Nonprofit AF

Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work

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Donor engagement and the retail-ification of equity and justice

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[Image description: A scene from Saigon’s Ben Thanh market. Several stalls stacked to the brim with a dizzying variety of things: fruit, coffee, souvenirs, kitchen utensils. Several people are in the aisle, perusing wares. Image by Falco Negenman on Unsplash]

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 threatens her cubs. If that’s you, please grab some fair-trade chocolate, a cup of matcha, or whatever else that soothes you before continuing.

I grew up in Vietnam and often go back to visit. One of my favorite places is Saigon’s Bến Thành market, a giant mostly indoor market with about 1500 vendors. I took my kids there one day this summer so they could be immersed in the experience, and they were quickly overwhelmed by people shouting at and beckoning to us to buy souvenirs, dried fish, fruit, clothes, toys, hot food, and electronics. With so much competition all around, who could blame these hardworking vendors for clamoring for customers’ attention and dollars.

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

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[Image description: Three cats peering out from a partially open wooden door. Two cats are white and grey and one is white and orange. Image by PhilippT on Pixabay]

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 Instagram at that time and go to Edgar’s IG page @villanuevaedgar or my page @nonprofitaf.

I just attended a wonderful retreat put on by Solidaire Network, a network of progressive funders, donors, and movement leaders. The attendees were all very attractive, but that could be because they were all talking about fighting fascism and saving democracy, and nothing revs my engine more than those things, if you know what I mean (wink). Everyone was clear-eyed about the serious threats facing our world, but there were also many moments of authentic joy, humor, healing, and community. I felt so at home that I didn’t even engage in my usual coping strategy of stealing as many snacks and office supplies as possible.

Thank you Solidaire for inviting me, and for letting me debut my nonprofit-themed stand-up comedy set. I had a great time and left with much to be grateful for. And also much to think about.

During a particularly compelling session at the retreat, leaders who are on the ground sounded the alarm about the short timeline we all have to block and reverse the US’s rapid descent into fascism. Basically, we have less than a year. Even as you read this, right-wing forces are solidifying their grasps on every aspect of society. Federal troops occupy DC, and Trump threatens to send soldiers to Chicago, with other progressive-leaning bases to follow. ICE continues to disappear people. Multiple g3nocides are still taking place. The State continues punishing the press for reporting on the horrific things it’s doing. The Supreme Court just ruled that racial profiling is OK. And of course, our sector continues to be weakened so we are in survival mode and can’t fully fight back. This is still just the beginning.

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Funders, please stop trying to be unique snowflakes

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[A clear snowflake crystal standing out among other snowflakes, on the tip of what looks like green leaves, possibly pine needles. Image by Aaron Burden on Unsplash]

Hi everyone, if you’ve been having issues getting email notices of new blog posts, my apologies. I’m still tweaking the system and possibly might need to switch to another platform, because this has been irritating. Just be assured that unless something out of the ordinary happens (like I won the lottery), there will be a new post every Tuesday.

A few months ago, I was attending a conference where there was a panel of funders. Someone asked a question about something, and a panelist answered with this joke: “Well, if you’ve seen one foundation, you’ve seen…ONE foundation!” Everyone chuckled; one because the joke was well-delivered with good comedic timing, but also because power dynamics have conditioned nonprofit leaders to laugh at funders’ and donors’ jokes, regardless of their mirthful qualities.

But this joke made me think about how easily we just take things at face value when it comes to funder behaviors, even when those behaviors negatively affect nonprofits and the communities they serve. This oft-repeated joke, when explained, means every foundation is unique and has its own values, processes, idiosyncrasies, likes and dislikes, and so on, and therefore, nonprofits would do well to do their own research on each foundation they approach instead of relying on general advice about funders.

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Brutally honest answers to 15 pointless questions our sector keeps asking itself

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[A small fluffy round gray bird, standing on a ledge, staring at the camera, looking kind of grumpy. Anyone knows what bird this is? Image by Shridhar Thorat on Unsplash]

***Vu’s new book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector, comes out October 14th. Pre-order your copy***

Hi everyone, I’m on a plane heading to Tokyo. It’s been several hours and I’m tired and grumpy and hallucinating a little, which might affect the tone of this piece. Last week, I had a speaking engagement in Canada. While I was there, the president of the US abruptly left the G7 summit. Apparently to start World War 3 until his boss, Putin, told him to back off.

Before my speech, I was making conversation with a colleague at my table, who brought up a problem she sees with our sector: The term “nonprofit.” This is a common discussion we have from time to time over the years. Why define our sector by something that it’s “not”? It’s so confusing and leads to people thinking things like nonprofits can’t generate income.

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Funders, here’s the blueprint for saving democracy

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[Image description: A protestor in front of a tent, surrounded by several signs. One that stands out says “Stay the course, this will happen to YOU” accompanied by several pictures of war and suffering. Image by greyerbaby on Pixabay]

Two weeks ago, I met with a colleague who was invited to a convening of funders in Seattle. He reported that the funders present were wringing their hands, unsure of what their foundations should be doing to respond to the rapid dismantling of democracy and the exponential increase in suffering communities are facing.

This week, David Callahan of Inside Philanthropy wrote a post on LinkedIn reporting similar dynamics of tentativeness among funders across the sector. David suggests several possible reasons for the hesitation, including shellshock from the cruelty and chaos unleashed by this administration, as well as funders’ lack of knowledge and confidence as to what strategies would work to counter it. While David and I agree on a lot of things, it’s this last point he makes where we may differ in opinions:

“Third, there’s only so much that funders can or should do to lead. Philanthropy’s main role is to support civil society groups, who rightly should be out front in the pushback to Trump’s actions. If those organizations aren’t coalescing around a set of promising big strategies — and there’s no sign they are — funders have limited options. They can’t bankroll grand new plans to fight MAGA if such plans don’t yet exist.

“Or, as one foundation CEO told me, ‘People keep yelling at us to give out more money, but for what?’”

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