Do Nonprofits Really Put People Over Profits?

In this episode, Delaney Mullennix interviews Tim Kachuriak of NextAfter about whether nonprofits prioritize people over money.

Nonprofits are often associated with prioritizing the needs of their community or cause over financial gain. However, it is not always easy for nonprofits to maintain this focus, especially when faced with financial challenges. Kachuriak suggests that nonprofits can make a culture change by focusing on the needs of their staff. Furthermore, nonprofits should practice habits such of transparency.

Also, the episode touches on how nonprofit leaders can make decisions that benefit their staff instead of only focusing on the bottom line. Kachuriak suggests that leaders prioritize generosity in their decision-making process, even if it means taking a financial hit in the short term.

Kachuriak ends the interview by sharing his motto, “err on the side of generosity,” and how it can help nonprofits create a culture that values people over profits. Overall, the interview highlights the potential benefits of prioritizing the needs of people in nonprofit organizations.

Tim Kachuriak is the Founder and Chief Innovation and Optimization Officer for NextAfter, a fundraising research lab consultancy, and training institute that works with charities, nonprofits, and NGOs to help them grow their resource capacity. NextAfter is a cutting edge fundraising research lab that is home to the world’s largest online fundraising experiment library.

Tim has spent his professional career digging into the question, “What makes people give?”. He has concluded that giving is an irrational decision that doesn’t make sense. As a frequent speaker at international nonprofit conferences, Tim believes that human connections are at the core of philanthropic donations. People don’t want to donate to organizations, people want to donate to people. 

A nonprofit thought leader, Kachuriak is the author of the book Optimize Your Fundraising. He is also the lead researcher and co-author of the Online Fundraising Scorecard, Why Should I Give to You? (The Nonprofit Value Proposition Index Study), and The Midlevel Donor Crisis. Kachuriak has trained organizations in fundraising optimization worldwide.