Of course your organization should invest most of its resources – human and financial and everything else – in your mission and its impact. But, insufficient investment in infrastructure (everything else) starves your organization.
Everything else…infrastructure… Things like a living wage for your staff and good enough salaries to recruit and retain the best and brightest. Things like decent technology (and email and a website and a photocopier and….) Infrastructure includes professional development for staff and a decent fund development program that includes donor-centered relationship building.
There’s no pride in underfunding infrastructure. There’s no pride in starving the support systems that enable you to do quality program. Shame on all the nonprofits / NGOs — and their boards and staff — who think this is okay. Shame on the government agencies and funding sources and evaluators who think this is okay. Shame shame shame.
