Reimagining the Nonprofit Sector
I seek to write a book that details:
The origin history and narrative of nonprofits/NGOs;
The organizational and operational structures of nonprofits/NGOs;
The types of habits, culture, and practices that evince anti-Black racism within these structures;
Internal equitable solutions and practices and external changes needed;
A vision for what nonprofits look and feel like when anti-Blackness is eradicated and pro-Blackness is enabled, and
A call to action for different stakeholders to collectively engage in this work.
A book would be a starting point for providing organizations with explicit actions, lessons, and tools to ensure nonprofits/NGOs are transformative spaces and do not simply perpetuate a harmful status quo. The resources included would be based on insights from my experiences, and the experiences of other individuals who may be interviewed for this project, grounded in research, and building on the resources named above.
Additionally, the insights shared would provide a vision of ideal environments needed to implement the lessons and infrastructure described. This element will outline actions needed from a variety of stakeholders, including organizational leaders, funders, and potential policy changes.
The goal is to ultimately change a sector with overwhelmingly and disproportionately white/Western leadership, rooted in anti-Black racism, and to ensure that our steps to transform are rooted in deep understanding of the history.
PROBLEM ANALYSIS
The nonprofit sector employs over 12 million people in the US alone. Yet, while nonprofits are broadly mission driven, they have a history rooted in charity, which “ignores past realities that forced communities into oppressive situations.” As such, nonprofits have often perpetuated broader societal harms, including anti-Black racism, notwithstanding their charitable missions.
For example, though many nonprofits operate in or purport to serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, very few have BIPOC leaders. And many major NGOs that purport to serve the Global South, are headquartered in the West/Global North.
In the US, only 6% of nonprofits have Black Board Chairs, and 5% have Black CEOs/EDs. In recent years, nonprofit staff have more readily turned to unionizing as a means of enforcing better treatment, like fair pay, and calling out the ways in which nonprofits reinforce the most harmful and extractive echoes of capitalism.
The challenges within the nonprofit setting have even reached a boiling point with infighting threatening to thwart progressive agendas. And there are likewise many calls to decolonize NGOs.
What’s more, nonprofits are also “defined by a pervasive and systemic white advantage, [a term] used to describe the concrete ways that structure and power in nonprofit organizations reinforce the benefits of whiteness.” These burdens are particularly felt by BIPOC leaders, who additionally face the pressure to heal the racial tensions that have long been simmering.
These aforementioned challenges create a powerful imperative for reimagining nonprofits and NGOs so that they can be institutions where Black and other historically excluded people have choice, power, and can thrive as employees, as leaders, and as broader stakeholders.
Impact
I seek to provide a clear path for nonprofits to shift practices, ensure they are equitable and just places to work and to better serve their communities. It is my hope that they have the leadership and management practices needed to truly understand and address anti-Black racism. Consequently, my hope is that in the long term, they truly realize their mission and vision or even work themselves out of business if there is no longer a need for specific nonprofits.
The work to dismantle anti-Black racism in a sector rooted in charity and colonialism requires understanding the history of the sector, present-day operations, and ability to use that awareness to transform behavior, habits, practices, and culture. I hope to inspire a variety of actors to be clear on what transformation is needed and have the courage to engage differently.
For nonprofits that are struggling with capacity issues or where BIPOC leaders are feeling burned out and unsupported, it is my hope that as a result of the insights here, other empowered stakeholders will have the courage to support needed change. I want to see a sector that addresses its anti-Black racism so that it can explore solutions not burdened by the weight of harm and shape a society that recognizes the humanity and dignity of all. This is a sector that can be a model to other industries.
