tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181921610078796867.post4317594790100087989..comments2023-10-15T07:10:27.220-04:00Comments on Easy Opinions: They Are Profiting From My NeedsAndrew_M_Garlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02855052302054611917noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2181921610078796867.post-22239702159522461452009-06-08T09:23:34.805-04:002009-06-08T09:23:34.805-04:00Phew, that was a long post! But I think your syno...Phew, that was a long post! But I think your synopsis of the world view of an Anti-Profit is spot-on. <br /><br />I once consulted for a nonprofit run by Anti-profits. I learned some things. <br /><br />1) Change the word "profit" to "surplus" or "non-deficit" and *poof* suddenly it is okay. <br /><br />2) Change the word "profitability" to "sustainability" and *poof* everything happy. <br /><br />3) Instead of speaking of "money" speak of "resources" and *poof* everyone is interested. <br /><br />I met with one of the middle managers whose department was chronically losing money. He opened the interview by saying "we're not here to make money." I tried to point out some facts, like that if they lose enough money they won't be there at all, but to no avail. Later I attended on of the organization's salary meetings (yes, they all met together to decide who should be paid how much). Guess who argued most vociferously against everyone else's pay and for an increase for himself. Mr. We're-Not-Here-To-Make-Money! If only he felt the same way about his employer!<br /><br />The term "nonprofit" itself is a bit of a misnomer. The point of nonprofits is not that they shouldn't make a profit, it is that any profits they make are not distributed to owners, since there aren't any. So really, "nonprofit" is a sort of verbal contraction for "non-profit-distributing", which is too much of a mouthful for common speech. Unfortunately, this contraction has imbued the term with a false but popular meaning. Maybe it should be replaced with "non-distributing" or some such.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08539075927385105333noreply@blogger.com