum.

Yes, I said it: Leadership Vacuum. When I first started in our profession, I felt that there was some cohesion and that we had a common umbrella through our national association, ASAE. While I knew there were state and regional societies, and organizations like Independent Sector, I still felt like I had a professional home that was our leader and represented all of us.  

Over the last 7 years or so, I’ve seen an increasing fragmentation within our community, as groups that years ago would have been part of ASAE as networking communities have struck out on their own. These groups are great at serving their niches, and some have incorporated as 501c3 organizations. I participate with and support some of these groups but I also have to ask myself: how many niche organizations can I spend time on, spend money on, and truly contribute to?

More importantly: why did these groups feel the need to break away from “The Mother Ship” as we used to call ASAE? What did they need, that they didn’t get?

When fragmentation happens, gaps open, and we seek ways to fill them. New groups formed in the last 5 years, and other groups are becoming better known as the gaps in our profession open wider. Other organizations offer credentials that are comparable to, or even better than, the CAE. The CAE at one time was “the” credential for nonprofit management professionals but competition has increased significantly. There’s no advanced CAE credential level or strong data demonstrating the benefits of the CAE on career arcs. Personally, I think the CAE could be a greater asset to the profession if it were better understood and better promoted.

The most important question: Who is the voice for our profession? My answer, sadly, is there isn’t one voice. There are many voices and maybe too many voices – it’s a cacophony that makes any message hard to hear. Who actually speaks for the profession as a whole? Where is the umbrella organization for all the niche groups representing the varied pieces of who we are and what we do?

I have more questions than answers this week. While I champion and love this profession, and I support several niche groups in our community, I see our value diluted by diminishing our focus and our decreasing our ties as A PROFESSION. There are those who disagree with my view. I’m from Missouri – show me I’m wrong.