Last week, I made a reel called “Funders: Stop overthinking how you can help nonprofits right now,” where the message is simple: Nonprofits and people in general just need money. Unrestricted money. Over a long period of time. You want nonprofits to be effective in protecting vulnerable people? MONEY! Want leaders not to burn out while fighting this fascist regime? Want to solve poverty? Give money. Want to help immigrants detained by ICE? Money. MONEY! LOTS OF MONEY!
The reel got nearly 3,000 likes and tons of supportive comments. People are tired of so many funders wanting to be “helpful” but doing anything except increasing the amount of money they’re giving out. Nonprofits do not need more webinars, research papers, listening sessions, statements of support, or whatever non-funding-based solutions funders love to propose. A colleague wrote:
“A foundation in my city just yesterday announced new capacity building programs. I got so excited. And then I read the email. They’re bringing in big-name consulting/technology companies to ‘teach’ all these systems and paying them money but no cash for the participating organizations to implement anything they ‘learn’ (and the products/services that will be pitched to them).”
A few colleagues though, were taken aback at the idea that money is the solution to a lot of problems right now. One seemed almost offended, writing, “This guy thinks corporate solution for anti-corporate world. The mission needs more than money […] MLK didn’t have nonprofit corporate money.”
So let’s talk about this, OK, because it’s vital we’re all on the same page as we continue dealing with entrenched societal problems. First of all, calling me “this guy” is very hurtful. I prefer “this sexy middle-aged man.”
Second, I’ve been railing against capitalism for years. And I’ve been railing against our sector’s role in conscience-laundering for capitalism; through our actions, even well-meaning, we are often complicit in an awful system that allows a few people to exploit others to enrich themselves and hoard their riches, who then use their wealth to perpetuate this shitty system. In an ideal world, we would not have wealth disparity or inequity or injustice, and in fact, most nonprofits would not even have a reason to exist. We should work toward that world.
Because we see how awful capitalism is, it’s understandable that people would recoil at the thought of using money, the symbol and vehicle for capitalism, to solve many of the problems directly caused by capitalism. We often bring up Audre Lorde’s quote “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
…
Read full article here…
