We have all missed so much over the course of this pandemic. Big things. Noticeable voids. But, then there are the things that sneak up on us. Every year, at the end of our “busy” season as Executive Directors, a dear friend and I would take a day off and have lunch and go outlet mall shopping. Phones off. Emails silent. Just us. We would decompress, catch up, and eat really great food. It was always a date that was in ink on my calendar. We didn’t get to do that this year. So, when she texted and said “Let’s Zoom over lunch” my heart lept. She and I have navigated the nonprofit world together through fundraising events, rogue board members, uncertainties, job changes, and balancing it all while raising our kids. During our lunch she asked me if I had heard about the latest nonprofit “awards” that were recently announced in a city close to both of us. “The Worst of….”. Ugh.
“This is why we need to educate people on what our mission truly is. A food pantry’s mission is not to end world hunger. But, so many people think it is! How do people’s assumptions of our mission impact how they view our success as an organization? What if we are in fact meeting our mission…its just not the mission they assume we have”.
And…..
“Do the people running these awards truly know the damage this could do to a nonprofit?”
Two really heavy, and important, questions. We both shook our heads under the weight of what she had just shared. One award of “The Worst of….” could sink a nonprofit organization. In this day and age of immediate consumption of perceptions, opinions as facts, and misinformation, it could take considerable resources and capacity for a nonprofit to defend itself in a PR storm such as this one. Educating the public about your mission, in defense of it, is not a position you ever want to be in.
We began questionning how these nonprotfits were picked. What was the criteria? Who chose? Why were these awards held in the first place? Upon further investigation I found that these awards were created to “amplify the voices of the people who have been marginalized, abused, and underserved by businesses, elected officials, and organizations in our community” -that was taken from the orgs website. I reached out to the organization and asked, “Before you announce the finalists, are the orgs notified? Or, do they find out when everyone else does? I was just curious if they are given an opportunity to enter the discussion reflectively rather than defensively”. I never received a reply.
The organization that held these “awards” has since scheduled a community conversation with community leaders and organizers that is aimed at finding solutions and possibilities for moving forward. My question still remains the same…..if we are going to hold organizations accountable, uplift vulnerable voices, and really move the needle……why aren’t we STARTING with the conversation? Is it because organizations are not accessible, approachable, or transparent enough? Why do the people who organized these awards feel that they are necessary? A conversation may have not only impacted a change within the organization, it may have saved dollars and staff capacity that has to be now diverted from the mission of the organization to defending it. More than just the people leading the organization will suffer. Decreased donations will impact the services being provided, not only in the short term, but in years to come. Are we really amplifying marginalized voices by cutting off the services they most likely depend on? There has to be a better way.
I have seen organizations take deep dives this year internally to take a hard look at how they are acknowledging IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and access). This is work that we don’t normally put up on a billboard. It is work that makes us very vulnerable. Work that exposes weaknesses in how and who we serve. It requires that we own our mistakes, and take the steps necessary to fix them. This is not fast work. This is not easy work. It is not fun-sexy-give us money to do this-work. But, it is CRITICAL work that HAS to be done. It is work that we NEED to be transparent about. Get over ourselves and make it open to the community and people you serve. If you aren’t openly doing this work are you going to REALLY know what needs to change? How do you best serve the people in your community if you don’t ask them, or involve them in the process?
Stop spending time drafting “statements” and start having conversations with the people you serve, and take action on their input. Make this work part of the fabric of your organization. Make yourself open and available to make the changes within your organization that allow you to best serve everyone in your community. If the “Worst of….” awards amplified anything for me, it is that we don’t talk enough about the work we do, and need to do. Let’s fix that.
FUNdED 