1. When you introduce yourself to donors, like Daenerys Targaryen.
Rekha Patkar the unfunded, first of her name, CEO of nonprofit, recruiter of star performers, saviour of 8,734 bonded labourers, breaker of chains, empowerer of the unempowered, transformer of communities.
2. When your board chair calls, saying he is donating a fancy coffee machine to your office.
3. What you want to say out loud when a corporate says they will offer you expertise instead of CSR funds.
4. What happens when private sector ‘volunteers’ visit your nonprofit to ‘fix’ your systems.
5. Some say Tyrion Lannister makes the ideal donor.
6. Not convinced? How about now.
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7. When your donor has just learned what a Theory of Change is and offers to help you create one. For the third time.
8. Founder mentality.
9. When your donor asks you to speak honestly about what hasn’t worked in your programme.
10. When a multi-stakeholder alliance has unrestricted funding.
11. What you tell your team when you have to turn in a last-minute proposal.
12. How your benevolent and beloved second-in line responds.
13. When you have convinced your donor that spending Rs 25 lakhs on a virtual reality video is fundamental to improving learning outcomes for children with disabilities.
14. When your ‘Great Place to Work’ survey did not go as well as you expected.
15. When people tell you that if you do good work, the money will come.
16. When management tells you they aren’t hiring a replacement for your colleague who just quit and it’s your lucky day: you will be given more responsibility!
17. When your partner’s parents and their friends find out how much you make.
18. When your boss tells you that everyone got a 3% raise this year.
Disclaimer: The author is related to a team member at IDR.
