diversity - Nonprofit AF

Board Relations

The real reasons many organizations are still unable to diversify their board, staff, fundraising committees, etc.

Hi everyone, sorry this post is a day late (my laptop updated at the most inconvenient time last night and took hours). Before we get to this week’s topic, quick announcement. BEER, which stands for Beverage to Enhance Equity in Relationships, took a break last year, but is now

Personal

Racialized and marginalized people are exhausted. We need a break from talking and thinking about inequity and injustice all the time.

Hi everyone, the weather is finally nice in Seattle, so I want to finish this blog post quickly and take my kids to the playground. They are growing up fast, and I know there will come a day when they will stop asking me to take them to the playground.

Fundraising

It’s time to expand our perspectives and conversations in fundraising

Hi everyone, a couple of quick announcements. Thank you to the 1400+ colleagues who attended last week’s webinar “What’s Broken in the Foundation and Donor Landscape?” put on by CalNonprofits, Community-Centric Fundraising, Nonprofit AF, Institute for Policy Studies, and Inequality.org. We discussed wealth hoarding, tax avoidance, and

Race, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

The Curb-Cut Effect, and Why Race, Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) Are Even More Critical Now

Hi everyone, before we get to today’s topic, I’m having a conversation with the brilliant Angie Kim, CEO of the Center for Cultural Innovation, on May 27th at 10am PST, about our sector. “Vu and Angie will have an informal, probably profanity-laden fireside chat, where we discuss what’

nonprofit field

The privilege to fail: How the benefits of trust and failure are not equitably distributed

Hi everyone, as usual, Game of Thrones is back on, with the Battle at Winterfell coming tonight, so the quality of this post may likely decrease. Don’t @ me, bro. Or whatever. See, I warned you. A while ago, I wrote “Is Equity the new coconut water?” which likened the

nonprofit field

So you don’t think race, equity, diversity, and inclusion are relevant to your mission

Hi everyone, this post may be a little shorter than usual, due to a few few full-blown tantrums from my little ones over the course of the day. One involved a potty training accident that required a thorough hose-down in the bathtub. I am slightly frazzled and not very lucid.

nonprofit field

10 measurable New Year's resolutions your nonprofit or foundation can totally achieve in 2019

Hi everyone. If this is your first day back from the holiday break, make some coffee and read last week’s pep talk “Welcome back to work, you stunningly brilliant and attractive world-changer, you!” followed by “12 tips to ensure you don't stab anyone on your first day

Community Engagement

An awesome solution for diversifying the environmental movement

Hi everyone, an announcement before we get into today's post: Joan Garry's Nonprofit Leadership Lab is open for enrollment for the next four days (10/22 to 10/25). I was recently on Joan's podcast, where we discussed how awesome nonprofit folks are, and

data

How the concept of effectiveness has screwed nonprofits and the people we serve

Hi everyone. Before we delve into today’s very serious topic, a quick announcement. January 12th is International Nonprofit Karaoke Throwdown Day! Here’s a blog post I wrote on why staff and boards of different nonprofits need to hang out more. Find a nonprofit or two in your area

leadership

Why we need to end the culture of “Cultural Fit”

A few weeks ago, the Building Movement Project released this critical report, Race to Lead: Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap, which has profound implications for our sector. If you haven’t read it, I highly suggest you do. It debunks some crappy and destructive myths about leadership and diversity

Uncategorized

Capacity Building 9.1: Give someone a fish, let them focus on carpentry

My organization, Rainier Valley Corps, just finished our first program year (yay!). In case you didn’t know, RVC’s flagship program is a fellowship where we find talented leaders of color, provide them with training and support, and have them work full-time at small, grassroots organizations led by communities

Funder Relations

Funders, your grant application process may be perpetuating inequity

A few weeks ago, a fellow Executive Director of color and a friend of mine, “Maria,” was nearly in tears after failing for a second time to get a small grant. She doesn’t drink, or else I would have offered access to the personal minibar that I keep in