Nonprofit AF

Exploring the fun and frustrations of nonprofit work

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Actions you can take to stop “Nonprofit-Killer Bill,” (HR 9495), now that it’s passed through the House and is on its way to the Senate

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[Image description: a yellow sign against the sky. It has “Dictatorship” on top and “Democracy” on the bottom. The word Democracy looks old and faded and there’s a red slash through it. Image by geralt on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned HR 9495, a bill that would allow the Trump administration to declare any nonprofit it doesn’t like a “terrorist-supporting organization” and remove its tax status, without any due process. It gets even scarier with the possibility of the Trump administration then seizing the assets of those organizations.

This is a major step toward authoritarian rule. We should be worried and take action. Here is an excerpt of the transcript from Rachel Maddow’s show on November 12 this year, where she warned of the potential horrifying implications of this bill:

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Navigating the guilt of finding joy when the world feels like crap

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[Image description: A seedling, with two leaves, growing out of the dirt. Image by EglantineShala on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, I spent the past three days working on one chapter of my new book, tentatively called “Catchy Phrase: Insert Intriguing Subtitle Here.” It’s about reimagining everything in our sector, from how we fundraise, to how we do capacity building and evaluation and hiring, and so on. An entire chapter may be devoted to the role of hummus in our work (just kidding, there will not be). The publisher has been on my case, setting up several intermediate deadlines, which is good, because left to my own devices, I will binge-watch Derry Girls for the eight time.

Anyway, I have been frazzled, so please don’t expect a coherent post this week. Actually, it’s best to anticipate that as the manuscript deadline (March 11th) approaches, I will become more and more unraveled, eventually going full “Jack Nicholson in The Shining,” and these blog posts will become increasingly nonsensical, possibly unhinged. Or worse, I will start reusing jokes, like this The Shining one, not remembering what’s in my head, and what’s already been put down in writing somewhere.

Last Fall, my siblings and kids and I had a pumpkin-carving contest at home. That was super fun. We placed them all outside on the front porch. As the days passed though, the pumpkins started rotting. Too lazy to throw them into the compost bin, I chucked the three moldy abominations into the flower bed, where they became a feast for the neighborhood rodents.

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The WRONG lessons we’ve been learning from this political nightmare, and the RIGHT ones we should learn instead

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Hi everyone, a couple of things before we get started. If you’re free on next Tuesday December 3rd at 1pm Pacific and are interested in learning about shared leadership, check out this free webinar by the National Center to Advance Peace for Children, Youth, and Families. There will be Spanish and ASL interpreters.

Also, I’m on BlueSky now at @nonprofitaf.bsky.social. It’s like Twitter, when Twitter was fun and not awful. I encourage everyone to migrate there. We could use more fun and community as we organize the resistance.

I know many of us are still down in the dumps about the election and the future. I’ve been trying to keep calm and rest for the coming battles, but I’ve also been giving myself permission to delight in pettiness. Thanks to colleague Esther Saehyun Lee, I learned about a subreddit called r/LeopardsAteMyFace, which documents those who voted for a certain political party now personally experiencing the negative consequences of their votes.

Schadenfreude aside, we have a long four years ahead of us. On some days, I am optimistic this period of turmoil will ultimately lead to a collective awakening, where the pendulum swings back towards kindness, science, community, and significant social progress. It has happened in the past, where some of humanity’s worst moments are followed by incredible shifts for the better. Maybe many of us won’t benefit from the turnaround, but our kids and grandkids will. That’s something to hope for.

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Urgent actions to take this week to stop a bill giving Trump unchecked power to destroy nonprofits

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[Image description: Signs at a protest. They include “IMMIGRANTS make America GREAT” and “NO HATE NO FEAR. Refugees are welcome here.” Image by StockSnap on Pixabay]

The Trump administration has already started attacking nonprofits, two months before they’re even in office. You may have heard of the bill (H.R. 9495) that would allow the government to terminate the tax-exempt status of nonprofits by giving the Secretary of Treasury the authority to designate any org a “terrorist-supporting organization.”

H.R. 9495, if it passes, is an effective way to neutralize nonprofits that take any actions to protest against the incoming government’s horrific agenda, which we know so far includes fast-tracking genocide, gutting social security, removing the citizenship of and deporting immigrants, shuttering the department of education, and banning abortions nationwide.

Shutting down nonprofits that protest against injustice by marking them as supporting terrorism is a violation of the First Amendment and a glimpse into the incoming administration’s fascist intentions. The bill was put to a vote last week and did not pass. But they are trying again. This WEDNESDAY* (Nov 20) morning, it will go to a full house vote, and just needs a simple majority to pass, unlike last week, when they needed a 2/3 majority. (*originally it was Thursday Nov 21)

WE MUST ALL TAKE ACTION! Here are some things you can do immediately. Please rally everyone in your networks. This bill poses a grave existential threat to our sector, and is a terrifying vision of the future if we don’t do everything we can to prevent it.

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We must move from despair to righteous anger

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[Image description: A dandelion clock (seed head), with a flame behind it, on black background. Image by Gjata Ervin on Pixabay]

Hi everyone, I’ve been reeling the past several days after the elections, as I’m sure many of you have been and still are. I found myself unmotivated and uninspired, dealing with waves of dread and anxiety. Luckily, the those waves were often beaten back by even bigger waves of fear and despair! Sorry, maybe now is not the time to joke around. Or maybe it is; I don’t know. I’m still a jumble of thoughts and emotions and stress eating, so thank you for your patience, as it might take me a while to get back to my usual self.

I do say though, that the past week reaffirmed to me how amazing community is. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible people. Dozens of friends and colleagues reached out, checking in on me, the ones in Seattle getting me off the couch, reminding me that we’re not alone, and that the world is still full of good people.

Thanks to you, I am moving out of despair…and into anger. Righteous anger. The kind that Desmond Tutu described here:

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