Customer Reviews

Why Nonprofits Fail: Overcoming Founder's Syndrome, Fundphobia and Other Obstacles to Success

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Stephen R. Block provides essential information for anybody thinking about forming a non-profit corporation. Good intentions will quickly get drowned unless a LOT of thought and advance planning guides your non-profit organization from idea inception into founding and daily operations.

Contrasting with the cash-rich image of politics, the non-profit world is under girded by frugality and this is especially true for the start up non-profit organization. It must work to establish itself as both an effective and viable resource in communities which might have already-established non-profit organizations performing identical functions. How does the newcomer organization work better than predecessors? Why is supporting the newcomer organization a better choice for people? Starting and then successfully running a non-profit organization requires a LOT of work. It is emphatically NOT something people should do because they are bored or looking for public adoration.

In addition to organization structure, founder psychology is an essential component to non-profit organization viability. Boosting your organization certainly is essential to building its reputation, but cannot be done at the expense of (less-glamorous) long-term planning and idea sharing. How will the organization implement programs? What programs will be implemented versus what programs are not? Furthermore, a founder considering the organization "theirs" consequently will have a difficult time conceding when those ideas are ineffective or even detrimental to organizational affectivity.

However well-intentioned, some founders do not know when to ask for help or when the organization really needs it. This stalling consequently jeopardizes organization efficacy and longevity. Unable to fulfill original intentions, the organization subsequently folds while conversely the problem it was supposed to address remains. Early critical missteps ultimately give non-profit start-ups a very short future.

Block is a recognized expert in this field, but his real genius comes from wanting theories readily applicable to field practitioners, the start-up non-profits themselves. He actually intends this book to help people avoid all-too-common pitfalls in starting up and then running a non-profit organization.

I read this book after having worked at a start-up community organization ultimately unable to complete proposed projects despite good initial intentions; our organization subsequently lasted under a year. Block's `founders syndrome' chapter described the situations I had experienced with perfect clarity. I was also reassured the organization's ultimate failure was not a value judgment on me personally and our missteps happen to many other honestly-well intentioned people who also do not realize what starting up and successfully running a non-profit requires. The first couple of years are especially critical because they establish a non-profit as an essential community resource or a flash-in-the-pan.

This book needs to be required reading for anybody remotely thinking about forming a non-profit corporation or already working in a non-profit organization. It should also be a standard text in public administration courses about the non-profit experience.

This is a short simple book. It's better than average, but not super special. It is fairly well written and organized. But often I found the author had a problem not being able to simply and concisely say what he was trying to say.

Don't nonprofits fail because their leaders cannot lead? Don't nonprofits fail because their leadership cannot manage? Don't nonprofits fail because their organization lacks a viable business model or concept? And don't nonprofits fail because the leadership does not know how to raise funds? Of course these are the main reasons why nonprofits fail.

But the author cites the following seven reasons why nonprofits fail:

1. Recruitment disorientation

2. Cultural depression in nonprofit organizations

3. Political performance

4. Role confusion

5. Financial misfortune

6. Fundphobia

7. Founder's syndrome

Personally, I think the book would have been much better if it had been outlined and written around the four reasons I cite above instead of the seven reasons the author cites. I think if the four topics I suggest were covered in full, then the title to the book would have been answered in full. Unfortunately, the way the author covered the material I don't believe the subject was covered in full.

Early on in the book the author says the book was written to help leaders at nonprofits change when the organization needs it to do so. I appreciate the material covered in this book. And I think it would be helpful to a nonprofit leader to read this book. However, a better book on the subject is Breakthrough Thinking for Nonprofit Organizations (ISBN: 0787955698). You may want to read my book review of that book that I have posted on Amazon?

The author also states in this book that so many nonprofit organizations don't operate effectively. I agree. And a wonderful book that can help a leader figure out how to effectively run her nonprofit is The Nonprofit Leadership Team (ISBN: 0787959502). You may want to read my book review of that book that I have posted on Amazon?

Although I'm not giving this book a 5-star rating, I do recommend that a nonprofit founder or floundering nonprofit leader get a copy and read it. And I highly recommend that such a person also get the two other books mentioned above. By reading all three books ANY nonprofit leader should be competent to lead and manage her nonprofit to success and prosperity. 4 stars!

If the founders at your organization are making you crazy and will not let anyone else take over leadership, even as they are driving the place in the ground or just holding it still by slamming on Founders' Brakes, then you should read this book and google FOUNDERS SYNDROME. It will help you and your colleagues "get" what is going on....seriously....