What is a Nonprofit?

When I first called home and told my mother I found a new job at a nonprofit organization, she asked, “if they’re nonprofit, how are they going to pay you?” To me, this seemed like a silly question; of course my job will pay me. Then I realized that I’ve been doing volunteer and nonprofit work for several years, and my mother hasn’t, so how would she know? She wasn’t one of those stay-at-home-moms of the 80s and early 90s who took care of the kids and volunteered at the board of her favorite animal shelter, and also found time to coach the kids’ softball league (probably because none of us were in softball. No, that’s not right. Probably because she had five kids, and that’s kind of a lot to take care of in addition to having any sort of private life of her own). So my mother didn’t know how nonprofits work.

If my mother doesn’t know about nonprofits, it stands to reason that other people don’t either. So let’s get started.

How do you define a nonprofit? InvestorWords.com says a nonprofit is “An incorporated organization which exists for educational or charitable reasons, and from which its shareholders or trustees do not benefit financially” (emphasis mine). The bolded part is key here. That’s why they’re nonprofits. Makes sense, right?

Of course, there’s a lot more to a nonprofit organization than the fact that it doesn’t pay to be a trustee on the board of your local Red Cross. For example, there are nonprofits for just about everything. Breastfeeding? Got you covered. Preserving the St. Paul library? Sure. Interested in Connecticut’s history? Okay, we’ve got that too. If you’ve ever thought there should be a league or a society for one or your interests or something that affects your life, there probably is one already, and you’ve just never heard of it.

Great. So what happens when you decide to look into the Connecticut Historical Society? Okay, they have some pretty neat pictures of historical women’s underwear, and maybe they helped your kid’s research paper on the 1920s. Do you look at their webpage and move on? Here’s where I throw my two cents in: please don’t.

I’m serious. Take a closer look at the organization. If it’s something you’re really interested in, check out their financial information to see how well they’re run (there are even organizations out there devoted to helping you look up other nonprofits!).  If you like what you see, call them up and talk to someone at the organization.

A few myths:

1. Nonprofits are money-grubbers.  This is called a myth for a reason.  While nonprofits like your money, they’re not trying to swindle you out of anything — they honestly need your money to continue with their programs.  Yes, it’s uncomfortable to be asked for money; we don’t like talking about our financial situations, but think of all the trouble they’re going through to ask you for money by sending out a mailing or putting on an event.  They wouldn’t ask if they didn’t need money to continue what they’re doing.  And if they’re asking you, you must’ve given them some reason to think you’re going to give them some money — did you sign up for their mailing list?  Did you buy something from them?  Did you attend one of their events?  Nonprofits need your money to continue their programs, and also to set up endowments, which allow them to earn interest on money so they don’t have to ask for so much in the future.  Yes, they always need money.  Yes, it’s uncomfortable to be asked.  If you can’t give or don’t want to give, try volunteering.  If the nonprofit is seriously mistaken in asking you, tell them you want to be off their mailing list.  Easy as pie.
2. Nonprofits don’t need you.  Ha!  What a bunch of crock.  Nonprofits always need you; they need your money, your time as a volunteer, or even just your word of mouth to tell other people how great they are.  I have never known a nonprofit to turn someone away who wanted to volunteer or donate.  They’ll take anything you can give them (that being said, try to keep your word.  If you say you’ll be there at 9:00, don’t show up at 10:00.  Likewise, if you say you’re going to bring your digital camera, don’t leave it at home.  They’re too nice to tell you how they were depending on you and that it really put them into a tight spot when you didn’t keep your word.)
3. Nonprofit people are phony.  Well… this myth could cause some problems.  It’s not true per se.  When nonprofit people come off as phony, chances are its because they’re so used to having to kiss bum to get anywhere that they do it automatically.  In my personal experience, the people with the most money need the most hand-holding.  They’re the ones nonprofits go after because once they start giving, they’ll give over and over again, as long as someone is telling them how awesome they are.  So cut the nonprofits a little slack, okay?  They’re just doing their jobs.

And finally, in defense of nonprofits: it’s a trying job.  The people in nonprofits can’t afford to get mad or burn bridges, so they won’t tell you when you’ve done something that’s crappy.  They have to suck up to people who are unpleasant.  They have to file an incredible amount of taxes every year, which is great because then we know where the money goes, but not great because they have to spend so much money getting all their ducks in a row, and take time out of their programs to do it.  Nonprofit people are underpaid, but chances are if they work there, they believe in their cause.

More about nonprofits:

• How to Befriend a Nonprofit
• Being a Nonprofit’s Friend, Part 2
• Being a Nonprofit’s Friend, Part 3

Food that Doesn’t Look Good

So… I made some food tonight for supper (fancy that!), but it doesn’t look good.  I mean, it seriously doesn’t look good.   Judge for yourself:

Cow patty? Or my dinner?

Squash Patties of Doom

This recipe is super simple.  I just guesstimated with the amounts of all the ingredients:

1 patty pan squash, bread crumbs, cornmeal, 1 egg, salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, canola oil

Peel and grate the squash.  Press out the excess water with a paper towel.  Add the spices to taste, then beat in the egg.  Add bread crumbs and cornmeal until the mixture has the consistency of ground meat.  Form into patties and fry in veggie oil.  Ta da!  Instant dinner.

I used a patty pan squash because Seth’s boss’s garden is producing too much food for her to eat, so she shares with us.  Other types of squash would work just as well, especially the yellow crookneck squashes that are so prevalent at the end of the summer.

I wouldn’t recommend eating Cow Squash Patties of Doom with tater tots the way I did because the tater tots + ketchup outweigh the mild taste of the squash — unless that’s what you’re going for.  You never know, you could be sick of squash by the end of the summer and don’t want to taste it anymore.  Then by all means, eat the patties with ketchup and tater tots.

Food that Doesn’t Taste as Good as it Looks

[Note: Something's up with the formatting of this post, and WordPress won't let me fix it. Sorry about the super long paragraph!]

Sometimes I make meals that are really great. Or not really great, but mostly great. Sometimes I make food that just doesn’t taste as awesome as I hope. It barely passes the three bite test — you know, the one where you realize the food you’re eating doesn’t taste as good after the first three bites because you’re not so hungry that your stomach is digesting itself, and so the food loses its super appeal.

Chicken Burger

That’s what happened here. I made this really appetizing burger out of organic ground chicken, good cheddar, and spinach. The sides were nice and browned, and it smelled great, and I couldn’t wait to eat it. And then I ate it. It wasn’t the best. Something was off, but I’m not so experienced at cooking that I can tell what’s missing, just that something was. Maybe it was the lack of onions. I put onions in everything, but not this for some reason; probably because it was 8:00 p.m. and I just got home from work and wanted something fast — plus my body was telling me I wanted either a burger or falafel. We don’t have any chickpeas, so burger it was. I’ll try some onions next time.

Almost Yummy Pizza

Then there was this pizza. I like homemade pizza, in theory. For some reason, I can never make a good homemade pizza. This one was whole wheat crust topped with red sauce, collard greens and cheese. That sounds decent, right? It looks decent, except for the fact that I burnt it so much that it was as crispy as a cracker. This made it not the best pizza I’ve ever had. There’s still some sitting in my fridge from last week because it looks like it could be so good; I don’t have the heart to throw it away. But what if it wasn’t good, even without the super hard crust? That’s what I need to learn:

How do you make food that explodes with flavor? I need that skill. Well, I really really want that skill. It’s such a shame that I love to cook so much, but sometimes the food is sub par and I don’t know why or how to fix it. Since we’ve gone mostly vegetarian (or flexatarian, as I’ve heard it called), I’ve been looking at tons of new recipes and trying different spices that I’ve never tried before, and yet I still feel like I’m treading water in the cooking arena. What else can a girl do?

A Suspicious Absence

You may have noticed how light yesterday’s post was, and how short today’s is. It’s because Seth and I received a new addition to our household, and we couldn’t be happier. This recent addition to our family takes up a lot of my time, as all new family members are wont to do; all I want is to be close by. Check out our latest family member:

My New Baby

Ah yes, the truth is out; I play the piano. I have played the piano for more than 15 years, and when you’re only 23, that’s kind of a long time. The very first date in my very first piano book is September 17, 1992. I took lessons until 1997, then fiddled around learning new songs by myself for another seven years or so until halfway through college, when I joined the feminist group on campus. And here I am, pianoful once more (courtesty of my Poppa-oo-mow-mow). Now if you’ll excuse me…..

The Old North Bridge

Old North Bridge

Seth and I had a history-filled day today.  We visited the Old North Bridge where “the shot heard ’round the world” was fired, marking the start of the American Revolution.  Right about where I stood when I took this picture was where the minutemen of Concord stood, watching the Redcoats approach.

It was a beautiful day to be hanging around and learning stuff about history.  I can’t wait to do it again some time.