Nonprofit organizations forced to do layoffs can take steps not to leave their ex-employees high and dry and actually support them during this time of need.
Essay Archives
Feedback as a tool for liberation
There’s an entire sector of nonprofit professionals, funders, and organizations dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations that go beyond the surface. This isn’t feedback for feedback’s sake; it’s feedback as a tool for transformation.
“Poor people” don’t “give back.” They just give.
Philanthropy is a cure for the symptoms of a disease the world created. It does some good to keep the disease at bay, but it doesn’t really heal it.
Defying philanthropy: No good deed (goes unpunished)
…a white woman hates a woman of color for simply not being white, and a woman of color has a disdain for a racist woman. And yet somehow, the grace of the kingdom is given to the white woman. I don’t have to tell you what a familiar experience this is for those of the global majority.
Creating sustainable movements: Expanding capacity in grassroots nonprofits with CRM technology
Many CRM programs are built to be highly customizable for entrepreneurs and small businesses both for revenue generation and streamlining workflows. So, what if we used these programs for nonprofits? And, most importantly, used them to their fullest extent?
Low wages cannot be justified by industry standards: The Industry standard is systemic racism.
Nonprofits cannot pride themselves on being equity-focused as they justify underpaying employees and independent contractors, sometimes for their own ideas. Industry standard needs to be interrogated for its origins in systemic racism and the perpetuation of wealth disparities in BIPOC communities, which are often not equally represented in leadership roles in this sector.
We need more language justice in fundraising spaces
By Desireé Martin and Tyra Montour and Monti Hill
Language justice is not just a budget addendum for translation services. It’s a commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive society.
The white liberal’s favorite weapon: Isolation
Getting you alone is not about privacy or resolution. It’s about neutralizing the threat of your voice to protect their comfort. It’s not a commitment to addressing injustice; it’s a calculated tactic to isolate, reclaim power, and maintain the status quo.
Money, power, respect: What fine dining taught me about fundraising
Working as a server gave me a degree in studying power, wealth, and social hierarchy. It’s an education that has been immensely helpful as I transitioned into fundraising by equipping me with a critical eye for the nonprofit sector. Working in fine dining is a microcosm of wealth culture; wealth culture is a microcosm of power and privilege.
What community-based research can look like through a community-centric lens
Community-centric engagement is not a one-off endeavor, but a partnership, where communities are engaged in decisions, reported back to, engaged for feedback and iteration, and able to meaningfully influence direction-setting.
Community-centric from the beginning: CCF training for Mountains and Plains EJ Council
Experts themselves, the EJ Council shared their experiences with funders who earned and lost their trust. Together, we came up with the Council’s values of solidarity and integrity, we imagined what success for the region would look like beyond the lifecycle of this grant, and we led a session about rest.
When idealism meets reality: The fundraiser’s dilemma
So, what will it be? Do you stay and struggle against the tide, or do you leap into the unknown for a chance at true impact?