Post 1 pt.II

The readings assigned for week one were helpful in supplying me with the general information about nonprofit organizations and their dynamics. I was slightly overwhelmed by all of the statistics because prior to opening the book I had very little knowledge about the nonprofit sector. After completing the reading I felt as though I had a basis of understanding although in order to obtain all of the useful information the first two chapters supplied, I will be frequently referencing the book to answer any questions I may have. Some of the things that I was instantly surprised to learn were the numbers and  sheer size of the nonprofit sector, and how many people are employed by nonprofit organizations. I was also surprised by how many nonprofit organizations I thought were for profit. After just completing the first chapter in the book, I was surprised by how much my own perception of what a nonprofit is had changed. I no longer had the image in my head of a group of dedicated individuals working together in a struggle to make any significant change with very little resources and funds. Learning how many nonprofits there are in the U.S showed me just how much interaction i've had with nonprofits that I never even realized I had.
The reading for this week in Nonprofit Nation (ch.1 and 2), defined what a nonprofit organization is for me in a literal sense but also supplied me with enough information to begin forming my own opinions on the sector. I was shocked to learn how influential nonprofit organizations are to our economy based on my previous perception and very little knowledge of the logistics and economical aspects of the sector, and then learn that the Catholic church is one of the largest nonprofits. There are still areas of confusion for me that I will eventually come to clear up about the nonprofit sectors relationship with the government and the for profit sectors. Considering what a nonprofit is based on the complex system of qualifications, guidelines and rules it must follow to be included in the sector, it is refreshing to think about some of the simple reasons in which people form nonprofit organizations: they are compassionate and are acting for a cause.
Week 1 lecture was a good start and introduction to the course for me. A brief history of the sector was interesting and helpful in differentiating the three sectors from one another. I look forward to diving deeper into the nonprofit sector through readings, lectures and group discussion.