For years, good people who are trying their best to do good work in nonprofits have told us about the obstacles they face when trying to really change things for the better within the nonprofit system.
This includes frustration with the power holders in nonprofits who would much rather maintain the status quo, and who constantly refer to outdated “best practices” rather than encourage change that reflects a more equitable way of working. Sometimes this is simply because those power holders don’t know any better. Other times this is due to the power holders not wanting to take on the (often challenging!) work to truly change the way of doing things, even if it would benefit everyone in the long run. Of course, some just don’t want to let go of the comfort of holding onto their authority.
A large part of our work with nonprofit organizations is constantly asking what we can do to push the needle forward in a better, more just and equitable direction to help make this system better. We’re invested in this not only as consultants, but also as board members, volunteers, and former staffers of nonprofits that are out there doing the heavy lifting to make our communities better.
Our very first podcast guest, Kourtney Andar, joined us for the episode “Who Owns Nonprofits?” where we asked: “Are nonprofits upholding and sustaining the harm of a capitalistic society? Do they inadvertently perpetuate the problems they set out to solve?” It’s a fascinating set of questions to ponder. Kourtney references “Patronizing Evil: The Nonprofit Sector Perpetuates the Worst Legacies of Capitalism” in the episode, which is worth a read, as well.
While nonprofit issues exist nationwide (of course), a lot of our work has been unique to the state of New Mexico since that is where our headquarters are located. As a result, we’ve held professional development workshops here for nonprofit folks who are tired of the status quo. We are regularly involved in community-centered strategic planning and facilitating groups wanting to do things differently.
A great example of nonprofit systems change work in action can be heard in the discussion on our podcast with the CEO of Girls Inc. of Santa Fe, Kim Brown. In “Recentering for Real Change” (episodes 1 and 2) she talks about leading with heart, walking the walk, and confronting the uncomfortable in order to create authentic organizational change.
Vicki, our founder, wrote an op-ed responding to a local paper about the unique problems that Santa Fe arts nonprofits face when it comes to the revolving door of executive directors and board dysfunction. In it, she brought a conversation that is often kept behind closed doors to print because we believe if we can’t even talk about these issues, how can we make them better?
On that note, after all these years of discussions, frustrations (and several successes!) we’re hosting a conversation that we think has been missing in the nonprofit scene in our state. Nothing changes if nothing changes, so we’re doing something about it. And you can, too!
Join us this December as we envision what’s needed for New Mexico’s social sector to be more equitable, rooted in justice, and have a larger impact for communities. Visit this link to learn more.
