
As I seek out nonprofit work that inspires me, I have been learning a lot about formal and informal organizations that are mission-driven but not necessarily typical 501(c)3 organizations. These include mutual aid groups, cooperatives, worker-owned businesses, intentional communities, and land trusts.
During the pandemic, there was a big uptick in mutual aid projects and community care. Most are informal groups seeking to meet human needs without requiring the recipients to demonstrate need or go through a screening process. This is exciting because so many nonprofits are forced to set up criteria for worthiness that are biased (usually unintentionally, but this doesn’t change the impact), and to establish time-consuming bureaucratic systems to determine eligibility. Mutual aid envisions a world where all people are worthy and can access what they need without barriers.
I look forward to writing in more depth about some of these organizations in the future. In the meantime, check out and follow some mutual aid groups in the Seattle area or shop at a worker-owned coop. In many ways, these types of initiatives are a return to the origins of nonprofits: collective voluntary action to solve problems and improve communities. Many nonprofits were started by “a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens” and make a big difference.