Nonprofit AF

A guided meditation to start off 2023

Posted on January 3, 2023January 5, 2023 by Vu

[Image description: A beach at night under numerous bright stars. In the distance is a mountain and what looks like lights from a city. Image by Casey Horner on Unsplash]

Hi everyone, I know today is a rough day, since many of us are getting back to work after, hopefully, a decent few days off spending time with our family and/or watching White Lotus 2. That’s why I have (poorly and at the very last minute) written a guided meditation to help you get back into the swing of things and start 2023 off right. Find a comfortable spot, such as under the cover in your bed, or perhaps in the fetal position in your supply closet, and scroll along.

Let us begin by taking in a deep, full breath. Breathe in. Hold your breath for several seconds. Now slowly exhale. Let any negative energy of last year go.

In and out. Today is a brand new day, it is a brand new year, and this is a brand new you.

In and out. Not that the old you was bad. Actually, the old you kicked some serious ass! In fact, let’s take a moment to appreciate the old you.

A Christmas Carol, Updated for Our Times

Posted on December 12, 2022December 7, 2023 by Vu

[Image description: An illustration of Scrooge, sitting in an armchair in his robes and floppy hat, being visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, who appears to be shackled with chains and money boxes. Image by Prawny on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, this will be the last post of 2022. I will be back on January 3rd.

Charles Dickens’s novella a Christmas Carol is a timeless classic. It was first published in 1843 and has never gone out of print. But 1843 is nearly 180 years ago. It’s time for us to update the story to be more relevant to our times:

STAVE ONE:

The story opens at a large foundation’s headquarters on Christmas Eve. Ebenezer Scrooge is the president of the foundation’s board of trustees. He is a miser who hates spending money, Christmas, and people in general. Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s executive assistant, is looking at some documents. “Mr. Scrooge,” he says, “it seems we haven’t met our legal minimum for how much money the foundation has to spend each year. What do you say we give some extra money to a few nonprofits in the area? Look at this one. Tiny Dem. It’s a small organization working to end voter suppression, gerrymandering, and corruption in politics. This is the fifth time they applied to us.”

“Tiny Dem? Bah humbug!” grumbles Scrooge, “that is the most ridiculous name for a nonprofit! And their mission doesn’t align with the foundation’s main priority, which is teaching financial literacy to toddlers. If children learn early, they won’t grow up to be impoverished hornswogglers suckling at the udders of society. No, just put enough money into a Donor-Advised Fund to meet the legal minimum.”

Gift Guide: 12 amazing gift ideas for your nonprofit staff or grantees!

Posted on December 5, 2022December 7, 2022 by Vu

[Image description: Assorted wrapped presents, tied up with ribbons, surrounded by round ornaments and pine cones. Image by buzukis on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, just a quick reminder that this week on December 7th, the amazing Sandy Ho and I are having a conversation called “Dismantling the Culture of Professionalism,” part of a series of talks in celebration of the brilliant Alice Wong’s new book, Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life. Join us for this fun discussion. I think a few lucky people in the audience will also get Alice’s book for free, which I have read and which fills me with awe, joy, and gratitude, and not just because she uses the Oxford Comma consistently. Register here. ASL/CC will be provided.

It is December, which means that many of us are thinking of gifts for the people in our lives, thanks to the joy of capitalism and consumer culture. Now, if you work in this sector, especially if you are an executive leader, board member, or funder, you may be trying to figure out the best gifts for your staff or grantees. They can be so hard to shop for! That’s why I’ve compiled a list of gifts sure to please even the most discerning of nonprofit professionals:

18 tips to help you become a kickass writer!

Posted on November 27, 2022November 28, 2022 by Vu

[Image description: A cat sleeping with their eyes closed and their head resting on a silver laptop. Image by beauty_of_nature on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, before we get started on today’s topic, if you’re free on December 7^th at 4pm Pacific Time, please join me and Sandy Ho of Disability Inclusion Fund at Borealis Philanthropy, for a conversation called “Dismantling the Culture of Professionalism,” sponsored by the Longmore institute on Disability. This is a series of conversations sparked by Alice Wong’s brilliant and hilarious new book, Year of the Tiger. It is FREE, and ASL and captions will be provided. We will talk about how the concept of professionalism plays out in work culture, hiring processes, philanthropy, communications, etc. It’ll be informal, Sandy and I will be cussing, and at least one of us will be dressed in a unicorn onesie, you have been warned. Register here.

People often ask me for advice on writing. (No one ever asks me for my skincare routine, which is understandable, but hurtful). First of all, you don’t need to make writing your main form of communication if writing is not your thing. There are others, possibly more enjoyable and effective ways for you to get your ideas out into the world. Videos, for example. Or Vietnamese water puppetry. I always say we don’t have enough Vietnamese water puppetry in our sector.

Zombie Missions: Organizations that should close but won’t

Posted on November 20, 2022November 21, 2022 by Vu

[Image description: A cute fluffy white puppy, sitting facing left, staring pensively at the ground. Image by gdmoonkiller on Pixabay]

There is often the complaint that we have too many nonprofits in our sector. I don’t necessarily agree, and in fact I think that when it comes to some types of nonprofits, such as certain ones led by marginalized communities, we may need MORE, not fewer. But that’s for a future conversation.

However, I do think we have organizations that are floating aimlessly around the sector in a state of limbo. Over the past few months, I’ve heard at least two stories of these orgs that are holding on for dear life, and not for the usual “holding on for dear life” that most nonprofits do as par for the course. These orgs have missions that were once vital, but as needs change, or as other organizations overtake them in effectiveness, or both, they find themselves in denial about their own effectiveness and relevance. They become “zombie missions.” This usually leads to a lack of direction and purpose, perpetual morale issues, and constant staff turnover.

And it is sad, because these orgs have usually done important work; they do not deserve this limbo-like state of existence. Here are things we should consider: