{"id":9794,"date":"2018-04-26T12:31:21","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T17:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/?p=9794"},"modified":"2018-09-19T20:33:06","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T01:33:06","slug":"overhead-myth-op-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"max-width:854px\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;height:0;padding-bottom:56.25%\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.ted.com\/talks\/lang\/en\/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" style=\"position:absolute;left:0;top:0;width:100%;height:100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nDan Pallotta debunked the overhead myth in his groundbreaking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong#t-206336\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TED talk<\/a> in 2013. Unfortunately, years later, it persists. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe things we\u2019ve been taught to think about giving and about charity and about the nonprofit sector are actually undermining the causes we love, and our profound yearning to change the world,\u201d Pallotta said on the TED stage. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"box_bottomMargin1 box_verticalPadded1 box_horizontalPadded6 text_fontSizeLarger col_ggPrimary1Text\"><p>The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by how much (or how little) it spends on so-called overhead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>At its origins, overhead is an accounting term. In the nonprofit sector, vital activities and operations, including staff compensation and fundraising costs, fall into the overhead category. In countless annual reports to donors, you can see the myth epitomized in colorful pie graphs that boast about percentage spent on direct services and programs vs. spending on, well, everything else.<\/p>\n<p>This binary approach impedes missions. How can nonprofits recruit and retain top talent to work on complex social problems if investments in staff compensation are considered frivolous? How can they grow and become more effective if investments in marketing and fundraising are shunned? <\/p>\n<p>Pallotta described the overhead myth\u2019s harmful impact on the nonprofit sector in little more than 100 words\u2014still as salient as they were when he first spoke them five years ago: <\/p>\n<ul>\n\u201cSocial problems are massive in scale, our organizations are tiny up against them, and we have a belief system that keeps them tiny. We have two rulebooks. We have one for the nonprofit sector, and one for the rest of the economic world. It&#8217;s an apartheid, and it discriminates against the nonprofit sector.\u201d\n<\/ul>\n<p>I recently returned from a sobering visit to Puerto Rico, where I met with nonprofit teams leading crucial disaster relief and recovery projects. Six months after Hurricane Maria hit the island, toppling its already fragile electrical grid and shattering lives, leaders with varied hurricane-related missions\u2014from addressing homelessness to reducing domestic violence to offering youth development programs\u2014all identified the same urgent need: funds for overhead. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany nonprofit organizations have not been able to reopen their doors after the hurricane,\u201d said Edwin Edgardo Otero-Cuevas, a GlobalGiving partner in Puerto Rico who manages fundraising for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/donate\/45798\/corporacion-la-fondita-de-jesus\/?rf=learn\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">La Fondita de Jesus<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Nonprofits in Puerto Rico simply don\u2019t have the resources they need to keep the lights on, Edwin explained. With additional overhead resources, nonprofit leaders on the island said they\u2019d hire more staff to serve more people displaced by Hurricane Maria. They would have the capacity to advocate for additional government resources and inspire donors to support their important causes. Many organizations would be able finally address long-delayed\u2014yet important\u2014administrative tasks, such as filing for 501(c)(3) status. <\/p>\n<p>After a disaster, the harmful impact of the overhead myth is clearly more acute. But the harm isn\u2019t isolated to times of crisis. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"box_bottomMargin1 box_verticalPadded1 box_horizontalPadded6 text_fontSizeLarger col_ggPrimary1Text\"><p>People in the nonprofit sector contend with the consequences of the overhead myth 24\/7.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>At GlobalGiving, we introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/how-to-measure-impact-in-170-countries\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GG Rewards<\/a>, an alternative system for measuring and rewarding nonprofit impact, in 2005. We believe that the best nonprofits all have one thing in common, (and it has nothing to do with overhead): They listen to the people they serve, they act on what they hear by testing out new ideas, and they continually learn from their tests, improving their organizations every day. In our community, nonprofits that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/tag\/listen-act-learn-repeat\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.<\/em><\/a> are rewarded with access to additional funding opportunities and given badges to display their accomplishments to prospective donors. Anyone can search for organizations by badge under the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/search\/?size=10&#038;sortField=sortorder&#038;selectedRecognitions=effectiveNonprofit?rf=learn\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">recognition filter<\/a>&#8221; on the GlobalGiving website.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"box_bottomMargin1 box_verticalPadded1 box_horizontalPadded6 text_fontSizeLarger col_ggPrimary1Text\"><p>For the overhead myth to truly meet its end, the social sector should generate and embrace more creative ways to show impact.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Retiring old language that perpetuates the overhead myth is key, too. Claire Axelrad, a nonprofit fundraiser with more than 30 years of experience, eloquently makes this argument in her article, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonprofitpro.com\/post\/nonprofit-overhead-myth-colluding-persistence\/all\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nonprofit Overhead: Are You Colluding In Its Persistence?<\/a>&#8221; Claiming 100% of donations will go directly to your nonprofit&#8217;s work and other gimmicks are thoughtless practices, Axelrad says, which mislead donors about the holistic nature of nonprofit mission fulfillment.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone has a role to play in ending the overhead myth. Here are seven additional resources to help:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/trust.guidestar.org\/guidestars-6-tips-for-busting-the-overhead-myth\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">1. Six Tips for Busting the Overhead Myth<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/trust.guidestar.org\/guidestars-6-tips-for-busting-the-overhead-myth\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2. How Funders Can Help Overcome the Overhead Myth<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ncg.org\/resources\/real-cost-project-increasing-impact-philanthropy-california\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">3. The Real Cost Project<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/overheadmyth.com\/letter-to-the-donors-of-america\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">4. Overhead Myth Letter to Donors of America<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/overheadmyth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Overhead-Myth_Letter-to-the-Nonprofits-of-America.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">5. Overhead Myth Letter to Nonprofits of America<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.councilofnonprofits.org\/trends-policy-issues\/investing-impact-indirect-costs-are-essential-success\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">6. Investing for Impact: Indirect Costs Are Essential for Success<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/how-to-measure-impact-in-170-countries\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">7. How To Measure Impact In 170+ Countries<\/a><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"grid-0 grid-lg-12\"><section class=\"layout_center box_verticalPadded2\">\n   <div class=\"grid-lg-padder box_horizontalPadded3 box_verticalPadded2 layout_center\">\n      <div class=\"layout_centerVertical\">\n         <form action=\"https:\/\/globalgiving.us1.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=3cd22f53c66be5c139fe0dc7a&amp;id=0e1590558d&SOURCE=learn_post_bottom\" method=\"post\" class=\"grid-parent layout_center\" target=\"_blank\">\n            <p class=\"grid-12 text_7n\">Want more tips like this? Subscribe to get the best content from the Learn Library once a month.<\/p>\n            <input type=\"email\" name=\"EMAIL\" class=\"grid-8 grid-md-5 input_text col_ggPrimary5VeryLight\" maxlength=\"200\" placeholder=\"you@nonprofit.org\" required\/>\n            <button type=\"submit\" class=\"btn btn_primary2 btn_simple\">Subscribe<\/button>\n         <\/form>\n      <\/div>\n   <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<small class=\"js-learnProjCaption layout_center box_topPaddedHalf text_fontSizeSmallest\"><span class=\"text_4i js-getProjTitle\">Featured Photo: Send Child Brides to School<\/span> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/donate\/5054\/foundation-to-educate-girls-globally\/?rf=learn\" class=\"js-getOrg link_subtle text_underline text_4n col_defaultText\" target=\"_blank\">Foundation to Educate Girls Globally<\/a><\/small><br \/>\n<script src=\"\/\/static.leadpages.net\/leadboxes\/current\/embed.js\" async defer><\/script> <script>window.addEventListener('LPLeadboxesReady',function(){LPLeadboxes.setExitIntent('1449cf373f72a2:122207149746dc',\n\t\t{dontShowFor:'5555d'}\n\t\t);});<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[82],"coauthors":[961],"class_list":["post-9794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viewpoints","tag-smart-giving"],"acf":[],"cp_meta_data":{"_edit_lock":["1673462940:206"],"_edit_last":["8"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["overhead myth"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["overhead myth"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["79"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"intro":["It will take creativity and a concerted, continued effort to bring the persistent overhead myth to an end. \r\n<hr>\r\n&nbsp;"],"_intro":["field_581c8d225094f"],"audience":["a:1:{i:0;s:9:\"Nonprofit\";}"],"_audience":["field_59cbfbe631a0c"],"nonprofits_featured_post":["no"],"_nonprofits_featured_post":["field_59de55755aeb1"],"companies_featured_post":["no"],"_companies_featured_post":["field_59de561bd6d34"],"donors_featured_post":["no"],"_donors_featured_post":["field_59de5661cb9a2"],"long_featured_image":[""],"_long_featured_image":["field_5819f8103f7df"],"hero_image":[""],"_hero_image":["field_581a1f867a79a"],"post_bottom_cta_url":[""],"_post_bottom_cta_url":["field_581cef001838d"],"post_bottom_cta_anchor_text":[""],"_post_bottom_cta_anchor_text":["field_581cef38e7e5e"],"staff_favorite":["no"],"_staff_favorite":["field_59cbfe0342f46"],"ranking_label":[""],"_ranking_label":["field_59c1391139d75"],"second_author_image":[""],"_second_author_image":["field_59c5533f5c82a"],"third_author_image":[""],"_third_author_image":["field_59c553de5c831"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["78"],"_thumbnail_id":["9801"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?"],"_wp_old_date":["2018-05-01"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_last_editor_used_jetpack":["classic-editor"]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.8 (Yoast SEO v24.8.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Learn - GlobalGiving\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalGiving\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-26T17:31:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-09-20T01:33:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marlena Hartz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MarlenaHartz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GlobalGiving\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marlena Hartz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marlena Hartz\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/74b798c319d2392b79b69101c09da016\"},\"headline\":\"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-26T17:31:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-09-20T01:33:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\"},\"wordCount\":793,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Smart Giving\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Viewpoints\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\",\"name\":\"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-26T17:31:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-09-20T01:33:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":627,\"caption\":\"Overhead Myth\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/\",\"name\":\"Learn - GlobalGiving\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GlobalGiving\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gg_horizontal_color_300.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gg_horizontal_color_300.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":44,\"caption\":\"GlobalGiving\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalGiving\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/GlobalGiving\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/globalgiving\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/globalgiving\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GlobalGiving\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/74b798c319d2392b79b69101c09da016\",\"name\":\"Marlena Hartz\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/58150a20ee2183a0f52c35ef05691cc8\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Marlena-Hartz_Learn-Library-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Marlena-Hartz_Learn-Library-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Marlena Hartz\"},\"description\":\"Marlena is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at GlobalGiving. She elevates the voices of GlobalGiving's partners and help raise awareness of the good things that the GlobalGiving community makes possible. She started telling stories decades ago as a journalist for daily newspapers. Searching for a way to bridge the gap between her experience in the newsroom and her time in Nepal as a Peace Corps volunteer, Marlena earned her master\u2019s degree in international and intercultural communications at the University of Denver. She went on to spread the word about nonprofits with solutions to some of the world\u2019s biggest problems, including Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, Tahirih Justice Center and, now, GlobalGiving.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/MarlenaHartz\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/author\/marlena-hartz\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits","description":"The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits","og_description":"The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/","og_site_name":"Learn - GlobalGiving","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalGiving\/","article_published_time":"2018-04-26T17:31:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-09-20T01:33:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":627,"url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marlena Hartz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@MarlenaHartz","twitter_site":"@GlobalGiving","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marlena Hartz","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/"},"author":{"name":"Marlena Hartz","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/74b798c319d2392b79b69101c09da016"},"headline":"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits","datePublished":"2018-04-26T17:31:21+00:00","dateModified":"2018-09-20T01:33:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/"},"wordCount":793,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg","keywords":["Smart Giving"],"articleSection":["Viewpoints"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/","url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/","name":"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-26T17:31:21+00:00","dateModified":"2018-09-20T01:33:06+00:00","description":"The overhead myth is the misguided, but common notion that you can judge the worth and impact of a nonprofit by what it spends on so-called overhead. What will it take to bring the harmful myth to an end?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg","width":1200,"height":627,"caption":"Overhead Myth"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/overhead-myth-op-ed\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Overhead Myth Is Still Hurting Nonprofits"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/","name":"Learn - GlobalGiving","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#organization","name":"GlobalGiving","url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gg_horizontal_color_300.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/gg_horizontal_color_300.png","width":300,"height":44,"caption":"GlobalGiving"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GlobalGiving\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GlobalGiving","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/globalgiving\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/globalgiving","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GlobalGiving"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/74b798c319d2392b79b69101c09da016","name":"Marlena Hartz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/58150a20ee2183a0f52c35ef05691cc8","url":"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Marlena-Hartz_Learn-Library-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Marlena-Hartz_Learn-Library-96x96.jpg","caption":"Marlena Hartz"},"description":"Marlena is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at GlobalGiving. She elevates the voices of GlobalGiving's partners and help raise awareness of the good things that the GlobalGiving community makes possible. She started telling stories decades ago as a journalist for daily newspapers. Searching for a way to bridge the gap between her experience in the newsroom and her time in Nepal as a Peace Corps volunteer, Marlena earned her master\u2019s degree in international and intercultural communications at the University of Denver. She went on to spread the word about nonprofits with solutions to some of the world\u2019s biggest problems, including Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, Tahirih Justice Center and, now, GlobalGiving.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/MarlenaHartz"],"url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/author\/marlena-hartz\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Overhead-Myth_Foundation-to-Educate-Girls-Globally_1200.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9794"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10970,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9794\/revisions\/10970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9794"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=9794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}