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There was a time in our history when "charitable" work was done by volunteers, people of means or by members of religious communities. In recent decades, that has changed dramatically. Today, the non-profit sector is a professional industry that employs more than 10 million people and constitutes an important portion of the US economy.
In addition, the non-profit sector has taken on a greatly increased social responsibility for the support, advocacy and provision of health, education, environmental, cultural and basic human services. Our society has come to count on the non-profit industry to find solutions to our most challenging human issues. Fulfilling that role requires the highest level of skills, professionalism and vision for social good.
As a result, today non-profits must compete in the open market with the corporate and public sectors for quality talent. Attracting and retaining human talents has required non-profits to offer prospective candidates and valued employees competitive salaries, benefits and working environments. That demand also poses a great dilemma for non-profits because they must depend to a large extent on the generosity of the public who often still hold traditional views about those who perform "charitable" work. However, the same public demands high quality, accountable services, which can be costly.
If charitable institutions are going to be asked, expected, and counted on, to perform critical work in communities, they are left with no choice but to find the best people they can at the best market price to do the best job. Doing any less than that would be a disservice to communities and to the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on quality human care services to survive.
It is the governing board's philosophy that a core of top quality professional staff people, working in unison with a corps of volunteers is the most effective and productive way to achieve the organization's mission of building community.
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