Figuring Out What Counts
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. – Einstein.
Just because numbers seem factual, in the sense that one plus one equals two and so two must be true, that doesn’t mean that they tell the whole story or that they tell the real story. There has been a push these last few years for accountability and transparency in all business sectors, in most cases the transparency is about what can be counted. Sometimes this push makes financial statements even harder to understand as nonprofits work to find ways to tell an honest story with numbers alone.
The assumption by the government seems to be that ‘everything that can be counted counts’. I’m with Einstein on this one because numbers can be misleading and definitely don’t tell the whole story, not everything that can be counted (chart of accounts) ‘counts’. One cannot assume that an organization is healthy and thriving because it has money in the bank or spends a little (or a lot) on any particular line item. As a matter of fact, just because the amounts are listed on the chart of accounts, it doesn’t mean that it tells the whole story, or even part of the story, of an organization. The chart of accounts includes everything that can be counted, that doesn’t mean that’s all that is relevant.
“Everything that counts can be counted.” Often the board (well, and the public) take this new transparency of numbers to mean that the numbers reported are important. Not just important, but they could possibly tell the whole story…that the numbers are everything. Although I can learn a lot from the balance sheet and budget of a non profit, I can’t learn everything there, as too many things that ‘count’ that are not listed on a balance sheet or budget.
No one person or company can be understood exclusively from looking at their numbers. If you were to look at my bank statement and make decisions about who I am based on those numbers they would tell you a lot. About where I shop. What they wouldn’t necessarily tell you is what I value, how I spend my time when I’m not spending money, who I love, what my goals and dreams are. They would only tell you what I value that is for sale, like clothes and organic produce. It wouldn’t tell you that I don’t have a television, that I’m wicked good at Bananagrams, that I stay up until all hours of the night some nights making art. So, my bills would give you a window into me, but not a very big one. The only way to learn about me is to get to know me. Same for an organization.
What counts in an organization, especially a non profit, is its impact. Exploring an organization’s impact can be challenging. Don’t rely upon numbers alone. First, most people don’t really read them, and second, they don’t tell you everything you need to know. Some things are only learned by attending board meetings and seeing the programs in action. Decide what counts to you and give to that cause. Complaining never got anyone any closer to a solution, action does. Giving money can be a noble action, especially when you’ve done your research and your heart is in it. Give because it will make YOU feel better about the community you live in.
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