By M. F. Espinoza, Carlos García León, Mikail Khan, Fioletowa Ksenyak, Parker McMullen Bushman, and Chris Talbot
What does allyship and accompliceship look like in the year 2026 when the queer community is under fire? That’s the question we posed to a half dozen queer folks in our community. And these incredible individuals provided answers.
Transparency isn’t just a tactic for fundraising campaigns. It’s what the community deserves, especially when you’re asking them for money. And yes, when you practice it, you’ll raise more, build deeper relationships, and future-proof your organization.
Donor-centric fundraising — the model where donors and their comfort come first, above everything else — has been the foundation of our “best practices.” And it is the single biggest reason the sector largely addresses symptoms rather than systems.
More closures are coming, probably at a faster pace than our sector has ever felt. Can we prepare ourselves to sunset organizations in a way that feels transformative?
Think about the last time you spoke your mind in a meeting without worrying about tone. Or dressed casually without wondering if you’d be seen as ‘unprofessional.’ Or corrected someone without fear of being labeled ‘aggressive.’ That’s privilege. Now imagine if every one of those moments required you to think before doing. That’s what PoC do on the daily.
But why does it feel like achieving the American dream equates to shedding the best things about our culture, the very culture that makes us innovative thinkers, incredible leaders, and amazing people?
By Mabel Colón, Anjali Mehta, and Valerie Neumark
As the third largest employment sector, the nonprofit sector certainly has come a long way in rethinking and reshaping workplace culture in the United States, but there’s more we can do to reduce the cycles of harm.
Cumulative grief does not resolve through individual effort. It becomes more bearable in community. When we can name it together, sit with it together, and refuse to let it harden into cynicism together.
Mexican Dahlia: Ancestry in Bloom honors the parts of myself shaped by migration, silence, grief, ceremony, rupture, and return. The dahlia is not simply an emblem. It is a living bloom of memory, rooted and reaching at once.
There is no need to meme-ify your mission to chase down a million three-second views. Instead, work on cultivating an internet presence that is credible, and scannable.
Funding decisions made while we experience urgency and trauma can carry invisible ethical costs. These costs only become clear after they have reshaped our values, our communities, and us. So I ask again: How far will you go to secure the funding to make your vision of the future real?
We call on these organizations, who altogether hold over $100 billion in donor-advised funds, to stop complying in advance. Compliance in advance helps authoritarianism grow.