One of the reasons that nonprofits, especially health and human service organizations, have to turn away people is that there is a persistent myth that somehow, and for some unknown reason, non-profits don’t need profits, that they don’t need to pay their people, invest in systems, or put money aside for the future. And this archaic, unproven, and inherently illogical myth is a direct consequence of the culture of scarcity that has plagued the sector for decades.

Nonprofits are afraid of losing funding, program officers are afraid of looking foolish, donors are afraid of wasting their money, boards are afraid of being seen as ineffective.

We need to change how we think. We must embrace a sustainability mindset, an impact mindset, and unleash the potential of social sector organizations to ensure that no one is ever denied access to a safe shelter or a warm meal or medical care or a hand up the ladder of economic opportunity. We must own our possibilities and our vision of a more just and equitable world.

Read the source article at blog.boardsource.org