by Charles Simmins

Created on: March 08, 2010

Leading a non-profit can be among the most demanding jobs on the planet. It is no surprise that some non-profit leaders fail. It requires a set of skills and abilities that many people may not have. A non-profit leader must be part salesperson, part cheerleader, part coach as well as being a good administrator and a good supervisor.

Fund raising and cultivating funding connections is usually the primary task of a leader in the non-profit community. Asking for money is out of most people's comfort zone. Interacting with benefactors and donors out of the need to encourage their giving is difficult. Some non-profit leaders are very good at these social and professional skills, but some non-profit leaders fail. If a leader has not been gifted with the personality and the confidence necessary, they will not be able to handle this aspect of their job.

The ability to be a good administrator is a mix of learning and personality. All the degrees in the world cannot make up for a leader's inability to perform the tasks of an administrator. Hiring and firing, job coaching and discipline, fiscal control, setting priorities and organizing duties are all admin tasks that many non-profit leaders can fail at. Ensuring the non-profit functions at the peak of  performance means attention to details well beyond who is giving and who may give. In the non-profit world, paperwork counts.

Many non-profits are organized to provide charity or social services. The people who work there tend to have big hearts and a generous nature. Those laudable characteristics must be tempered by a leader, for the good of the organization, its employees and the people it serves. Non-profit leaders fail when they cannot exercise fiscal restraint and the group runs out of money. The leader fails when employees take their employment for granted, not performing at their best, stealing or just not following direction. The leader fails, and this is a common non-profit situation, when they keep employees and volunteers on board despite the obvious need to reduce payrolls and cut staffing.

Leading in a non-profit means focusing on the organizational goals, working with all the stakeholders and keeping the paperwork current and moving. It requires a mix of personal skills and education that has to reach every aspect of that position. Non-profit leaders fail when they cannot move the group forward towards its goals because they lack skills or abilities, or they cannot use the skills and abilities they have effectively.

Learn more about this author, Charles Simmins.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.