Are There Corporate Politics in a Nonprofit Job?

While it’s true that everyone, or most people at least, working in a non-profit believe in and are actively working towards a common good, it doesn’t mean that staff meetings involve holding hands, singing Kumbayah around a camp fire. The realities of working in a non-profit job are not that dissimilar from those of working in a for profit job, that unfortunately means office politics are as common within non-profit organizations as they are with traditional companies. For many of the same reason why office politics exists in the for profit sector, self-interest, ego, turf wars, etc., are the same root causes of office politics at non-profits. While believing in the non-profits’ mission can make it easy to turn a blind eye to some of the uncomfortable aspects of office life, it shouldn’t have to be that way. If you are new to a non-profit organization and notice office politics our best advice is to avoid being drawn into the fray and instead lead by example. Rise above the drama, and get your colleagues back focused on what really matters, the cause!

Verdict: Truth – Corporate politics do exist in a non profit job