Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington - How Employee Behavior Affects Us All

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How Employee Behavior Affects Us All

Written by Chuck Bean, on September 30, 2009

Recently, some employees of the community organizing group ACORN were caught on tape allegedly offering advice to people posing as organizers of a prostitution ring and evading the IRS. I am as concerned about ACORN as anyone. I like Darryl Jones’ advice that this incident should “reinforce the importance of nonprofit managers providing leadership, training and guidance to assure that our staff and volunteers are always acting appropriately and in accord with the public service missions of our organizations.”

Darryl writes in his letter to the Baltimore Sun: “When one nonprofit is perceived to have breached the public trust, all nonprofits -- and the clients they serve (often the most vulnerable members of society) -- suffer. Public backlash against nonprofits when they perceive a violation of this trust can lead to rips in the social safety net and dissolution of those services that create vibrant communities.” I agree and think that nonprofits have a responsibility to represent the entire sector accurately and positively, especially as budgets are shrinking and funding sources become less available.

Chuck