BusinessReport.com

Melissa Flournoy has made it her mission to bust the myths that have long handicapped nonprofits. Is it true that everyone’s a volunteer and nobody’s paid? Is it OK to pay nonprofit workers sub-professional wages and no benefits?

Those days are gone, says Flournoy, who in 1997 launched the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

In her 10th year of running the statewide network, which consists of nearly 1,000 members, Flournoy continues to challenge crusty thinking. She asks why board members of nonprofits approve low wages that they would never accept for their own employees or why these leaders don’t push for the same technologies they insist upon for their own companies.

“It is essential for nonprofits to raise professional standards, to invest in technology, to be efficient and effective, to come into the 21st century,” she says. “Many nonprofits are still stuck trying to solve serious social problems with 19th century solutions.”

Flournoy wants young Louisiana college graduates, flush with the latest technology skills, to find viable career opportunities and proper compensation in the nonprofit community. She is quick to note these opportunities are multiplying all the time, thanks to the vibrant Louisiana philanthropic community.

“Remember though—nonprofits range from small, volunteer-led groups all the way up the scale to Woman’s Hospital,” she says. For many of the smaller and mid-sized groups, Flournoy believes there is still room to introduce cutting-edge technologies, and better pay and management ideas.

That’s where LANO comes in. Flournoy and staff are helping Louisiana nonprofits build accountable, professional organizations through education, advocacy and member services. As a former state legislator, Flournoy offers members another valuable resource: the inside track on the state budget process. She has found that when it comes to the budget, nonprofits historically focus on their own pot of gold, ignoring the bigger budget picture.

Her message? Nonprofits must look beyond their own line items to the full range of budget decisions affecting quality of life of the clients they serve. Flournoy believes this represents the difference between simply providing services and assuring measurable impact from those services.

“Melissa recognized years ago that nonprofit organizations play a critical role by standing in the gap and providing services that governmental agencies either can’t or won’t provide,” says Mary Durusau of JPMorgan Chase Bank. “Demanding that people who run these vital agencies be given the respect and compensation they deserve isn’t just a job to Melissa. It’s a calling.”

Her voice rising with conviction, Flournoy says, “I’m a true believer. I wake up every day thinking nonprofits are what make this state and country a better place to live. Nonprofits are places where people put their faith and passion into action. ... Every day I see nonprofit people do heroic things that are not part of their job description. I need to do this work.”