One of the most famous social-science studies was the marshmallow test. Put a marshmallow in front of a preschool aged child and tell the child they can have a second marshmallow if they wait 15 minutes before eating the first one. Leave the room and observe.
The study, which tracked kids for years after the test, purports to show that those kids who, at an early age, had the self-control to double their payout (by waiting for the second marshmallow) do better in life (as measured by various objective means).
Serious doubts have since been raised about the reliability of the study and its purported conclusions when it comes to childhood development, taking into account differences in demographics. But I want to draw upon it as an analogy to something I’ve seen time and again in the nonprofit world: many Executive Directors struggle because they are eating their marshmallow too soon.
What do I mean by this?
My thesis: smaller nonprofits who have the discipline to hold off on eating the marshmallow are more likely to thrive than those who partake right away of the marshmallow.
In the nonprofit world the marshmallow is your program. Just as eating a marshmallow feels good to a child, it feels good to nonprofit employees to do the organization’s program.
You know what doesn’t feel good? Doing less of the program work that directly advances the mission, especially when there are obvious community needs you can meet.
There’s always a time trade-off. Time you spend on program is time not available for organizational development (fundraising, board governance, administration, etc.).
If you do too much program as a small organization, you’re eating the marshmallow. What do I mean by “too much program?”
I know one nonprofit Executive Director who’s been running the same small nonprofit for the last decade who expresses frustration that other organizations have outgrown theirs. But when I give advice about ways to raise more money, their answer is always: “I don’t have time because there’s so much of the work to get done.”
And it’s important work. And they’re getting it done well.
But they’re eating the marshmallow too soon.
Their theory: do great work and the money will follow.
Alas, it doesn’t work that way since good fundraising takes a real time commitment.
A small organization for whom growth is important should do the absolute minimum level of program work required in order to keep faith with donors. And then focus every remaining second on fundraising and other essential organizational development activities.
That means leaving marshmallows on the table in the short run. So that you can get to far more marshmallows — and make a bigger impact towards achieving your mission — in the longer run.