Giving It Away — The Thrill of Pro Bono Support For Nonprofits
By Margo D. Amgott
Those of you who work in philanthropy likely think “giving it away” means using your means to support charities and causes that matter to you.
And then there are those of you who might believe I refer to the old proverb, ‘why buy a cow when you can get the milk for free’? (Perhaps I am dating myself, but my mother used to say that to me, did yours?)
But I digress… I am actually referring to an important part of my work that gives me great joy. I give away services to select nonprofits with no expectations of any return. Or at least not financial recompense. Let me tell you my story to explain why this is so important to me – and perhaps you’ll start to do it, too!
The Work I Love Involves a Parachute
About 10 years ago – after a several decades career of increasing responsibility (and increasing anxiety and stress) I quit my job without a new one at hand. I realized that life was short and that the work I loved best involved a parachute. Let me explain.
In the jobs I enjoyed most, I was asked to jump in – hence the parachute – to a different division of the organization. At a major research university, I temporarily served in three different Vice President positions. At an academic medical center, I was Acting VP for Public Affairs. In each position, I was asked to straighten out systems and ready the division for more permanent leadership, all while continuing to do my “day job”.
Meanwhile, in my “day job” I kept getting promoted and recognized by my peers and superiors as a successful executive, but the work never felt special. Nor did my contributions live up to my own expectations, no matter how much time I put into my work.
I began to realize that what I loved most was using this parachute to quickly jump into an organization, often after the fast departure of the “permanent” person. I felt a special calling and also realized that what I was doing – love ‘em and leave ‘em – was a special gift. I also started to wonder if I could do this work without keeping that day job. In other words, could I be the permanent temp? To cut to the chase, I could and I do.
The Permanent Temp
Every six months to a year I find myself arriving at a new nonprofit organization, ready to serve as its interim leader. I love the work. I have the sense after each assignment that what I have delivered is different, unusual, and the perfect “just in time” solution to many of the issues that make it difficult for small to mid-sized not for profit organizations. I only serve organizations whose mission matters to me; this allows me a good deal of freedom to listen carefully and customize my working style, my priorities and my efforts to provide what is needed most. I have said “no” to some and “yes” to others.
What a joy to never feel that the work is stale!
Of course, it’s hard to get up to speed, learn the acronyms, the personality and culture of each organization and what matters most to its staff and board. It’s also hard to love them and leave them. As one board member said, “we are in love, but we are not getting married.” When an organization has tried to persuade me to stay, I’m flattered, but I realize that the best-suited candidate for the long haul is out there.
What Does Giving It Away Really Mean?
So where does the ‘giving it away for free’ expression come in?
The model of interim leadership can be an expensive one for small organizations. They have to pay me, and quite often also simultaneously pay a search firm and possibly severance or accrued benefits to the outgoing CEO. That’s a lot. And often they aren’t sure the expense of an interim is worth it. And so I maintain a small roster of pro bono clients, organizations whom I advise without charge, periodically or on a short-term basis.
How do I get these pro bono clients?
Often a group of board members – or sometimes the chair alone – will approach me and ask if I can lead some discussions to frame questions such as:
Do we need an interim and if so why?
How would we find one if we want one?
Does a long period of transition signal weakness to potential candidates and to funders?
Should we/must we use a high-priced executive search firm?
How do we select a firm and can you help us identify the right firm for our needs?
We have found a new ED on our own, can you help us check his/her references?
What do we do if we have a possible ED candidate existing within our organization?
How do we structure the relationship with our new CEO, we had trouble with the former one?
Are we offering competitive compensation and benefits?
Usually, my pro bono client is the board chair or sometimes the executive committee. Mostly they feel stuck and need someone to listen and advise, usually quite short term.
In several cases, they have approached me asking if I am available to serve as their interim ED, and when I can’t (if I am already booked or if I don’t feel that I have the particular skills they need) it can morph into a different relationship. Sometimes the consultation is one long session with some prep work. Often times I have successive calls with a board chair or an executive committee to help them find their footing. I make matches between search consultants, candidates and sometimes support services that can offer an entire soup to nuts experience. Sometimes it is a client I have worked with before and other times I spend a few hours over a few weeks and that’s all.
On the one hand it is similar to what I do in my regular work. It’s bounded by transitional time and space and it forces me (as with my interim ED work) to be hyper-aware that I am providing help at a point in time and not building an organization or a team around my interests or skills. When the permanent leader arrives, it is important to allow them to create a scenario that allows them to do their best work and allow the organization to realize the full impact of their talent.
Do People Value What They Don’t Pay For?
Why do I take these pro bono clients?
There is an old adage that people don’t value what they don’t pay for. I have not felt that to be the case in these precious, very short-term consultations that I give away. In fact, the boards I serve demonstrate their appreciation deeply, as if they can’t believe their good fortune to have my support without a fee.
My desire for, and joy from, learning from these organizations, their boards and staffs, their mission and their reason for being is what calls me to be a part of a new organization just when they need me most. It’s the shortest-term of my short-term assignments and it’s work that calls me differently.
At any given time, I have 1-2 pro bono clients I am advising. It feels good to know that I have strengthened their board’s ability to move through a tough time and helped them tackle what needs to be done to transition their leadership. It’s the mini version of teaching someone to fish, rather than giving them the fish. These organizations take (most of) my advice and they are able to move forward with additional confidence and resources.
I have been asked why I don’t try to monetize this work? It is one way that I try to give back. Pay it forward, cosmically, if you will. I put a small bit of time and talent into these often-small nonprofits and I learn too. I enlarge my circle of friends and connections with the confidence that this will come back to me in some unknown way. It’s never failed me. Try it – you might be surprised at the joy it brings you!
Margo Amgott provides transitional support and project management to mission-oriented non-profit organizations through her consulting company, Amgott Interim LLC. margo@amgottinterim.com