non-profit peeps

I’ve spent a good deal of my professional career working with non-profits and recently have become quite perplexed, if not a little frustrated, by the sheer amount of “crazies” in this field. Now, I realize that “crazies” is quite judgmental and since I like to think of myself as better than them I should probably use a more appropriate term such as “people who are in this field for the wrong reason”. But that’s way too long to summarize what a simple word such as “crazies” could do all by itself.

Okay, that was a bit of a joke because I don’t really think they’re crazy (at least not all of them). They’re just not in the right field for them, which if we all self-reflect most of us aren’t (I’m realizing this more and more every day.). However, it appears that in the social service world (whether it involved non-profits, schools, health care, etc.) there are two types of people: those who are in it out of mostly altruistic intentions and those who are definitely not.

Those with mostly altruistic intentions of course aren’t perfect people (and we could get into an entire philosophical discussion as to whether altruism can even exist but that won’t benefit this post so we won’t go there) but they are well adjusted folks who enjoy working with and helping others. They are mostly optimistic and idealistic with a fervent belief that they can have an impact on the world and make it a better place for all to live in. These are not the folks I find most interesting (well, except for myself).

The other type that are here for reasons other than the kindness of their hearts fascinate me to no end. This type can be additionally broken down into two smaller catergories. There’s the person who is challenged in the mental health department and thinks that by helping others they will either discover the cure to their own problems or it will make them feel good enough about life that they’ll simply disappear. I have yet to see this happen. You can spot this group easily based upon the insanely long hours they work, how little sleep they get, and a mostly neverending bad attitude that no one wants to be around. They appear to be on a path toward martyrdom despite the fact that in reality they’re accomplishing very little around them (As a sidenote, I don't believe martyrdom to be a worthy goal.). Still, since we live in the society we do, most people think they’re accomplishing a great deal simply based upon the amount of time they spend working. However, there are loads of studies (google it cuz I'm too lazy to list citations) showing the amount of time the typical worker wastes on any given workday. These people sadden me because most of them have kind hearts and could do a lot of good if they would just make themselves a priority first.

The second group consists of those who are in it for mostly selfish reasons. Being that there is rarely much money to be made in most social service jobs they are instead looking to gain other forms of recognition in the community, some kind of pat on the back for helping those less fortunate than themselves. You can spot this group by the typically privileged background most come from (which in and of itself is not a problem; many wealthy, influential people are creating a lot of good in the world out of the kindness of their hearts) and are thus, seeking a way to increase their social capital. These people are often pompous (whether outright or hidden) and tend to marginalize those they’re working to benefit. You’ll often hear them speaking such words as, “Oh those poor black people,” or bragging to their friends how they’re helping kids get out of the ghetto. They have difficulty listening to others’ ideas and opinions and when there’s a community meeting rather than interacting with those they’re “trying to help” they politic with each other.

Starting to think I need to get out of this field.