Why do we have the nonprofit status in the United States? Because 501c organizations serve a unique and valuable service to society by providing representation of professions and industries, charitable activities, education, and other services that improve the lives of people.

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter "Rogue Speak."

This week's message: Is ASAE Becoming Like Cable TV?

Like many people, I have a cable television subscription. Comcast, while the bane of my existence when it comes to customer service, provides me access to hundreds of channels that include local stations, premium channels, and basic cable channels. Out of the hundreds of channels available, I probably watch less than 10% of the options. But I have the options and can explore many areas of the service. My account includes all of these choices if I use them or not.

The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, "Rogue Speak." This week's topic “Nonprofit Management: The Lost Profession”.

As I see all the postings on social media and online communities about my colleagues and fellow nonprofit management professionals heading off to the 2023 ASAE Annual, I am sorry that I won’t be there. My schedule and personal obligations didn’t allow me to fit this in, which is disappointing to me because I will have to wait another year to see many people I only see at this meeting. And a personal favorite event of mine is cheering on all the new CAEs which I will do from a distance.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, "Rogue Speak." This week's topic is: “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.

Last Saturday, I completed the course work for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential -- which focuses solely on 501c3 organizations -- by successfully passing the exam. I became interested in this credential when I saw a colleague’s post on LinkedIn about her accomplishment of earning their Advanced CNP credential.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. This episode: the author reads her weekly Rogue Speak message.

The nonprofit profession is supposed to have a higher calling. It’s why many of us chose this profession for our career, and why others move into this profession later in life when they realize they want to do something good for society and the world.

One of the most entertaining films of the 1950s is a Cecil B. DeMille production: “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Starring Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, Jimmy Stewart, and acts from the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Baily Circus, it is a melodramatic tale of a season in the circus’ life.