Does small really mean unprofessional?

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Recently I’ve been working with several small sports, social and environmental organisations, and after a few months I realized that I’ve been listening to a strange phrase for too long a time: “We are small, we can’t afford to be that professional.” Were “the big” big at the very beginning or was there a time when “the big” where small, too?

There is always a special magic when working with a small or a big organisation in the field of sponsorships. With the small you handle a lot of things, not just sponsorships, but also marketing, communication, development of new products etc. When you work with a big organisation, your challenge is to find niche opportunities for sponsorships while you can focus exclusively on your field of work. I can find driving forces in both types of organisations.

Yes, for sure, there is a big difference working for a small or a big organisation in the field of sponsorships. But I don’t think professionalism should be a question of size: in a small organisation one person is responsible for many functions, but he or she has to be an expert and a businessman (woman) in all fields that he or she handles. But when you work with a bigger organisation, you have to handle bigger (and more diverse) target groups, more partners and members, bigger budgets etc. Every big organisation came out of a small one.

When you are confronted with the difficulties of a small organisation I think you have to be focused on professionalism and great content – the latter doesn’t depend on size. Sooner or later if you work hard and professional and are focused on organisational goals, success and growth will come.

The responsibility to perform at your best should hold true for any position (not just in sponsorships). But in daily life you meet different profiles of people: some go to work just to get “that damn salary”, other to get out of the house, and unfortunately only a handful of people because they want to make progress in a society. But I believe you can make anybody (well, almost …) become a dedicated employee if he or she has the right motivation.

Many small organisations grow up from common friendship interests, but when you decide to formally establish an organisation, you have to understand that you are not just a person with specific interests, but you represent organisation with formal characteristics. You have to take care of all aspects of business operations. Although you are a non-governmental organisation, you are responsible for financial aspects of your service as well. Even more: as a non-governmental organisation you have to be more aware who will your customers (or sponsors) be. If a toothpaste supplier doesn’t care about who buys it’s toothpaste, you as a NGO will not accept every company as your partner.

If you are small, it means you are more flexible and fast – you can implement the wildest and the most creative ideas to make more people more aware of the issues you tackle. I see many companies don’t trust or even give a chance to introduce themselves to a small organisation because they assume the small are less professional. By believing that I can say that you are overlooking some great, creative and never-seen-before ideas which can help your business in different ways. It’s quite possible you can’t make a worldwide program with a small organisation for millions of volunteers, however you can make a worldwide impact partnering with a small organisation carrying a great idea that works.

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