Just ordered the "do crime" shirt. Will consider the subscription. Thanks for posting.

we made real progress over much of my life making society more accepting and reversing the veneration of bullies, and all that progress has been destroyed and watching these people revel in it fucking sucks

Probably.

But what use is building shiny new facilities or amassing cash reserves if you can't use these resources to truly help the communities you claim to serve with those platitudinous speeches you give at your galas and local Rotary Club meetings?

Take a stand or become (more) irrelevant.

The result? You have organizations that excel at fundraising and funneling cash to capital campaigns and "self sufficency" programs, but little attention paid to the root causes of poverty and other forms of human suffering.

But "we can't get political or we will lose donors," the CEOs will say...

Many well-intentioned people joined the nonprofit sector as a way to effect change, but with the exception of the minority of orgs that conduct meaningful political advocacy, most are doing little more that helping the rich feel good about themselves while maintaining the status quo...

Food banks represent a history of elite hostility toward people in poverty at the highest levels of government as well as the retreat of the left to philanthropy as a solution to problems that individual communities (even rich ones) can never truly fix on their own...

We saw this with Reagan in the 1980s. An example: Food banks were a direct response to cuts to government food aid.

Today, they're everywhere and among the most visible social service orgs in most communities.

They are also monuments to failure...

Thank you for writing this.

Congrats. Also: This list rules.

If I had read this a few years ago, I wouldn't have believed you. But it did get better. Quality SPED programs were a huge part of it. Also, Bluey and camping trips.

How do we feel about three BASS guitars a la Spinal Tap?

The loss of institutional knowledge when civil servants exit the federal government is going to be massive. I imagine public admin academics will be studying the effects for years. Heartbreaking.

Depends, I think. Are you a blue hedgehog whose catchphrase is "gotta go fast"?

That was my approach and it worked for me.

Does this mean that National Pie Day is moving to January 9th (as opposed to the usual March 13th)?