As a new intern at Invisible Children, I am getting a crash course in Nonprofits 101 – how they form a mission, how they articulate their mission, and how they implement their mission on a shoestring budget (they don’t call them nonprofits for nothing). There are so many myths, expectations, and, frankly, fantasies about nonprofit organizations that are so prevalent in our society’s views of NGOs: that all, or almost all, funding is expected to go straight to the cause instead of administration; that failure is inexcusable in nonprofits but valuable, and indeed necessary, in other businesses; that employees in nonprofits chose their careers because they believed heart was more important than brain.

In facing these myths head-on, economist and social entrepreneur Nathaniel Ware is changing the world by changing how people view changing the world. In his TedxTalk “Free Charities from The Idea of Charity,” Ware debunks common misconceptions about charity operations, arguing that the best thing we can do for the charity sector is to free it from the box we’ve placed it in:

“It’s more important that charities have the right approach, the right ideas, than that they have lots of money to spend on worthwhile causes.”

Even if it means spending more money on administration, or even starting a for-profit company instead of a nonprofit, Ware firmly believes that “in the game of social triumph, method trumps money.”

Here at Invisible Children, we have a unique four-part model: media, mobilization, protection, and recovery. While we know it’s not status quo (but hey, since when has IC ever been status quo?), it works for us. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is the numerous programs, legislation, and support base that have – and will continue to – make huge strides in ending the LRA conflict.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about charity organizations?