Paradoxical commandments for the nonprofit professional
Hi everyone. Before we begin today’s blog post, a couple of things. First, please go write a review of a foundation on grantadvisor.org (it’s like a Trip Advisor where you can anonymously review...
View ArticleThe courage to be unfair
Last week, I went to speak at a conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania put on by the United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. The topic was...
View Article“The White-Paper Princess” and other children’s books about nonprofit work
Hi everyone. Before we begin today’s post, I created a page on Patreon, where artists get monthly financial support from their community so they can do their creative work. This is something several...
View ArticlePhilanthropy: Whose money is it anyway?
Hi everyone. This post may be a little serious, due to one more mass shooting. As a parent, I think of death a lot, but mainly in the context of who would take care of my kids if my partner and I...
View ArticleAnswers on grant proposals if nonprofits were brutally honest, part 2
Hi everyone. It’s been a rough few weeks, but I’m starting to feel hopeful again. Before we begin this week’s not-serious-at-all post, thank you to all the monthly patrons of this blog on Patreon. We...
View Article9 examples of funders being awesome partners to nonprofits
Hi everyone. I have been on vacation for the past couple of weeks and have reached “peak lazing.” This means I may or may not have not showered in three days and that this post may be pourly edited....
View ArticlePhilanthropy and the Destructive Illusion of “Leveling the Playing Field”
A few months ago a program officer and I were talking about the lack of funding that goes to communities-of-color-led nonprofits (only about 10% of philanthropic dollars go to organizations of color)....
View ArticleThe game of nonprofit is flawed. Learn to play it so you can change it.
Every once a while, an up-and-coming nonprofit professional would ask me, “What advice would you give us folks who are just starting in the sector?” This is how you know that you yourself are no longer...
View ArticleBrett Kavanaugh, and why we must stop intellectualizing and take more actions
Hi everyone. A quick announcement before this week’s post. My colleague and occasional drinking buddy Joan Garry has a free workshop being released starting next week that I strongly encourage you to...
View ArticleOMG, can we please stop saying “there’s only so much funding to go around”?!
Hi everyone. I just finished reading Edgar Villanueva’s important and illuminating book, Decolonizing Wealth. It highlights something we actively avoid talking about: the history of philanthropic...
View Article
