NonprofitAF
@nonprofitaf.bsky.social
Yup. It’s me, rabble rouser, seitan-worshipper, and defender of the Oxford Comma. I’ll be more active on here as time goes on.
“A growing body of research tells us that focusing on the boogeyman of ‘polarization’ actually STRENGTHENS anti-democratic forces”
The Civility Industrial Complex and how nonprofits and philanthropy keep falling into its trap
Hi everyone, if you’re available on Wednesday October 21st at 10am Pacific Time, please join me and fellow rabble-rouser Aparna Rae for an informal conversation where we bust some of the myths about n...
nonprofitaf.com
“do we have the same expectations of for-profits? Do we go ‘Hey, there are too many cafes providing duplicate services! If every café in the city would just merge, they wouldn’t have to compete with one another for customers, and they’d cut down so much on overhead costs!’”
Can we stop asking if there are too many nonprofits? It’s getting on my nerves
Whenever I point out the challenges with nonprofits getting the funding they need to succeed, invariably someone will bring up the question of whether there are “too many nonprofits” and if much of ou...
nonprofitaf.com
“to everyone out there who feels like crap during this time…understand that you’re working within a ridiculous, capitalism-based system designed to ensure you never get the resources or support you need to successfully tackle problems in society.”
Let’s stop blaming individuals and organizations for systemic problems
Original title: We need to get off the gaslighting, victim-blaming hamster wheel of bullshit (GVBHWBS) A few weeks ago, I was listening to a panel of funders give advice for nonprofits on the best wa...
nonprofitaf.com
“one of the fundamental problems with our sector. Managing other people and their need to feel useful, productive, and engaged. I think a fourth or a third of nonprofit work is just making up tasks for other people and in the process ignoring ones that would be genuinely helpful.”
Is a lot of our work just creating work for other people to do?
During the first year of Covid, I was at home with my kids, who were aged 7 and 4 at the time. The days were long, and they constantly needed to be entertained. At one point, they discovered the vacuu...
nonprofitaf.com
“in triangulation, Party C then may get mad at Party B on Party A’s behalf without understanding the full picture. It forms a triangle of drama, and left unchecked often becomes a pentagon or octagon of workplace toxicity.”
Triangulation: What it is, and tips to avoid being caught up in workplace drama
Disclaimer: This post is not written with any intentional assistance from AI, so expect typos, run-on sentences, unclear points, confusing metaphors, and, you know, some other things I can’t think of ...
nonprofitaf.com
“A bunch of funders coming down to bestow knowledge upon the unwashed nonprofit masses. These events reinforce the unequal power dynamics of funders setting agendas, parameters, and processes, and nonprofits obeying.”
A moratorium on funder panels at conferences
Hi everyone. I hope you have had a nice break and were able to rest and recharge. I haven’t done one lick of writing in two months, so this post may be a bit rusty (especially as I refuse to use AI fo...
nonprofitaf.com
‘Polarization’ has become the master concept for diagnosing our current democratic crisis. But this is not polarization. It is the radicalization of the political right. By misdiagnosing it, we risk becoming complicit in the crisis. 🧵 Just out in Perspectives on Politics doi.org/10.1017/S153...
“There are tons of amazing, inspiring, courageous things happening all over the US and the world. We often don't hear about them because fascists want to keep us fearful.”
Good news roundup: All sorts of stuff to be hopeful and joyful about!
Hi everyone, this is the last blog post before I take my summer break. I’ll be back on September 1st with a tan and a new post. The last few months have been a whirlwind of depressing news that make ...
nonprofitaf.com
“There are so many unnecessary, burdensome, onerous hoops and created by liberal funders that any time there’s a slight improvement, it seems like a major event worthy of praise. But excessive praise reinforces the message to funders that we're happy if they do the bare minimum”
Funders and the Prodigal Son Effect
Hi everyone, this is the next-to-last blog post before I go on my yearly summer hiatus. I’ll be off all of July and August to spend time with my kids, who got me a mug that says “Not the worst dad” fo...
nonprofitaf.com
“You know what a great trend would be? Funders increasing their payout rates and fund nonprofits adequately to solve problems and then everyone can close up shop and go home!”
Trends, and why it's bad to always go with the flow
Hi everyone, if you’re free this week on June 18th from 11:30am to 1pm Pacific, here's a great webinar: “What If our Trans siblings were fully included and protected in all spaces? A guide to substant...
nonprofitaf.com
“We need to restore our imagination and vision beyond this resigned acceptance of the pervasiveness of AI to dominate every aspect of our lives, despite how awful it's proving every day to be. Why don't we use that same energy, enthusiasm, and ‘resistance is futile’ language for way cooler things.”
AI is inevitable? Nah. These better, cooler things are the future!
Hi everyone, if you’re available this Friday, June 12th, 1:30pm to 3pm Eastern, join me for “Reimagining Nonprofit Leadership Without Losing Our Minds: A Joyfully Irreverent Conversation with Author V...
nonprofitaf.com
“providing guidance for people to better navigate a crappy, time-wasting process prevents everyone from recognizing it as a crappy and time-wasting process.”
Should funders give feedback to grant applicants who get rejected?
Hi everyone, happy Pride month. Please put on your calendar to attend this webinar on June 18th from 11:30am to 1pm Pacific: “What If our Trans siblings were fully included and protected in all spaces...
nonprofitaf.com
“Not only is this the intrinsically right thing to do, but it’s also the most strategic for all our causes, because supporting trans people weakens fascism. It sends the message that we will not be divided, that we will protect one another, that we will not fall prey to decades-old Nazi tactics.”
Fascism, and why we all need to support trans rights, no matter what issues we're working on
Hi everyone, this week on May 28th at 1pm to 2pm Pacific, I’ll be in conversation with some brilliant leaders (including Jan Masaoka and Al Cantor) about regulatory and tax reform of private foundatio...
nonprofitaf.com
“The question about whether invitations-only grants are valid is also a distraction. When I hear it, it sounds like “Should we invite everyone to compete to the death in the Hunger Games, or should we only invite a few people to compete to the death in the Hunger Games?’”
Let’s talk about invitation-only grants. Actually, let's not.
Hi everyone, I’ve been doing a lot of travel lately in promotion of my book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy. It’s been exhausting, but also fun, as I get to meet with really cool people who r...
nonprofitaf.com
“What is the point of using AI to help us fight injustice if AI is causing significant injustice?”
We need to have much more serious conversations about AI and the nonprofit/philanthropic sector
Hi everyone, on May 28th at 1pm to 2pm Pacific, I’ll be in conversation with some brilliant leaders (including Jan Masaoka and Al Cantor) about regulatory and tax reform of private foundations, such a...
nonprofitaf.com
“It is a common trope that the people who take care of others often suck at taking care of themselves. Rest after each time you hold space for others. Do things that recharge you.“
Spaceholders, how are you taking care of yourself?
Hi everyone, before we get into this week’s topic, if you’re available this Thursday May 7th at 11am Pacific, please join me in this FREE webinar where I’ll be discussing board governance with Dimple ...
nonprofitaf.com
“we all donned our embroidered cloaks and filed into a clearing in the forest…Throughout the night, we walked slowly around the fire, Edith invoking the Gospel of Wealth, her Gregorian-like humming punctured by loud droning chants of ‘protect the corpus!’ and ‘perpetuity!’”
The mysterious, secret lives of foundation board trustees
Hi everyone, if you’re in Seattle next Monday, May 4th, 6pm to 8pm PT, please join me and fellow rabble rouser Glen Galaich, author of CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short, for a no-bullshit conversati...
nonprofitaf.com
“I’m not sure Audre Lorde would agree that any tool that’s used by ‘the master’ is a ‘master’s tool.’ […] If the right-wing uses community organizing effectively (and it has), does that mean progressives shouldn’t do organizing, because that’s now a ‘master’s tool?’”
Let’s talk about the “master’s tools,” what they are, and what they are not
Hi everyone. If you’re free on May 7th at 11am Pacific, please join me in this webinar where I’ll be discussing board governance with Dimple Abichandani, author of A New Era of Philanthropy, and Monik...
nonprofitaf.com
“The right-wing knows that young people are the future, that every goal it has is dependent on leaders, and that when its leaders feel respected and are supported over a long time, they are loyal to conservative values and they get things done.”
Liberal funders and donors, you need to invest in progressive leaders the way the right wing invests in conservative ones
Hi everyone, next week, on April 20th at 11am Pacific time, please join me and Rusty Stahl of Fund the People, as we talk nonprofit staff, burnout, what’s needed right now in this political context, a...
nonprofitaf.com
“if you’ve been thinking of running for office but have been doubting yourself, please run. A cursory glance at the people in charge right now should end everyone’s imposter syndrome forever.”
We need more nonprofit leaders running for political office!
A few weeks ago, I was at a gathering that included many high-wealth individuals. I talked to a man who told me his family was concerned about the environment, so they used a ton of money--millions!--...
nonprofitaf.com
“Their spurs are strong enough to support their weight, so once they stab an unlucky person with their spur, they can just hang there, maybe upside down, attached to their victim, chilling while the venom does its work. Inspiring, right?! Let’s be more like that.”
Nonprofits, time to be less like a unicorn and more like a platypus
Hi everyone, I spent all day frolicking under some cherry blossom trees while it was sunny in Seattle, and then going to a nursery to buy some cherry blossom trees, and then contacting the City to ini...
nonprofitaf.com
“If we’re paying search firms thousands of dollars, then we can spread some of that around to others.”
Increasingly more organizations are compensating job candidates for interviews, yay!
Hi everyone, remember a few years ago when most organizations didn’t list salary numbers in job postings, often instead putting meaningless stuff like “competitive salary,” and many of us fought again...
nonprofitaf.com
“It’s great that funders like MacArthur are putting more money into nonpartisan work like civic infrastructure. But this needs to be combined with several billion dollars of investments in absolutely, assertively, unapologetically partisan/political organizations and movements.”
Nonpartisan work is necessary, but not sufficient, if we want to save democracy
Hi everyone, quick reminder that if you’re free this week on Thursday March 19th, 1:45pm Pacific Time, I’ll be having a virtual discussion on my book, Reimaging Nonprofits and Philanthropy, with Ile K...
nonprofitaf.com
“Colorado passed a law to make Black History year-long. Starting in 2028, Black History won’t just be something relegated to the shortest month of the year.”
Good news roundup! Things to make you feel hopeful about our world!
Hey everyone, it’s my birthday this week, and if you’d like to help me celebrate, please donate to Mujer Al Volante, the QTBIPOC Nonprofit Mutual Aid Fund, and UnKoch My Campus. It’s been a while sin...
nonprofitaf.com
Questionable Assumption 9: The decline in giving is because we don’t do enough traditional fundraising….maybe the assumption is completely wrong, and that the decline in fundraising is because some donors are getting sick of that stuff and want more meaningful engagement.”
10 questionable assumptions we make when fundraising that are holding us back
Hi everyone, as I’m getting older, I start reflecting on my work, and there are a few things for which I’m proud of having accomplished. One was coming up with the acronym MYGOD—which stands for Multi...
nonprofitaf.com
“once a while, we do need to stop and acknowledge that we don’t have an infinite number of afternoon walks around the neighborhood, or trips to the playground, or opportunities to catch a movie. The people we care most about are not going to be there forever.”
One piece of advice I would give everyone in the sector
Hi everyone, this post is long, personal, and likely melancholy. One of the questions I get asked often is “What’s one piece of advice you would give to those of us just entering the sector?” or “What...
nonprofitaf.com
“What we have coming up is a year of bold visions, courageous stances, quick and decisive actions, risk-taking, and fanning the small sparks we’ve been nurturing so they become engulfing infernos of equity and progress”
Year of the Fire Horse, and what it means for our sector
Hi everyone, I am hyped up on leftover Valentine’s Day chocolates that I bought at 50% off, so apologies in advance if this post is a bit rambling. The Lunar New Year is coming up, with this Tuesday, ...
nonprofitaf.com
“Philosophically speaking, of course it is; it was outdated as soon as it was invented. We’re talking about a system that really shouldn’t even exist. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need so many nonprofits or foundations, or even any.”
Is the nonprofit model outdated?
Hi everyone, I'm having a virtual book launch event on February 25th at 10am Pacific Time. It's free, open to everyone, and auto-captions will be enabled. There will be giveaways, quick interviews wit...
nonprofitaf.com
“even the most radically progressives among us, need to get over the delusion that many of the inequities in our world can be addressed without money. Saying that MLK didn’t have corporate money is ridiculous and inaccurate.”
How nonprofits' and philanthropy's fear and disdain of money is biting us in the ass
Quick reminder: I'm having a virtual book launch event on February 25th at 10am Pacific Time. It's free, open to everyone, and auto-captions will be enabled. Details and registration here. -- Last w...
nonprofitaf.com
“I don't care what the reasons have been for your foundation not treating the rise of fascism like the serious humanity-ending threat that it is. It is not too late to get involved and help defeat it.”
Funders and donors: It’s never too late to join the fight against fascism
Hi everyone, quick reminder that if you’re free this Saturday January 31st at 9am Pacific, please join me and Kimberly O’Neil for “Leading the Work Without Losing Yourself.” It’s free; auto-caption wi...
nonprofitaf.com