Idle Hands
Imagine if everyone who needed work could be hired.
And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, Why are you standing here idle all day? They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard. - Matthew 20:6-7
The business model demonstrated in today's parable is different than what we may think of for most businesses today. It is a day laborer model, where people are hired for the day or part of the day to do the work that needs to be done today.
Different work may be needed to be done tomorrow, or a different quantity of work, so the hiring manager is focused only on the labor pool available today.
What is unique about this manager though, is that he continues to seek more help, whether it is needed or not.
That's not to say work doesn't need to be done, but he could have gotten by with the group he had hired earlier.
But the abundance of work gives him an opportunity to hire more people.
Imagine if we thought that way in our business planning today.
If I go out and hire more people, can I find enough meaningful work for them to do to make it worthwhile for my business?
Can I turn idle hands into profit?
there is always room for competition, especially if the market is dominated by one or two who set the prices and make the rules.
In the not-for-profit world, we judge our success by how many lives we have touched, how many lives we have changed, but when it comes to the work we perform, we are reluctant to hire people to do it.
That costs money, we say, and we are right.
Some of the jobs we need done we give to volunteers, rather than hire people in need of work.
Now don't get me wrong. We love and need our volunteers, not just for the work they do, but for their interaction with the community.
But wouldn't it be nice if along side the volunteers, we had people working their way out of poverty and homelessness?
I have been told that people won't fund work projects. They will donate for food and clothing, books for kids, even technology, but not people.
But what if our business model was like the landowner in the parable?
What if we hired for the day or the hour and not for long term? Would it make a difference to those who want to donate money to a worthwhile project?
When I hire people for a day, I learn something about them. Are they dependable? Do they have skills that I need? Can they get along with others? Do they do a good job?
If I give them passing grades on all counts, I can recommend them to others.
I may have invested a small amount, but I got some work done that I needed to do. Yes, I may have been able to get volunteers to do it and it wouldn't have cost me anything, but which is helping people in need more?
If our goal is to feed the hungry, shouldn't our long term goal be to no longer need to feed them?
Should we be worried that helping people out of poverty will reduce our clientele?
I don't think so.
Right now, our annual campaign to fund our programs is underway, and people are offering to help us feed needs and foster hope. I believe we will reach our goal, and when we do, I will try something different.
I will go out and find partners who want to help me create jobs.
Why are you standing here idle all day? They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard.
More to come...