Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal

Category: Opinion

  • Federal funding: Why it’s not right for everyone…

    Hi, I’m Alex Dunn, the Millionaire Grant Lady. I have 15 years of grant writing experience and over $103 million in awards under my belt. I’m excited to share with the DFW501c.news audience some tips, tricks and opportunities in Federal Funding.

    On federal grants, we are continuing our Texas Hold ‘Em strategy. We are waiting, and seeing, and verifying as much as we can.

    While we continue to Hold ‘Em on federal grants, it is worth discussing the importance of foundation funding for nonprofits.

    As you are building your nonprofit, most nonprofits early on come to understand that they must increase their funding so they can serve more people, serve the community, and do all the things that they got into this industry to do.

    I advise nonprofits to diversify revenue sources. Some sources of revenue could include earned income, individual and corporate donors, fundraising events, and of course, grants.

    There are three main types of grants.

    1. Federal grants that come from the federal government.
    2. State and local government grants that come from your state and local governments.
    3. Private foundation grants that come from private foundations.

    The federal government has historically given away hundreds of millions of dollars in grants every single year, and it is a large source of funding for organizations in America. However, federal funding is vulnerable to shifts in government priorities, and government grants are not right for every organization.

    Private foundations are operated outside of the government, and so private foundation funding is my favorite kind of funding to recommend for most of the nonprofits that I talk to.

    Why are federal grants not right for everyone?

    Federal grants are:

    • Extremely Competitive: In a typical federal grant competition, they may make ten to fifteen awards across the whole country, and there are large organizations that are industry leaders applying for these grants. This makes the awards very competitive.
       
    • Complicated: Federal grant applications are also very complicated to complete, compile, and submit. Most federal grant applications are more than 100 pages long with attachments, and they require a significant amount of time to develop.
       
    • Only Open on the Government’s Timeline: Grant opportunities come open based on government priorities, negotiations, and agreements. Typically, once a government grant opportunity comes open, organizations will have around four to eight weeks to prepare the application and submit. If the organization misses this window, there will likely not be another opportunity to submit a grant for this priority ever again.

    Foundation grants are:

    • Less Competitive: While each foundation is different, generally, foundation grants are less competitive than a federal grant. A local foundation may receive hundreds of applications, but they also may give out hundreds of awards. This increases the chances that one of those awards will go to you.
       
    • Less Complicated: Each foundation asks for proposals to be submitted in their own unique way, but many foundation proposals are around 10 pages of writing with an additional 10 to 20 pages of attachments. This means less work goes into preparing the proposal and gathering the required information.
       
    • Open on the Foundation’s Timeline: Foundation timelines tend to be much less strict than government timelines. Typically, foundations will have two or more application windows in a year, and many foundations have rolling deadlines. A rolling deadline means that they will review applications at set points (say at a board meeting), but they will accept applications at any point prior to the board meeting. Basically, this means that organizations can apply to most foundations at any time, whenever the organization is ready.

    While we continue to watch this evolving situation, foundation grants continue as normal.

  • Everyday actions you can take to keep the world kind, just, and joyful amidst the rise in hate and bigotry

    Everyday actions you can take to keep the world kind, just, and joyful amidst the rise in hate and bigotry

    Hi everyone, if you’re free next week, March 4 to 6, please join me at the virtual Nonprofit Marketing Summit: Evolve, which is FREE. My session will be on March 5th at 11am Pacific Time, and is called “Nonprofits, Bans, and Burnout: Surviving in 2025 Without Losing Our Collective Minds (or Tax-Exempt Status).” It’s really more of a pep talk, but anticipate some cussing. Register here.

    ***

    When my younger son was two, I remember him one day sitting on the stairs, his tiny face cradled by his little hands, looking forlorn. I sat down a few steps below him to be at eye level. “Kiet,” I said, “are you ok? What’s wrong?” He shook his head solemnly. “I have no two wings,” he said. Apparently, he realized some animals had wings and could fly, and he didn’t, and it created some sort of toddler existential crisis.

    The past month, a lot of us probably felt like Kiet did, helpless while watching our society collapse, wishing we had the power to do something about it (and sometimes, maybe, the opportunity to fly away from it all). It is easy to fall into a sense of futility, thinking that nothing we do matters any more.

    However, when things are toughest is when our everyday actions matter the most. These simple things we do to support one another, build community, and protect what’s good in the world, are just as important as the major actions. I asked colleagues (Feb 19th post) to list some tangible actions we can all take that make a difference. Below are a few of them, in no particular order, mildly edited for typos and length. Reading through the 450 comments I received was very heartening, thank you. Apologies for not including everyone and not crediting who said what (people and orgs named on this blog have gotten attacked in the past):

    For everyone reading, don’t be overwhelmed by this list. You can’t do everything. Try your best to do a few things when you can:

    1. “Dramatically reduce spending. I’m only spending money on necessities and only at BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ local businesses in my rural area. I grocery shop at the Mexican grocery. Buy eggs from a neighbor who happens to be a member of the LGBTQ community. I’m having the heater core in my car changed out by a Mexican American owned mechanic. I have yet to figure out the gas piece beyond dramatically reducing my driving – taking transit, carpooling with friends, walking, grouping trips.” This Friday February 28 is an economic blackout, so try to spend nothing.
    2. “Boycott business that have scratched DEI focus.” Some of them are Amazon, Ford, Lowe’s, Target, McDonald’s, Walmart, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Disney. Here is a list of more. Email and let them know your reason.
    3. “Go to local school board meetings in visible gear that supports queer and trans students. Volunteer at our neighborhood foodbank. Frequent POC and woman-owned businesses. Check on the senior citizens on my block once a week. Help folks safety plan who may need access to an international border and be with people who know how to cross and are passable. We realized we have space in our home, time, and (in relativity) money. Trying to focus on directly helping people we know who are impacted by federal cuts – either employees or services. Those who are terrified.”

    …

    Read full article here.

  • Dear Funders: Your Endowments Will Be Worthless in a Fascist State

    Hi everyone, this post will be disorganized and will possibly piss off some people. The kids didn’t have school today, so I spent time hanging out with them and didn’t have much time to work on this. The proverb about parenting and how “the days are long but the years are short” is terrifyingly accurate. It feels like yesterday I was bathing them in the bathroom sink; and now they are sassy as hell:

    “Daddy, tell us stories about how poor you were as a kid, like about how you got one salted plum each week as a treat because your parents couldn’t afford candy!”

    “Yes, and about how you didn’t have real toys and had to make tiny boats out of banana leaves!”

    With the horror happening all around us all the time, I find comfort in my kids. Children are a good reminder of why we do this work, and why we can’t give up, even when the tides seem insurmountable, as they often feel right now. I love their imagination, which is filled with hope and optimism, balanced by occasions when relatively minor events can suddenly become catastrophic, like the time my then-three-year-old thought the world was ending because he left behind a cool stick he found when we visited a park. (I went back to get it later).  

    It is us, the adults, who must be practical, and who must shield our kids from harsh reality and let them keep their hopeful innocence for as long as possible. We nod encouragingly at their unrealistic dreams of being a Youtuber or whatever, and we reassure them that many things they freak out about will not come to pass.

    But every once a while, I wish we, the adults, would have the imagination kids have, including the imagination to picture how awful things can be. Especially the adults who have the most power and resources to make a difference. And especially now, when we’re facing the rapid dismantling of democracy and the exponential growth of fascism.

    I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been disheartened by funders’ response or lack thereof to the threats facing our sector and communities. Now, as transgender people, DEI, social justice, decency, women, science, immigrants, the “sin of empathy,” and everything good in the world are under attack and we need funders to step up, many have done the opposite. Hiding. Withdrawing. Or worse, caving in.

    You may have read this article in the New York Times last week (The NYT sucks and has played a huge part in the dehumanizing of transgender people and the platforming of all sorts of hateful ideas that led us to this moment, but that’s for another article): “Venting at Democrats and Fearing Trump, Liberal Donors Pull Back Cash.” Here are some excerpts of what our donors and funders are doing during this crisis:

    …

    Read full article here.

  • Funders, stop bringing spreadsheets to knife fights!

    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.

    Meanwhile, let’s talk about the Generosity Commission. This is a project to learn why, during a global pandemic, everyday people haven’t been giving as much to charity as they did before. This project cost a total of $3.8 million dollars. And after three years of research and wordsmithing, the first recommendation in the report for how to address the problem is this: “Increase the depth and breadth of data on giving and volunteering.”

    I don’t mean to beat up on people and organizations who mean well, especially as several of the people who worked on this project are people I like and admire who have contributed to the field in various other ways. But this whole episode illustrates the stark contrast between how conservative funders and “progressive” funders operate.

    Right-wing funders are ruthless and focused in their goals of shaping society according to their often-abhorrent values. Meanwhile, progressive-leaning funders are mired in toxic intellectualizing, where white papers, evaluation reports, summits, and endless research and pontification are seen as equal, if not superior, to taking meaningful and decisive action.

    Maybe, just maybe, people have been decreasing in their giving and volunteering because they can barely survive under an oppressive system of capitalism run by oligarchs who couldn’t care less if they lived or died. And maybe they have been giving and volunteering less because, as everything burns to the ground, the few wealthy funders and institutions they hoped would help put out the fires decided it would be a great idea to continue doing things like spend $3.8 million dollars and three years to do a study on why they’re giving and volunteering less.

    Read full article here.

  • Nonprofit and philanthropy and our white moderate tendency to obey tyranny in advance

    Nonprofit and philanthropy and our white moderate tendency to obey tyranny in advance

    Next week, because the universe has a perverse sense of humor, we have MLK Jr. Day on the same day as the Inauguration. One of the brightest lights for equity and justice sharing the same day with one of the most effective catalysts for hate, racism, misogyny, and injustice that Humanity has ever produced. It feels sickly appropriate, as these opposing forces have been fighting one another for decades, with the stakes now higher than ever.

    The side of equity and justice, though, has taken a huge hit recently. Meta (which runs Facebook), for example, has capitulated, now relaxing their rules against hateful content. So now it’s a free-for-all for people to harass transgender people, women, immigrants, and other vulnerable people. Zuckerberg has also said companies need more “masculine energy,” which I think means having employees of all genders wear fake mustaches and interrupt one another more often to talk about stuff they only have a little knowledge about but a lot of confidence in.

    Meanwhile, I hear about the rise of MEI, which stands for Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence. It is a counterresponse to DEI. Instead of focusing on “woke garbage” like equity and inclusion, with MEI we just focus on whoever does the best job, never mind stuff like systemic racism and bias, those things “don’t exist.” Be on the lookout for more MEI language from right-wing pundits, politicians, and CEOs. Thankfully, we have some companies, notably Costco, whose board refused to cave in to pressure from the right to dismantle their DEI program.

    It is a time of moral reckoning. There are people and organizations like Costco who stand resolute in their commitment to DEI, even as they know the attacks on them will increase significantly. And then there are others, like Meta, who will openly choose the path of obedience, hoping to save themselves by complying with the demands of oppressors.

    But our sector often falls into the third group: the leaders and organizations who say they are for equity and justice, but whose actions continue to advance injustice. These are the white moderates that MLK warned us about, and our sector is full of them. Here are 21 signs you or your organization may be one.

    As natural catastrophes, such as the LA wildfires, increase in number and intensity; as g3nocides continue, supported by our tax dollars; and as attacks strengthen on vulnerable people and communities, I think about Timothy Snyder’s work “On Tyranny,” where he talks about not “obeying in advance”:

    “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

    “Anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy. Perhaps rulers did not initially know that citizens were willing to compromise this value or that principle. Perhaps a new regime did not at first have the direct means of influencing citizens one way or another. After the German elections of 1932, which brought Nazis into government, or the Czechoslovak elections of 1946, where communists were victorious, the next crucial step was anticipatory obedience. Because enough people in both cases voluntarily extended their services to the new leaders, Nazis and communists alike realized that they could move quickly toward a full regime change. The first heedless acts of conformity could not then be reversed.”

    White moderation will trick us into obeying tyranny in advance while we think what we’re doing is the pragmatic course of action. It’ll look like:

    • foundations moving toward the center to elude the wrath of the right;
    • boards and leaders telling their team to avoid using certain words and phrases, such as “white supremacy” and “equity;”
    • nonprofits backing off from vital work such as protecting trans rights and reproductive rights;
    • a general avoidance of advocacy and activism
    • special counsels at foundations becoming even more risk-averse
    • think tanks recommending appeasement and centrism
    • sector publications further platforming hateful views to seem more “balanced”  
    • donors avoiding giving to organizations that are openly fighting the cruelty and chaos dished out by right-wing conservatives;
    • a rise in non-controversial outcomes and outputs, versus those that relate to systems change
    • individuals rolling their eyes at those of us who see the world slipping further into fascism and who are doing what we can to stop it.   

    Instead of the above, I hope we choose to fight, which will include doing things like:

    …

    Read full article here.

  • Script for The Matrix, if it were set in nonprofit and philanthropy

    Script for The Matrix, if it were set in nonprofit and philanthropy

    Welcome back to work, everyone. I hope your holiday break was restful. I was able to hang out with my kids, and when they were asleep, binge-watched all the episodes of Shogun; it was glorious! But now we’re back to the grind, and it is cold and miserable. Sometimes, I think the people who believe we exist in a computer simulation may be on to something, and I find myself looking around, trying to break the fourth wall, hoping whoever is running this simulation would just give us all a reprieve from all this. Maybe they could simulate a world where the forces of good win for once.

    Anyway, I’m reminded of the movie The Matrix, where the main character, played by Keanu Reeves, realizes he’s been living in a simulation, trapped along with other humans by sentient machines that are using humans as batteries while creating a fake reality to subdue them and keep them from rebelling. Of course, that makes me think about our sector, and what it would be like if The Matrix were set in nonprofit and philanthropy:

    SCENE 1. NONPROFIT OFFICE. DAYTIME.

    NEON sits on a duct-taped-patched swivel chair at his desk, which is piled high with reports, random paperwork, sticky notes, and granola bar wrappers. On his computer screen is a Word document with a chart on it. He is typing numbers into a small desk calculator.

    NEON (under his breath): A budget in Word? What kind of asshole funder asks for that?!

    A ping comes from his phone. He looks at it. “Follow the sticky dots.” He looks around, surprised to find a trail of round dot stickers leading out of the office.

    SCENE 2. A PARKING GARAGE. NIGHTIME.

    MOBIUS, a grizzled man, and EQUITY, a mysterious woman, both wearing sunglasses and dressed in clothing from Ross Dress for Less, approach Neon.

    MOBIUS: Neon, you’ve been living in the Nonprofit Matrix, a world controlled by wealthy individuals and corporations, who created a sector to delude people from seeing how they’re hoarding money, avoiding taxes, and furthering inequity while convincing people they are the solutions to the problems they cause.

    NEON: What are you talking about? I’m a good person. My nonprofit helps a lot of people.

    EQUITY: That’s true, it does. But remember that improv workshop you took once, where you learned about “Yes and”?

    NEON: Yes. And?

    EQUITY: You are helping people AND you are helping capitalism uphold itself by charity-washing its most egregious offenses. You see, by setting up foundations and donating to nonprofits, the extremely wealthy get to feel good about themselves while the masses are tricked into believing excessively wealthy people are good. This is how wealth disparity maintains itself.

    MOBIUS pulls out two containers, holding one in each hand. Equity pulls out a spoon from her pocket.

    MOBIUS: We don’t have much time. Eat the edamame hummus and you go back to what you’ve known. Eat the roasted red pepper hummus, and we’ll show you the truth.

    Neon hesitates, then takes the spoon out of Equity’s hand and uses it to eat a bite of the roasted red pepper hummus.

    NEON: I don’t feel any different.

    MOBIUS: You should feel fuller. Keeping nonprofit workers busy and subsisting on granola bars is a tactic Capitalists use to prevent nonprofit workers from having the energy to start an uprising. That’s why those of us on the resistance eat hummus. It’s full of protein and fiber.

    EQUITY: We need to go. The Agents will be here soon.

    NEON: Can I have the hummus for later?

    MOBIUS: Of course. You’ll need both hummus to maintain your strength for the fights ahead.

    …

    Read full article here.

  • Why Nonprofits Must Embrace Lobbying Now More Than Ever

    Nonprofits are often the unsung heroes of our communities. They feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, advocate for the voiceless, and fill the gaps where government services fall short. Despite this essential work, many nonprofits shy away from lobbying—a tool that could significantly amplify their impact. Misconceptions about what lobbying entails, fear of violating nonprofit regulations, and a culture of “staying in the lane” of service delivery often hold organizations back. But at a time when public policies increasingly shape the environments in which nonprofits operate, lobbying is no longer optional—it is a necessity.

    Why Nonprofits Avoid Lobbying

    For many nonprofits, the decision to avoid lobbying stems from fear and misunderstanding. The perception persists that lobbying could jeopardize a nonprofit’s tax-exempt status. While 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activity, the IRS permits nonprofits to engage in limited lobbying, provided it does not constitute a “substantial part” of their activities.

    Yet, this allowance is often overshadowed by a cautious culture that prioritizes neutrality. Many organizations believe their role is to provide services, not engage in advocacy. Others worry about alienating donors or board members by taking a stand on divisive issues. And some simply lack the capacity or expertise to navigate the complexities of government relations.

    Why Nonprofits Should Lobby

    Nonprofits exist to solve problems, and many of those problems are rooted in systemic issues that only public policy can address. Lobbying is not just about securing favorable legislation; it’s about creating a more just and equitable society. When nonprofits lobby, they bring the voices of the communities they serve directly to policymakers, ensuring that laws and budgets reflect real needs.

    Consider the impact of policies on funding streams, regulations, and program delivery. A nonprofit addressing food insecurity might feed hundreds of families through direct services, but by lobbying for expanded food assistance programs or reduced barriers to SNAP benefits, they can affect millions. Advocacy transforms nonprofits from reactive responders to proactive changemakers.

    Why Now Is the Time

    The urgency to lobby has never been greater. Governments at all levels are grappling with economic challenges, climate change, healthcare inequities, and social justice issues—many of which disproportionately affect the populations nonprofits serve. Policies enacted today will shape the nonprofit landscape for years to come.

    Moreover, a growing anti-democratic sentiment threatens to silence marginalized voices. Nonprofits have a unique responsibility to counteract this trend by ensuring their communities are represented in policy discussions. Lobbying is one way to push back against policies that exacerbate inequality or undermine the public good.

    Federal and state budget decisions are particularly critical. Nonprofits reliant on government grants or contracts must advocate for adequate funding. Silence in these discussions risks cuts that could devastate entire sectors.

    How Nonprofits Can Start Lobbying

    For nonprofits unaccustomed to lobbying, the first step is understanding the rules. The IRS provides clear guidelines, and resources like the “H-election” option allow nonprofits to elect to measure lobbying expenditures under a more straightforward framework.

    Building coalitions is another effective strategy. Joining forces with other organizations amplifies collective impact and distributes the workload. Local, state, and national nonprofit associations often offer training, resources, and opportunities for collaboration.

    Finally, nonprofits must integrate advocacy into their missions. This requires buy-in from boards, staff, and stakeholders who understand that lobbying is not a distraction from service delivery but an extension of it.

    A Call to Action

    Lobbying is not just a right—it’s a responsibility. Nonprofits are uniquely positioned to advocate for policies that promote justice, equity, and sustainability. By embracing lobbying, nonprofits can ensure that their missions extend beyond services to tackle the systemic causes of the issues they address.

    In North Texas in 2023, the nonprofit lobbying expenses for over 26,000 nonprofits only amounted to $1.3 million of the approximate $27.32 billion. To change this, the North Texas Nonprofit Institute hosted a Nonprofit Advocacy & Lobbying Webinar Series in early 2024. As a result of the resent elections, the institute has made these resources freely available until the end of the year.

    The stakes are too high to remain silent. It is time for nonprofits to step into their power and use every tool available—including lobbying—to create the change our communities so desperately need.

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

    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.

    Thank you to Rusty Stahl from Fund the People for sounding the alarm and compiling resources, including the actions and script below:

    YOU CAN HELP DEFEAT this bill with 2 easy actions BEFORE THIS THURSDAY:

    (1) Join 35,000 Americans who have signed the petition against H.R. 9495. Sign now: https://lnkd.in/gAupWREr

    (2) Call the 52 Democrats who voted FOR the bill last week to urge them to vote NO this Thursday!

    • Look below to see if you are represented by one of these 52 Democrats who voted YES.
    • Call or email their Capitol Hill office every day through Thursday 11/21/24!
    • Dial the Capitol Switchboard to be connected to your Rep’s office: (202) 224-3121.
    • If you or your board members or donors have relationships with them or their staff, reach out personally!
    • Be authentic and passionate. There is a script available below you can work from

    Here are the 52 Democrats Who Voted YES on 9495 Last Week:

    …

    Read full article here.

  • We must move from despair to righteous anger

    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:

    “Righteous anger is usually not about oneself. It is about those whom one sees being harmed and whom one wants to help. In short, righteous anger is a tool of justice, a scythe of compassion, more than a reactive emotion. Although it may have its roots deep in our fight-or-flight desire to protect those in our family or group who are threatened, it is a chosen response and not simply an uncontrollable reaction. And it is not about one’s own besieged self-image, or one’s feelings of separation, but of one’s collective responsibility, and one’s feeling of deep, empowering connection.”

    This is where I think we should all start moving. We need to be angry at the audacity of this administration and the horrible things it plans to do. We need to be angry at all the politicians who support and enable this felon and his corrupt cronies. We need to be angry so we do not give them a moment of peace in their quest to destroy democracy and inflict cruelty on people and communities.

    Meanwhile, we also need to be angry at certain failings in our sector. Chief among them, our penchant for “white moderation.” For so long we’ve bought into this nice sort of way of operating that prioritizes getting along and not ruffling feathers. This is why we’ve lost our imagination and keep putting up with bullshit, which prevents us from doing our work effectively.

    …

    Read full article here.

  • You are not alone in this endless waking nightmare

    Hi everyone, I am sick to my soul. I write to process my feelings, but I am not sure how coherent I will be. Once again, our racist and misogynistic country proves just how racist and misogynistic it is. It revels in cruelty and ignorance, electing a convicted felon, rapist, and insurrectionist into power despite the breathtaking level of harm he did the last time, wiping out generations’ worth of progress.

    I do not have easy platitudes for you. I can only share your grief and fear and despair at the horrors that are to come. I am as heartbroken as many of you are. I am enraged. Not just at those who voted for fascism and authoritarian rule, but for our own incumbent leaders, who swung moderate and courted conservatives and who voted again and again to support and fund genocide, knowing it would cost them needed votes. 

    This morning, I drove my kids to school, wondering what sort of future awaits them. What sort of future awaits us all, especially our community members who are of color, trans, disabled, gay, immigrants, poor, elderly, homeless, and others already bearing the brunt of the cruelty of capitalism and white supremacy. Will there be a future for Palestinians, Congolese, Sudanese, Ukrainians, and other people whose fates rest on the whims of the US empire.

    I don’t have many words to comfort you, but I will try, because that’s all any of us can do in this moment. We need to set aside time to grieve. Grieve for the inequities that brought us to this place. Grieve for the difficult road ahead. Grieve for the lives that will be lost because of the malice and vindictiveness that will shape the policies our communities must further endure. Grieve at what could have been, the hope and optimism and the brighter reality we could have had. 

    Let’s give ourselves the time and grace to feel the rage and sadness and pain. But let’s remind ourselves that we are not alone during these times of collective despair. We who believe in a just and equitable world have each other. Reach out and check in with the people you care about. Check in with your team. Create space to be together. During these times, it is always community that saves us. 

    If you are up for it—and it’s OK if you’re not—here are some resources from various colleagues. I find them helpful and grounding. 

    …

    Read full article here.