Me Thinks That's a Reach

Stumbled upon a fascinating "study" from the University of Buffalo that claims that, in communities where local newspapers go under, non-profit executive pay soars. Indeed, the sub-head from the University's News Service reads, "Study highlights the important role local papers play in monitoring nonprofits."

I guess I didn't realize that non-profits were such threats that they needed consistent media "monitoring." I would have thought the media should be paying attention to, I don't know, politicians and monopolies?

While non-profit executive pay may well be increasing...I have a hard time connecting those increases to a lack of media scrutiny. Never in my 25+ years of almost weekly interactions with non-profit Boards have I ever heard someone say that because the media has folded or isn't paying attention that it's time to jack the CEO's salary.

Instead, the authors of this hit piece have clearly misunderstood the role of non-profits in American society and how much they enhance the Quality of Life and livability in our communities. That those CEOs have been historically underpaid became painfully clear during the Plague when it was non-profits (not the private sector) that stepped up to ensure their communities survived. 

We need the best and the brightest leading our non-profits. And that won't happen if we pay them $60,000/year because many of the best and the brightest will opt for the private sector.

Most non-profit executives deserve to be competitively compensated, as they are critical to our collective quality of life. One of the authors of the report stated, “Donors and volunteers expect their contributions to go to the execution of the nonprofits’ mission, rather than leadership salaries." Yeah...but if you hire the village idiot to run the non-profit because those with the talent to sensationally execute that mission won't work for the peanuts that non-profits have been offering? What then will the donors think?

Are the authors looking for a new scapegoat to stoke class warfare? Because this is the wrong fight.