Tony Chase debunks 3 ‘myths of nonprofits’ at Glasscock School conference

“The nonprofit community in Houston is a critical part of our ecosystem, and it must operate at the highest level,” Tony Chase, the chairman and CEO of ChaseSource LP, said in his keynote address to the attendees of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies’ Best Boards conference March 9.

Chase, an entrepreneur who serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, used the opportunity “to challenge what we all accept is due course for the nonprofit community, with an eye toward doing better and, obviously, what is best for Houston.” He spoke to audience of nearly 250 people gathered in the school’s Hudspeth Auditorium.

Highlighting examples from his experience as a member of the Greater Houston Partnership, Texas Medical Center and Houston Endowment boards, Chase urged the community and its supporters to address and overcome three critical “myths of nonprofits”:
1. In the nonprofit community, salary doesn’t matter.
2. In the nonprofit community, marketing doesn’t matter because the issue sells itself.
3. There is no room for risk and disruptive thinking.

Hosted by the Glasscock School’s Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, the annual Best Boards conference is an all-day program designed to help nonprofit board members and staff work together more effectively. The program’s goal is to be valuable to both new and seasoned board members and nonprofit executives.

(Photos by Jeff Fitlow)