Conscience Laundering
Peter Buffet, meet Andrew Carnegie.
Peter, one of Warren Buffet’s sons, has been “trending” of late due to the op-ed piece he had in The New York Times recently. He makes two very prescient observations that are likely to cause many well-intentioned philanthropists to shudder. I hope, however, that once the shudder stopped coursing up and down their spines, they, and all of the other philanthropists who read his piece, paused to really think about his point.
Point one, he talks about “philanthropic colonialism”—the philanthropists “urge to save Read more
Ringmasters of Corruption
Perhaps the IRS should be paying more attention to the missions of the organizations apply for tax-exempt status. Clearly, not by using keywords, but by really looking at the mission of an organization and determining if, in fact, it is working on behalf of some portion of the public good. Granted, that means, as it should, that I will not like all of the missions that get approved to become the drivers of tax-exempt organizations operating in the same realm as the organizations whose missions Read more
Learning from Other’s Mistakes
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America was all over the news of late, having had its federal funding temporarily frozen. According to the Inspector General’s Office of the Department of Justice, the national organization has done a poor job of complying with federal standards for accounting for more than $23 million of federal grant dollars received. While the Fed’s expectations are not, by any means, light and easy, they are generally clear and straightforward, particularly for an organization with a track record of receiving federal 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
Tote that Barge
“Do more. For more. With less.”
Sounds like a slogan supporting the war effort. I can see it under a picture of Uncle Sam or Rosie the Riveter or Grant Wood’s American Gothic. It could be powerful! Unfortunately, it is not a war slogan, unless you mean a war on nonprofits.
The fact that it is the current mantra of the head of a large nonprofit (and a funder of other nonprofits), is, at a minimum, insulting to all who toil in those direct service nonprofits trying Read more
Haters gonna hate?
Readers of my blog know I think not just about individual nonprofits but about the sector as a whole. And while I want each individual part to be as strong and as good as it can be, I really want the whole to be greater than the sum of those individual parts. Along those lines, and without meaning to be self-righteous, I do believe that our sector has a social responsibility that surpasses even the most socially responsible for-profit company, even the best B-Corp there Read more
8 Things I’d Like You to Know
There seems to be a growing tendency for teaser titles to articles, presentations, webinars, with some variation of this theme: The Top 10 Things…. The number doesn’t matter; it’s what follows. The Top 10 Things you Need to Know about Starting a Nonprofit,” “…About Being a Board Member,” “…Every Manager Should Know About Hiring,” or “…You Need to Build a Strong Program.” It seems that our attention span has dwindled even shorter (that’s what comes from communicating in 140 characters or less) and we must Read more
All in the Family
Recently, I spoke with a woman who helps the wealthy do good with their money. She’s concerned by the fact that no one is paying attention to the implications of the massive wealth that is going to change hands over the next several decades. Yes, people are talking about the unprecedented $41 trillion figure. And, yes, nonprofits are talking about how they might get a share of that money. But people aren’t talking about how that portion of the $41 trillion that will go for Read more
