SF-Fandom supports Idealist.org drive for funds

Thousands of non-profit organizations pay full-time employees to perform the administrative functions and specialized tasks that often cannot be performed by volunteers. When those organizations need to hire someone with professional experience and training, they often turn to Idealist.org, a jobs network for non-profits.

This morning I learned that Idealist.Org is struggling to make ends meet because the Great Recession has forced non-profit groups to cut back on hiring. The commissions that Idealist earns on placement ads have therefore declined.

Although the non-profit world can surely find employees without a dedicated jobs resource like Idealist, I think it's important that people reach out and help an organization like this -- which is also a non-profit group -- keep its doors open.

Here is an excerpt from The Daily Tell, which carried a story about Idealist's call for donations:

A large percentage of Idealist.org’s budget comes from small fees the website charges organizations for job postings. Not surprisingly, the economic meltdown of 2008 has had a devastating effect on this portion of Idealist.org’s budget. Nonprofit groups went through extensive hiring freezes, and cut back on posting job listings. As a result, Idealist found its budget nearly cut in half, leaving them in the red for $100,000 a month. For sixteen long months, Idealist.org has managed to survive on a leaner budget, but they are now at a fiscal breaking point.

Idealist.org is now reaching out to the community that they have assisted for more than fifteen years. The organization is calling on anyone whom Idealist has helped find a job or volunteer opportunity, or has simply been inspired to make a difference in this troubled world. Idealist has set a fiscal goal of $500,000 to stabilize the website. The team at Idealist is seeking to diversify its revenue stream so it will never face this fiscal crisis again. But Idealist cannot achieve this goal without your help. To date, more than 6,100 Idealist supporters have stepped forward, raising an impressive $200,000.

People like us can help with donations and/or by spreading the news that Idealist is looking for support from the large community of people who believe in giving to others. SF-Fandom is supporting the call through blog posts and a forum announcement.

I encourage you to at least do the same. Get the word out through your own blogs and forums, your mailing lists, even by telling people where you work.

This is a worthwhile effort. The non-profit organizations should have a reliable jobs network to help them fill critical staffing positions when the improving economy brings back their funding support.

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