Nonprofit AF

Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work

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Funders, stop bringing spreadsheets to knife fights!

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[Image description: A hand holding a serrated knife, seeming ready for a fight. Image by Paul Volostnov on Unsplash]

A few weeks ago, which now feels like an eternity ago, Inside Philanthropy gave me the award for Philanthropy Critic of the Year, saying “Through his blog Nonprofit AF, he’s long advanced a critique of funders that is irreverent, hard hitting[,] and often cuttingly funny.” It’s nice to be recognized for my ramblings, even if IP didn’t even use the Oxford Comma in the recognition, which is rather hurtful.

Among the other awardees are two that stood out to me:

Highest Return on Investment: Donating to the Heritage Foundation: “We’ve long argued that public policy grantmaking offers the greatest leverage for funders. Exhibit A is Heritage’s long record of outsized influence, which is set to hit a new peak in a second Trump administration with Project 2025 or its equivalent.”

No Kidding Award: The Generosity Commission: “Debuted with much fanfare in 2021, the blue-ribbon commission set out to study the decline in ‘everyday’ donors and found that, well, yes, small-donor giving is down. There’s more in the commission’s hefty report, but was it worth all the rigamarole?”

While it irks me that the Heritage Foundation gets lauded and platformed, there is no denying how horrifyingly effective this funder has been. What we are seeing now with the destruction of democracy and the rise of fascism can be greatly attributed to the work of the Heritage Foundation and aligned right-wing funders. And it will only get worse, as we will find out when Project 2025, which we failed to stop, gets implemented in full and erodes our rights over the coming years, if not weeks.

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It’s time we acknowledge that “family foundation” is a weird concept

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[Image description: A cute little hedgehog in the grass, staring at something to our right. They have white fur and white spines and big dark eyes and a little brown nose. And I checked that this is not AI-generated. Image by szabfer on Pixabay]

A couple of announcements before we tackle today’s topic. In acknowledgement of Indigenous Peoples Day, just the annual reminder for all of us that less than one-half a percent of philanthropic dollars go to Native American-led nonprofits in the US, which is disproportional to the Native American population, which is 2.6%. So, funders out there, increase your giving. The rest of us, donate to Native orgs and support Native businesses and individuals.

Meanwhile, a couple of webinars that might interest you. This week on October 17th at 4:30pm Seattle time, there’s a virtual rally for Harris/Walz, with specific focus on getting more representation for the nonprofit sector in the new administration.

Also, you may have read this amazing essay “You’re not feeling imposter syndrome, you are an imposter: Identity and belonging in nonprofit work” by the brilliant Esther Saehyun Lee. Next week, on October 24th at 12pm Pacific Time, I’ll be in discussion on this topic with Esther and our colleague Aleeka Morgan (director of Nurturing Wāhine Fund). It’s FREE; captions enabled. Register here [None of us are getting paid for this, so expect a casual conversation probably filled with cussing].

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How hyper-localism in nonprofit and philanthropy has become a barrier to justice and equity

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[Image description: The earth as seen from space, one half of it seeming to be on fire and disintegrating into embers. Image by TheDigitalArtist on Pixabay]

A few weeks ago, I came back from a trip to Kenya to learn about and discuss global aid, specifically how colonization and imperialism and their legacy have created a system of global aid wrapped in patriarchy and white supremacy. It was my first time on the continent, and it was eye-opening seeing how foreign policies have affected local communities.

I am now back home in the US and continue to be horrified by the gen0cide that Israel continues committing against Palestinian civilians: bombing refugee camps, massacring children and civilians even as we sleep and go about our days.

 “Why do you care what happens thousands of miles away?” several trolls have asked me online. Similar sentiments are expressed by people I know, including colleagues from our field, but sounding much more civil and reasonable: “I don’t have the time and energy to be up to date on all the global events. I’m trying to focus on what I can do in my own neighborhood.”

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Am I just preaching to the choir? Maybe

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[Image description: Three cute puppies with white/pale-yellow fur, in a basket placed on some grass. Image by chathuraanuradha on Pixabay]

One of the comments I often receive online and in-person after my various baby-animal-picture-punctuated rants is, “Vu, I agree with all the stuff you’re saying, but it seems you’re preaching to the choir. Shouldn’t you dress better and yell at the people in power who are not in this room?”

I can understand the frustration. Many of the issues I point out—grantmaking shenanigans, the archaic focus on overhead, the need for better tax policies, the ridiculousness of infinity scarves, etc.—are things many of us have been ranting about for decades. To hear someone bring them up again can invoke feelings of exasperation over how little progress we’ve made in many of these areas affecting our work.

However, I am not sure we’re actually a choir. I don’t know much about music, and I have the singing voice of a blender trying to puree a handful of fidget spinners, but I think choirs overall has members who show up at the same time, sing songs that are agreed upon in advance, know who is singing which parts, and start and finish each song at the same time before starting another one. I am not sure that accurately describes any audience I’ve spoken to.

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Fundraising experts: Enough with the donor sycophancy!

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[A red panda, which looks a lot like a raccoon with reddish fur, lying on a tree branch. Image by tanimachisan1 on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, if you’re available on April 10th at 12:30-1:30 Eastern Time,  please attend this free public webinar on the Fearless Fund lawsuit and its potential implications for nonprofits and foundations. Get details and RSVP.

Today, please grab your favorite beverages and snacks and get ready for a rant. Recently, a fundraising expert posted a post on LinkedIn, written in the the perspective of a jaded, exasperated donor, chastising nonprofits for how they treat donors. Excerpt from this post:

“Why are you so incurious about me, about where I came from, what forces shaped me and what differences I seek to make? Why, when you do respond, is in with forms and templates. Why do I feel you’re just checking boxes? Gift receipt: check. Thank you (now AI generated): check. Annual report: check. Why do you assume that is all I want? […] I am philanthropy. I am weary of knocking on non-responsive, hollow or narrowly creaked open doors. I have resolved to knock on fewer, to be more careful where I lay my tokens, to put more stipulations on my giving and to be more explicit about your accountabilities to me.”

He did end with a poetic flourish: “I have become what you taught me to be.”

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