Profit to Non-Profit- Surprises and Insight

Me? Well I am product of the for profit business school world – undergraduate in business and public relations, MBA, experience in publically traded fortune 50 companies, 401K, stock options, variable comp structure – you get the picture Recently I made a switch – I moved to a position at The American Cancer Society, a large non-profit headquartered in Atlanta, GA. So I thought it might be of interest to some of you to share with you my transition experience, whether you are thinking about making the switch yourself or just starting your career, I hope that perhaps my journey might help in some small way. The “Why” is the difference for me not the “What”? Business is Business – the “business” of the American Cancer Society is just a different business… well sorta…… let me try to explain. In a non profit the challenges and projects are the same – they really are – the bones of the business are the bones of the business. Budgeting, marketing, communications, legal, accounting, HR, finance, IT . Strategic planning, forecasting, human capital planning, brand management and positioning. It’s all there – all the time – but the “WHY” is different here at the American Cancer Society. Our business is fighting a disease that affects so many people. The approach we take to solve the challenges that we face is similar to the approach taken to solve other business challenges in the B2B, consumer goods and services sectors. The why we all come to work; the why we are work so hard; that is what I find so different. As you can imagine, it’s more personal; more tangible. Now, please don’t get me wrong, there is passion in all organizations and I have had it and seen it for myself. There is no judgment in my statement about being passionate for market share, EPS, or a new packaging or new flavor of beverage, but for me the passion that surrounds me daily at the American Cancer Society speaks to me on an entirely different level. You don’t cry at work! So, how does this passion reveal itself? It shows up in people working hard. In people supporting cross functional and departmental projects. It’s in the discussions and debates about how to ensure that we use donor dollars for the most good. It is embedded in the lights on early in the morning and sometime late into the night. And, yes, sometimes it even shows up in the tears that are shed! I believed before coming to the American Cancer Society that crying in the office, crying in front of your co-workers or even your (gasp) boss was career suicide. So how do you prepare yourself for the passion – I don’t think you can prepare yourself you just need to be aware that for many people in a nonprofit the passion is so deeply personal that sometimes business and mission get blurred. Monday Morning’s aint so bad. Challenge to do what I have done everyday for almost 20 years for big global companies but to do it through a different lens is why, when the alarm goes off on Monday’s, I don’t hit the snooze button. It, I believe, makes me a stronger professional in my space. I have done what I do in the services sector, consumer products sector B2B sector, R&D – here in the US and globally – so what else was there – I believe that I am not ready to stop learning, stop being challenged to be better, to do it differently – when I do arrive at that point it will be time for me to turn in the blackberry. The non-profit sector has brought me right back to the everyday I learn place…. I find that exciting! Cancer is everywhere - unfortunately People everywhere have a connection with our mission so everywhere you go, when people ask what you do and you say “I work at the American Cancer Society”, you will hear a personal story; whether it be how someone in their family survived, how they personally are impacted or in many cases how they volunteer to make a difference. Someone once asked me if that ever gets to be “too much” because the stories that you hear are sad and “heavy”. I shared that even though sometimes these stories are sad; often times they are inspiring and encouraging and full of “thanks” – something that I never experienced in the consumer goods sector and certainly no one ever thanked me for the optical fiber the my company supplied them. No one ever said to me “thanks this soda changed my life” So, for me personally its fuel to keep me going, keep me engaged in my work, excited about the difference that my organization is making. Now, I know, I know that sounds so “grandeur” and “lofty” but its not – nothing is more grounded – its real – its real people, real lives, real stories and a real difference. Is it right for you? That is an answer that I can not provide but I do hope that reading this has given you a bit of a glimpse into what you might find if you do decide to cross over…… to the non profit side.