Why this Substack?

Image by Agata from Pixabay

Welcome to my Substack, Imagining A Better Nonprofit Sector. I’m looking forward to having an outlet to write about some of the things I am thinking about and trying to make sense of related to nonprofits, and I hope to do so in dialogue with you. I expect to write mostly about big issues facing the nonprofit sector and ways to take action to build more powerful and resilient organizations, including organizations that step outside the traditional nonprofit model when needed to create change.

As a nonprofit staff member and board member over many years, I have experienced inspiration and frustration. I have felt both support and resistance from systems and colleagues. I hope this space will primarily provide hope and inspiration for people in nonprofits as they accomplish great things. Rather than emphasizing the negative, let’s recognize the shortcomings of the nonprofit industrial complex and identify ways to evolve to something better.

Who am I?

I am a 57-year-old nonprofit management consultant with over 30 years of experience working in and with nonprofit organizations. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am a privileged white woman, and that privilege has afforded me the opportunity to work and volunteer for causes that I care about, including LGBTQ+ civil rights, arts and culture, educational equity, and community building.

Over the course of my career, I moved from programmatic work on missions I cared about to becoming a nonprofit capacity builder and helping nonprofit organizations improve how they operate. This work has included board training and development, strategic planning facilitation, interim executive director work, organizational assessment, teaching graduate students, policy advocacy, and leading a state nonprofit association. While most of my work has been in Washington state, I’ve had opportunities to connect with people and organizations working throughout the US, and have participated in national advocacy efforts.

I like to step back and look at the big picture. I’m interested in the context that nonprofits operate in and relationships between nonprofits, government, businesses, and organized philanthropy. I want to work with others to change how these sectors interact as well as change how nonprofit organizations behave, in the interest of greater equity and community care.

What will I be writing about?

I’m interested in writing about and sharing resources related to big questions such as:

• How do nonprofits get their revenue? How are nonprofits impacted by the demands of various funders? How is increasing wealth inequality impacting nonprofits and philanthropy?

• How can we renegotiate the rules of engagement between nonprofits and government partners as more and more of government’s work is outsourced to nonprofit contractors?

• How does nonprofit governance and the balance of power between board and staff need to change to ensure that communities served have a meaningful voice in decision-making?

• How do we build solidarity and strong movements for progressive social change? How do we handle conflict constructively and avoid beating each other up?

• What organizational structures can best support thriving, effective nonprofit organizations?

• What new types of nonprofits are being created by the next generation of activists?

Please subscribe and follow future posts. I’d love to connect and to build a community of people who are committed to imagining a better nonprofit sector together.