Reimagining nonprofits and philanthropy : unlocking the full potential of a vital and complex sector / Vu Le.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Le, Vu, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nonprofit organizations--Economic aspects--United States--21st century.

Nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofit organizations--Economic aspects--United States--Forecasting.

Charity organization--Economic aspects--United States--21st century.

Charity organization.

Charity organization--Economic aspects--United States--Forecasting.

Community welfare councils--United States--21st century.

Community welfare councils.

Nonprofit organizations--Economic aspects--United States--Problems, exercises, etc.

Charity organization--Economic aspects--United States--Problems, exercises, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (283 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, [2026].

Summary:

Forward-thinking solutions to the foundational problems plaguing the world of modern nonprofits. Going where many dare not, Reimagining Nonprofit and Philanthropy: Unlocking the Full Potential of a Vital and Complex Sector challenges existing sacred cows across a variety of issues relevant to nonprofit and philanthropy. Each chapter delves into a specific area of work (fundraising, boards, hiring, and so on), analyzes the challenges, and provides concrete solutions for change. Written by Vu Le, former nonprofit executive and thought leader in the field, this book features leaders doing new things that go against the grain and is written in an easy-to-digest, oftentimes humorous tone. Readers will be left fired up, with their existing notions challenged, ready to flip over some tables and (figuratively) burn some systems down. Le explores topics including: scarcity, martyrdom, and learned helplessness, separating vision and mission, and "bizsplaining" to the corporate sector, the folly of Robert's Rules of Order and reimagining governance through evolutionary and minimally-viable boards, new leadership decision-making models, shifting away from the hierarchical model into a more distributed one. This is an essential read for all nonprofit leaders, professionals, and donors who are looking to completely reimagine the way nonprofits think, operate, and make an impact.

Contents:

Chapter 1 A Love Letter to Nonprofit and Philanthropy

Invisible and Essential as Air

Nonprofits' Role in Society

The Crap We Put Up With

Overhead: What's Your Hose-to-Water Ratio?

The Sustainability Question

Bizsplaining

The Reality We Face

Are We Ready for the Fights Ahead?

A Time for Righteous Anger

Another World Is on Her Way

Discussion Questions

Chapter 2 The Nine Horsemen of Nonprofit and Philanthropic Ineffectiveness

The Nonprofit Rut

Suppressed Imagination

White Moderation

Neoliberalism

Risk Aversion and Incrementalism

Toxic Intellectualizing

Scarcity and Martyrdom

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Inferiority Complex

Self-Interest

Reclaim Our Vision

Ground Our Work in Values of Equity, Justice, and Community

Have the Audacity of Ambition

Chapter 3 Reimagining Fundraising and Donor Engagement

Why Fundraising Sometimes Perpetuates Harmful Myths

Necessary Shifts in Fundraising

The Goal of Fundraising Should Be to Create an Equitable World

Justice Should Be a Donor's Main Motivator

Donors Should Be Treated as Partners, Not Heroes and Saviors

Fundraisers Should Be Agents of Justice

Nonprofits Should Be Mutually Supportive

Community-Centric Fundraising

Principles of Community-Centric Fundraising

Does Community-Centric Fundraising Work?

A Culture of Philanthropy

Chapter 4 Governance and Boards

Structure or Culture: Why Are So Many Boards Dysfunctional?

Governance Should Be a Shared Responsibility

The Board's Role Is to Advance Equity and Justice, Not Simply Protect Its Mission

The Board Is Not the Boss

Fundraising May Not Necessarily Be a Main Board Function

Reconsider Board Giving and Compensation.

Who the Heck Is Robert? Why Are We Still Using His Rules?

Hiring the ED/CEO(s) Should Be a Collaborative Process

Alternative Board Structures and Decision-Making Models

The Minimally Viable Board (MVB)

The Community Board

Evolutionary Governance

Liberatory Governance

Circle Process

Sociocracy

Mindful Meetings

Heart and Brain

Chapter 5 Reimagining Leadership and Leadership Structures

Challenges with the Current Leadership Structure

Power Imbalance in Leadership

The Kind of Leaders We Need Right Now

Creating a Leaderful Sector

Co-directorships

Distributed Leadership

Worker Self-Directed Nonprofits

Chapter 6 Building Nonprofit Capacity to Fight Fascism

Capacity Builders as Mycelium

Archaic Philosophies About Capacity Building

How the Right Does Capacity Building

Shared Spaces

The Star Trek Model (aka the Community-Alliance Model)

RVC's Comprehensive Capacity-Building Model

Transformational Capacity Building

Multi-entities

Movements

Alternative Structures

Time to Start a Religion?

Chapter 7 Advocacy, Community Organizing, and the Levers of Power for Systems Change

State of Nonprofit Engagement in Advocacy

The Loudest Voices Win

The Wake-Up Call for Our Sector to Be Political

The Progressive Theory of Change

Mission Creep

Vietnamese Rainbow of Orange County

UnKoch My Campus

Democracy Vouchers

Let's Put Out Those Fires and Stop the Arsonists

Chapter 8 Reimagining Philanthropy, Foundations, and Funder-Nonprofit Dynamics

How Current Funding Practices Perpetuate Inequity, and How to Address It

Trust-Based Philanthropy

The Differences Between Progressive and Conservative Funders

Rethinking Strategic Philanthropy

What Strategic Actually Looks Like.

Levers of Change

Funding More Effectively

Give Only Multi-Year General Operating Dollars (MYGOD)

Fund Organizations for 20 or 30 Years at a Time

Reduce the Administrative Burden on Nonprofits

Treat Grantees as Actual Partners

Change the Charters

Funders, Own Your Power

Chapter 9 Reimagining Hiring Practices

Our Hiring Practices Are Archaic and Inequitable

Recruit and Invest in Talent for the Entire Sector, Not Just Individual Organizations

Have Gratitude and Respect for Job Candidates

Move Beyond Whiteness as Proxy for Professionalism and Qualifications

Mitigate for Unconscious Biases

The End of Cultural Fit

Equitable Hiring Practices

Disclose Salary Ranges and Never Ask for Salary History

Pay Job Candidates for Their Time Spent Interviewing

Accept Assignments in People's Portfolios

Do Not Ask for Unpaid Work

Prioritize Relevant Experience Instead of Requiring Formal Education Degrees

Hire Formerly Incarcerated People

No More Thank-You Notes

Other Important Hiring Practices

Invest in Our Sector's Future

Chapter 10 Reimagining Work Culture

Let's Talk About Burnout

End the Culture of Toxic Productivity

Evolve Our Concept of Professionalism

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Work Environments

Thriving Wages and Equity-Based Compensation

Pay Ratios and Alternative Pay Structures

The Benefits of Sabbaticals

The Rise of Four-Day Workweeks

The Increase in Nonprofit Workers' Unions

Normalizing Mental Health

Chapter 11 Don't Bring Spreadsheets to a Knife FightUsing Data to Effectively Advance Justice

Toxic Intellectualizing: How Our Obsession with Data Has Affected Our Work

Weaponized Data and How It's Been Hurting Marginalized Communities.

The Role of Evaluators as Agents of Justice

Things We Need to Unlearn

Ground Data in Social Justice Ideology

Rethink Our Concept of Effectiveness

Use Data to Act, Organize, Mobilize

Prioritize the Intrinsic Values of Individuals

Our Communities Are the Light

Chapter 12 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

The Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DEI's Existential Crisis

Guidelines for DEI and Social Justice

Questions to Help You Develop an Equity Mindset

DEI as a Precursor to Liberation

Protecting Trans People and Trans Rights

The Dental Hygiene Model for DEI

Equity 201

Chapter 13 The Barriers Holding Back Change and What to Do About Them

The Wheel of Change

Immunity to Change

Strategies to Effect Change

Burning Bridges

Brussels Sprouts of Equity

Keep Fightin' the Good Fight

We Bend the Arc

A: The Barriers Holding Back Change and What to Do About Them

Principle 1: We Ground Fundraising in Race, Equity, and Social Justice

Principle 2: We Prioritize the Collective Community over Individual Missions

Principle 3: We Are Generous and Mutually Supportive of Other Missions

Principle 4: We Value and Appreciate Equally All Elements That Strengthen Community

Principle 5: We Value Time Equally as Money

Principle 6: We Respect Our Donors' Integrity and Treat Donors as Partners

Principle 7: We Foster a Sense of Belonging in Our Fundraising Work

We Avoid Treating Anyone as an "Other"

Principle 8: We Encourage Everyone to Believe We All Benefit from This Work

Principle 9: We Treat the Work as Holistic, Not a Collection of Isolated Segments

Principle 10: We Recognize That Healing and Liberation Requires a Commitment to Economic Justice.

B The Barriers Holding Back Change and What to Do About Them

Notes

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Index

EULA.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-394-31313-6

9781394313136

OCLC:

1545123383