I’ve been following this topic sporadically but stayed out of it, maybe because it has too much in common with stuff I’ve had to deal with in my professional life.
iNat is a not-for-profit corporation. That’s a label that gets atuck on a lot of different kinds of organizations with a lot of different kinds of objectives so generalizing can be difficult. One generalization that applies pretty broadly concerns the most common reasons that non-profits stumble and sometimes fail.
There are two that stand out- money and sound management. Both are in limited supply. Of the two, sound management is the more scarce in the non-profit world. The big organizations have an easier time finding and keeping people who known how to lead and how to manage (they aren’t exactly the same).
Anyway, it was with these considerations in mind that I asked a couple of questions when iNat incorporated.
It ian’t very easy to find the right person or people to run an organization. The difficulty is magnified when thought has not been given to how management will be structured. There are different ways of doing it that are appropriate in various settings. None at all is always a poor choice.
So I guess this ia long-winded way of agreeing with those who have obaerved that this sort of thing is sadly common in not-for-profits. A surprising number manage to muddle through and more-or-less function. Many do not. Some figure it out, take governance seriously, invest in training for staff and board, take the time to nurture a workplace culture that is open, accountable and built on shared trust and respect and thrive. There doesn’t appear to be any reason that iNat can’t be one of those.
If documenting biodiversity is the core mission, that is a change. As referenced in the blog post, and as stated in iNat’s messaging, the core mission is connecting people with biodiversity. The data are a significant benefit that should be valued and taken very seriously, but it’s a benefit that is a product of the mission not THE mission. iNat would have looked very different from Day 1 if that were not so.