Category Archives: social justice

How do you know you’re making a difference?


Posted by ajlovesya

 

Last night I attended a presentation by idealist.org about a new program they are piloting in NYC that will allow people to act as Connectors in their communities. These people will help others find the resources and networks they need to take action on an issue they are passionate about, online and offline.

I walked away from the presentation with a renewed appreciation for the daily actions people take to try to make a difference and how the barriers to engagement can easily be surmounted with the right support.  During the Q&A someone in the audience asked how idealist.org would measure progress to see if the project is successful.  One measurement would be how many people are willing to talk to others about the program and invite them to join.  While the answer is related to the project, it made me wonder:  Is telling others in our lives about our activism the hardest part of taking action?

Why is this so hard?

My first year of college I took a course on black women and religion.  I was learning about various religions black women practiced and how those religions helped them navigate sexism and racism.  After the first few classes, I was eager to share my experiences with my mother.  My enthusiasm was met with concern and suspicion.  Indeed, her first reaction was:  “Don’t come back an atheist.”

That comment led to a discussion of beliefs my mom held about education, religion, and social change, a conversation my mom and I hadn’t had before yet shed light on our differing views on touchy issues.

I share this story because it reflects a challenge that many of us encounter in social change work: sometimes the most difficult conversations around social change, passion, and progress happen with the people in our lives.  Our family members, friends, and loved ones.  Maybe it’s because their potential disagreement with our views hits hardest.  Maybe it’s because we’re afraid it may cause a rift in our relationships.  Maybe it’s because you know that these kinds of conversations won’t end well.   In any case, I think this is often why it is easier to engage in conversation with strangers around some of these touchy issues.  It gives us a sense of security: they don’t know me, so no worries.

Where can you begin?

Yet I find that having these kinds of conversations with the people in my life and connecting them to the resources they need are signs that I am making a difference.  I know I am making a difference when:

  • My mother reads an article about a social justice issue in New York City and asks me to discuss it with her,
  • My best friend wants to explore her passion and comes to me for advice,
  • My sister wants to volunteer and asks me where she should begin,
  • My boyfriend wants to learn more about the social change work of business people he admires and looks to me for information

By taking action, no matter how small, we send a message to people in our lives that taking action is possible.  You, in this way, become a connector as others see you as a living example of how they can get involved and ask you for advice.

Yet sometimes we all need a little push to get involved and to invite others to join us.  Idealist.org had some great questions to get the conversation started:

  • What do want to do (to make your community, or the world, a better place)?
  • Why haven’t you done it?
  • What would help you to do it?

Easy enough, right?  My plan is to ask more people in my life these questions and reflect on them myself.  Are you willing to do the same?

What do you think?  How can you engage people in your life about making a difference?

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Lessons from Marie Claire on Breast Cancer Awareness Lies and Cheating Nonprofits


Posted by ajlovesya

From Marie Claire

Just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Marie Claire published an article exploring the $6 billion breast cancer research and awareness industry and the unscrupulous behavior of some charities. Of course we know that just because your organization may have 501c3 status, it does not automatically mean that you are operating for the benefit of the public. Yet the article explores something else that many social change makers may not consider: what happens when your cause becomes too popular?


What might seem like a dream—your cause being championed across sectors, nonprofits doing great work in this area are celebrated, various ways of engagement exist to allow better connection with the public—can quite easily become a nightmare. Specifically, you have folks simply jumping on the bandwagon of the cause du jour with the desire to make a quick buck. Whether in the form of outright stealing or clever financial accounting, the goal for some is to capitalize on the public’s good will, landing many nonprofits—including even the most diligent ones—in trouble as folks lose trust and take back their support.

However, while this problem is serious and can harm the public’s trust in both the cause and organizations working around it, it is not inevitable. Indeed, there are conversations happening throughout the sector that are forcing us to be more deliberate and transparent the potential for scamming and are important to examine as we push for greater public support of our causes:

The drawback to buying cause related goods

It has become all too easy for folks to simply sell pink items with no intention of giving proceeds to organizations that focus on the disease. Additionally, what may seem like cross sector collaboration and new ways of engagement are actually easier ways to deceive the public or have your cause co-opted (remember the KFC-breast cancer fiasco?) Some of this cannot be controlled, but some of it can in the form of more thoughtful corporate partnerships. How should nonprofits select corporate partners?

The growing ease of checking nonprofits

Better Business Bureau, Guidestar, Charity Navigator, GiveWell, and others all serve a similar function: to help the public make better choices about where their donations should go. While the process of measuring the effectiveness of nonprofits is constantly being tweaked (Charity Navigator just launched a new approach to assessing nonprofits) the rise of these types of organizations signals a shift in how we view nonprofits: not just as warm fuzzy places that do nice things, but as organizations with responsibilities that need to be held accountable. GiveWell in particular talks about “room for funding” in that some nonprofits and causes they examine do not need more money. Will more nonprofits embrace greater transparency?

The need for easier financial reporting and understanding

The article points that since 990s are prepared by nonprofits themselves and don’t always disclose key financial information (like how much is paid to consultants) they may not always be reliable. Of course, 990s are not always the easiest to read, can be a pain to complete, and some information may not be as necessary as the author claims. However, maybe the push for this information can spark a larger conversation on what information is necessary and how this information should be presented. For example, focusing on overhead is simply not the best way to measure a nonprofit’s effectiveness. We, in the sector, know this, yet how can we start working with the public to understand this and why this matters? How can we make nonprofit finance interesting and easy to understand and share?

Articles like the one published by Marie Claire may make us feel defensive and may make us hesitant about our attempts to raise awareness.  However, they are actually opportunities to clarify misconceptions,  talk about the work we do, and brainstorm solutions to do it more effectively. Isn’t that the point of raising awareness in the first place?

What’s your take on the article?


Is Social Change Supposed to Be Easy?


Posted by ajlovesya

I’m trying something new on my blog: conversation starters. I’ll highlight quotes or articles that have me buzzing and hope you’ll chime in.

In his book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals, Hal Herzog frequently revisits the activists’ paradox: “ The greater your moral clarity, the harder it is to be morally consistent.”

For example, he notes that as folks see how horribly animals are treated and they want to avoid using animal products all together. However they find this to be extraordinarily difficult and may not be able to act in a way that their understanding of this particular issue requires.

This made me think of two questions:

As we seek truth and justice is there a level of sacrifice that is required? I’ve talked about how young people want to integrate social change into their lives but what also strikes me is the expectation that social change should be easy. That no level of sacrifice or deeper thought beyond buying something or starting something is required. Is this hiding the amount of work that is involved or making complex issues far simpler than they are?

What is the right balance of local and national change and action? The food justice issue a great place to start with this question. Not everyone can afford $8 for a dozen eggs or $3.50 for a pound of peaches. But does that mean they can’t help out in other ways? Indeed, going back to the first question above,do we need to create different ways for individuals take action at kinds  so more people can be involved?

At the same time, does this mean that we should be pushing for new systems and structures that make it easier for people to live in ways that have a less harmful effect on the environment and on their own health? Cheryl Dorsey once argued that too many social entrepreneurs view themselves as alternatives to government instead of seeking to work with government to really bring about change. Should this be a priority?

I’d love to get your input on these questions. Share your thoughts below.


Debate: Changing Tax Statuses To Achieve Social Good


Posted by ajlovesya

Last week nonprofit Jumo was bought by for-profit GOOD. This week nonprofit CouchSurfing.org became a B Corporation. While I believe that there are a variety of ways to work for social change, what are the implications of changing tax statuses in pursuit of capital?  Here are some interesting perspectives:

“The Jumo example doesn’t appear to be too common…yet. But I would hate to see the 501(c)(3) status come to be seen as a kind of quick-and-easy way to get free startup capital en route to flipping one’s organization into a for-profit enterprise, social or otherwise. I’m not saying this was Jumo’s intention, but others could choose to interpret it that way and see it as an interesting strategy to emulate.”

~PND Blog

“Look, I don’t know if CouchSurfing’s “social mission” should qualify as a tax exempt nonprofit. But I know that nonprofits are starved for growth capital. The true distinction between a socially driven business and a profit driven business isn’t about their tax code election. The distinction is about the collective decisions the organization makes over time and who those decisions are intended to serve – public or private benefit.”

~Tactical Philanthropy

I have some initial questions/thoughts:

  • Will we begin a larger conversation on what constitutes as a “social mission?” The truth is that anything can be construed into a social good or having a social purpose (for example, one of the core goals for  the nonprofit National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is to “increase consumer demand for beef”).  With more people wanting to enter the social change conversation, should we try to have a more clear definition of what social change actually means?
  • Does it make sense to shift structures depending on your plans for growth? While some folks like to dismiss the differences between for profit and nonprofit as mere tax lingo, the difference in how an organization can use profits affects what funds are available to them, how they find funds, and how they use funds to implement their mission.  Additionally, an organization’s need for capital may change depending on their stage in organizational growth.  While I’m not advocating for being able to hop around until you find a tax status that fits, I’m curious as to whether planning to switch is a strategy worth exploring at all.
  • Does the public actually care what status we have? Each status has its own connotations, for example, being a nonprofit often assures people that your donations are being used for good (even though that may not always be the case and I certainly think this view is shifting with the millennial generation).  However, if the lines become blurred, will this affect people’s confidence in whether organizations are committed to working on social change?  Or will this encourage folks to have a broader view on social change and how they can/should be involved?

I’d love to get your input on this.  Share your thoughts below.


Youth Media and A New Framework for Activism


Posted by ajlovesya

This weekend I spoke at the Digital Waves Youth Media Festival in NYC.  Let me just say that if you want perspective on your career and values talk to young people. I find there is an emphasis on having tangible ways to find and create the career and life you want.

I did youth radio in high school through Radio Rookies, a New York Public Radio initiative that provides teenagers with the tools and training to create radio stories about themselves, their communities and their world.  In reflecting on my experiences in that program, I realize I was equipped with a framework for changing the world that emphasized confidence, connection, and action.

1.  Own your experiences: Oddly enough I see this more in adults than in young people, but this unfortunate belief that we shouldnt share our experiences because we don’t believe they matter.  In order to take effective action, mobilize, and connect with your community you have to believe that your voice is important.

2.  Be willing to listen to the stories of others: I was encouraged to talk to family, friends, and neighbors about issues I normally wouldn’t discuss.  Through reaching out I was humbled by people’s willingness to open up to me and I gained greater perspective on the reasons for people’s actions and beliefs.

3.  There’s no issue too big that you cant act on: I’m sure many of us have heard of childhood obesity, but how many of us have heard from young people struggling with obesity? People talk about becoming a post-racial society, yet how many of us have heard from young people who are cultivating their identities during this change? Through youth radio we were trained to use our most powerful weapon, our voices, as a way to act on important issues.

To help young people reflect, connect, and act I shared the following resources:

What would you share with young people in journalism for changing the world?  What’s your framework for activism?