Promoting Us Non-Essentials

After every crisis of the last 20 years, many organized funders shift their priorities to meet the immediate needs stemming from that crisis. Following the logic, the nature of a crisis is that it creates urgent needs, quite often outside of, or intensifying, the ongoing needs of society. So, it is understandable that more money would flow in those directions. 

Philanthropic dollars are quite often a zero sum pie, this means that money is flowing away from those things the sector provides that are deemed less Read more

Purposeful Philanthropy and Political Consumerism

What do these phrases have in common?  Philanthropy is not a zero sum pie, purposeful philanthropy, too many facts may not be good and political consumerism.

There has been much talk in the wake of the election and incidences of binge philanthropy about the zero sum pie that is philanthropy, with a lone voice claiming it is not.  Seriously?

The ACLU receiving six times as much in on-line donations in one weekend than it did in the entire previous year means that other nonprofits won’t be seeing Read more

Et tu, Nonprofit?

Sadly, I seem to be on a tear against my own sector.  This is disturbing.  But, then, so is that which I am railing against!

It would be preposterous to say that at this point in my life, I am naïve, or not well rooted in reality.    I’ve always classified myself as a realist, rather than either optimist or pessimist.  But now I’m beginning to wonder if my view of reality needs to change or if the nonprofit sector needs to return to its roots and Read more

June 26th, 2013 1 Comment