Funders, stop viewing your tedious and paternalistic requirements as nonprofit "accountability"

Last week, I was in Toronto facilitating a conversation on equitable grantmaking with a group of brilliant colleagues, including several funders and impact investment leaders. During the rise of authoritarianism, it is vital for funders to understand what’s at stake and to act accordingly. I reminded the workshop attendees

Good news roundup: Things to make you feel hopeful this week

Hi everyone, I am on a plane heading to New York to speak at the Nonprofit New York conference, and Wi-Fi is very spotty, so apologies for the poor grammar and coherence. If you’re free next week, join me and podcast co-hosts Monique Curry-Mims and Valerie Johnson for a

Philanthropic advisors, embrace your role as agents of justice

Hi everyone, you must be as exhausted as I am by the relentless awfulness that’s going on everywhere in the world. But please pay attention to Sudan, where there is a genocide taking place, with thousands recently massacred, including children, and millions displaced and starving. And like with all

GoFundMe and the much scarier stuff behind many of the technologies we use daily

Hi everyone, this week is Halloween, which is probably my favorite holiday, mainly because I like the easy access to junk food everywhere I go. If you’re on Instagram, check out my “Scary Nonprofit Stories,” including the one about the meeting that begun with a never-ending round of introductions.

Scary Nonprofit Stories to Tell in the Dark 2025

Hi everyone, Halloween is coming up next week, which means it's time for the annual scary stories. These are terrifying tales that are guaranteed to send chills up your spine. Gather your coworkers and read these stories together, because I don't recommend you read them alone.

Funders, stop requiring line-item budget reports and variance explanations

Hi everyone. Halloween is coming up, which means it’s time for scary stories. Grab a stuffie and wrap yourself in a blanket as I tell a terrifying tale that will leave you with chills down your spine. This one is extra scary because it’s true; I didn’t

Let's reclaim our vision for the amazing society we can build from the ashes

Hi everyone, I’ve been stress-eating chocolate, so I’m not sure how coherent this post will be. Besides the general state of the world, I also have my book launching next week with an in-person event in Seattle, the logistics have been bringing up gala-related trauma from my previous

Let’s be less nice while we fight against fascism

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your patience as we transitioned this website to Ghost. Look how cool it is! Thank you to the amazing Carissa and Stacy of stacynguyen.com for their work. A few changes with this new system: ·       Email notification should be significantly better. Everyone who

Let's try to be nicer to ourselves and one another while we fight against fascism

Hi everyone, a couple of announcements. First, if you’re in Seattle, please come to the book launch event I’m having on October 14th from 6pm to 8pm at Centilia Cultural Center. Everyone is so stressed, so I want it to be a fun and community-building event. I already

Donor engagement and the retail-ification of equity and justice

Hi everyone, buckle up (though, at this point in the rapid collapse of civilization, I’m not sure any of us can be more buckled than we already are). Whenever I talk about donors, people get weirdly defensive and all up in their feelings, like a mama bear when someone

Donors and funders, instead of freaking out or being numb, here are things you can do to fight fascism:

Hi everyone, quick announcement: If you're free this Friday, September 12th, at 11am Pacific Time, please join me and Edgar Villanueva for an Instagram Live conversation. We'll be talking about my new book and what our sector needs to do to fight fascism. Just get onto

Annual performance reviews suck. Here's how to make them better. Or maybe we should just ditch them.

In my several decades as a nonprofit professional, there are a couple of harrowing occasions that have seared themselves into my soul, causing me to wake up in the middle of the night, filled with rage. One of these occasions involved cryptocurrency, some sock puppets, and 12 gallons of bleach,