BlogHer - Is it time for nonprofit leaders to extol the virtue of government service? - Comments

It would be interesting to see if

alyssaroyse — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:01:13 -0500

I would be interested to see if we can get all of that millennial interest in "doing good" to include being part of government. As the disenfranchised run way in droves from the one primary mechanism that has the potential to change the problems that are causing their disenfranchisement, i can't help but wonder what kind of future we will have.

Are we raising generations of people who feel so empowered to go out and solve problems, that we have stopped looking for ways to prevent them in the first place?

It's not a financial thing. I know plenty of people my age and younger who are giving up fat corporate salaries in order to fight for change here and abroad. But increasingly - as studies have shown - they are creating non-profits, running existing non-profits, setting up volunteer projects. While I applaud that sense of responsibility and ability to change the world, there are times when it just looks like a bunch of band-aids.

Creating innovative after school programs for at-risk youth is GREAT, but being on the "inside" and working to create systemic change that lessens the risk in the first place may be better.

I see so many people with such passion who are unknowing supporting the "us vs. them" dichotomy that does nothing to unite us around the common causes that run through the veins of most of humanity. If we are so busy demonizing the government that we never get involved with it, how will ours become a voice of systemic change. If we are so busy demonizing corporate america that we don't vote with our dollars and sway markets, how will we be part of the force of change.

It is time for us all to come together - individuals, organizations, governments and businesses - to create the future that we all want - TOGETHER.

But what do I know? I'm just a starry eyed child-of-hippies who believes i can save the world as a business that works with everyone. Dreamer.

____________

Alyssa Royse

Just Cause It: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A Blog for Women Ent

Actually, it doesn't suck

kazari — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:47:06 -0500

Until recently, I considered myself a career public servant. My husband too. We live in a quaint government town (Canberra, Australia). Here's some quick notes why it doesn't suck.

- we are making the world a better place. in my case, that has meant helping protect marine habitats, developing better stewardship of limited water resources, and encouraging community involvement in conservation efforts.

- government agencies tend to understand the need for work/life balance (afterall, if you can't offer bonuses as an enticement to stay, flex-time is a pretty good alternative). Usually, things like study leave are readily available as well.

- government agencies tend to be bigger than their non-profit alternatives, with more opportunities for career advancement. this is only gonna get better as the baby boomers retire.

- the old point about job security is still true. a permanent public service position still is. oh yeah, and in Australia at least, we have paid maternity leave...

I think I have a recipe for that...

Is it time for nonprofit leaders to extol the virtue of government service?

Beth Kanter — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:25:35 -0500

Flickr Photo by Dogs New Cloths

Allison Fine, who authored "Social Citizens", a paper recently released by The Case Foundation on the intersection of Millennials, social change and social media, wonders whether it time for nonprofit leaders to extol the virtue of government service?

In a piece that Allison Fine has just posted on the Social Citizens blog she points out a hidden cost to the explosion in the number of and interest in causes the past decade that can be summed up by one statistic: A study by the International City Manager’s Association in 2006 found that only 13% of professional local government managers today are under 40. In the early 1970s nearly 71% were 40 or younger.

We have been witness to an explosion in interest in volunteerism and nonprofit careers, while interest in government careers has waned. Elected officials and other community leaders regularly laud the importance of the nonprofit sector … but is it time for nonprofit leaders to extol
the virtue of government service?

The Social Citizens paper
is focused on Millennials (ages 15-29) a super-sized generation in
terms of their total number, their passion for causes and their use of social media. Their size and passion are mirrored by the increase in size and relevance of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. As I say in the paper, young people are marinating in causes as volunteers, nonprofit careerists, and social entrepreneurs.

I told a friend of mine about this statistic the other day and she said, “Of course, who wants to work for government, it sucks!”

What Allison asks is this really a problem or just a reflection of a changing notion of "service" in our society? Go read the piece and respond at the Social Citizens Blog.

Beth Kanter, BlogHer CE for Nonprofits and Social Change, writes Beth's Blog.