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U.S.A.I.D., the American foreign aid agency, is conducting a trial that measures the impact when poor people abroad are simply given money with which to decide what’s best for themselves.

This is loaded with interesting connections to our recent discussions.

The first thing that comes to mind when reading this is the idea of mission advancement. Salt Lake City, Utah was able to eradicate chronic homelessness by simply housing people. They figured out that it was a more effective way to tackle the issue and cheaper for tax payers The idea was to get people housed and then take care of the aspects that lead to homelessness. People in stable situations that have their basic needs met have the head space to critically deal with some of these heavy issues.The idea of giving those experiencing poverty money, reminded me of this sentiment.

We have also discussed reasons people give and the factors that go into someone’s decision, one of these being percentage of a dollar going to the programming. This program boasts that 90% of the funds go directly to the programming, eliminating the “overhead costs.” While there is definitely something to be said for simply giving people what they need, are there any local educators on the ground that can help people manage these finances if they are unsure of how to properly allocate funds and create a budget? By removing NGO’s from the equation, is there a line of accountability for how these funds are used, and should there be? Should creating a sustainable and self-sustaining financial growth model be part of an international giving program like this? Another question I have is if these incredibly direct approaches prove to be more effective, what consequences may come from eliminating NGO’s that have delivered various services in these countries?

I am interested to see the effects of this program and the results that these researchers find as it continues. I do believe that empowering individuals in this way can be effective, as opposed to creating a model that creates a bandage to their problems while making the donors and volunteers feel like they are delivering a saving grace (like voluntourism can do), but there can be some issues if some factors are not considered prior to building a program like this.

#congo #ngo #nonprofit #poverty

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A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It’s an easy narrative to swallow — but is it true? A trio of economists set out to test the theory. All it took was a Dutch postal worker’s uniform, some envelopes stuffed with cash, and a slight sense of the absurd.

10/29 Hey everyone, With the readings over the past couple weeks, and with this week focusing on the history and theories of giving, I thought I would share this Freakanomics podcast. I heard this a while ago, and all of our readings and discussions brought me back to it. It’s worth a listen, and only about 40 minutes.

#nonprofit #giving #podcast

toostudentsthings

When a business gives back, everybody wins.

Group A Original Content 10/24/2018

Thinking about our discussion, I was thinking if commercial foundations are not as good as other foundations because they may have different motive to establish the foundation. Or if we even think that commercial foundations are less charitable than other types of foundations.

In Prewitt’s reading, one of the critics has responded that vanity is one of the motives for foundations. Many foundations carry the name of the original donors, such as the Gates Foundation (364). In LeRoux’s reading, it discussed different motives of why individuals volunteer, which include coercive and egotism motives. Brian Jones has also mentioned some motives that commercial foundations may have.

I see commercial foundations as a generous gesture from companies. It is also a way to connect and give back to the community. From nonprofit organizations perspective, I think about commercial foundations as another possible source for the organization that the organization can benefit from.

Overall, does motive really matter when it comes to giving (whether it is a foundation, donor, or volunteer) if the outcome is positive to the community?

lifeinacronyms

Group B Response 2 10/25/18

I appreciate that you took time to dive into this question. I think this is something that the discussion on motivations for giving always brings up, even outside of the academic realm.

My short answer to your question would be no, but the long answer would be... wait for it... it depends.

Overall, I agree with this article and the points you have made, but I think there are instances where the sentiment of “as long as the community is getting help” doesn’t apply, and that they should probably be addressed somehow. For example, I work for a for-profit chemical company. They actively blow up mountains in other countries and find the cheapest labor possible to do it. They also find plants in these countries that either find loopholes in the environmental laws or are outright breaking those laws in order to provide an obscure product. Now, I am actually working to change a lot of these practices and instill corporate responsibility and sustainable practice into their choices, and some things have actually changed. I have also implemented philanthropic giving and charitable activities within the organization (although, not a foundation). Do I think that these efforts that help our community make it ok that they are destroying ecosystems in other countries? Absolutely not.

I think this is a discussion on ethics, values, and morals, and everyone has their own idea of right vs. wrong or right vs. right. It starts to get into things like utilitarian and deontological ethics, and there is just never a clear answer across the population on these topics. However, they are a lot of fun to discuss!

#nonprofits #motivation #ethics #responsibility

eldercareneeds

Why foundation and non-profit law is getting new attention

https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2018/6/6/rules-of-the-road-why-foundation-and-nonprofit-law-is-getting-new-attention

With this upcoming week’s articles we dive into foundations and how they fit into the nonprofit world. Foundations and Non-profits are always assumed to go hand in hand but I’ve never really understood the relationship. I found this article from Inside Philanthropy, published in June 2018, going more into detail about foundations and how they relate to nonprofit organizations. I also noted there is some mention of advocacy and lobbying from foundations for the causes the foundations promote.

This article then goes on to mention the 2016 election and the push back from foundations and Non-profits President Trump’s…policies have received. This made me start to think about the upcoming Midterms on November 6th and the push to get voters to the polls. I have seen on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter varies other social media sites encouraging younger voters to go to the polls. I have seen ads encouraging voters to overturn Congress and elect more liberal politicians.

I started to wonder…who was funding these ads? Where was the idea of a more liberal government being good coming from (besides just listening to Trump speak for a few seconds or reading his unhinged Twitter rants)? Yes, I’m a liberal if you couldn’t tell. I do think the attention comes from foundations and non-profits having the funds and the man power to organize and promote their agendas. Politicians take note because foundations and non-profits could make or break their campaign.

aphilanthropyblog

Thank you for sharing! Prior to the article and your post, I had the same questions about the source of midterm election campaign funding encouraging voter turnout at the polls this year. There has certainly been an increase in advertising regarding simply registering to vote and showing up on November 6. Much of this advertising has been targeted to younger voters who not only represent a large voter population, but typically have liberal political leanings that may correlate to many of the organizations that are advocating for voter turnout. I believe that many nonprofit organizations are working to increase young voter turnout with the hope of advancing their organization’s mission. If the elected officials will support the mission of the nonprofit and vote in such a way that aligns with the organization’s goals, the organization is likely to see growth. On the other hand, if an official is elected who does not support, and thus does not vote in such a way that would further the organization’s goals, the organization is not likely to see growth for at least the duration of the next political term. By campaigning for voter turnout to target audiences, organizations are participating in advocacy for their cause that can lead to growth into the future. Have you noticed the increase in midterm election advertisements this year? What is your opinion on the third sector’s role in political campaigning? To encourage and educate young voters, I have included an article below that outlines the basics of participating in the midterm election: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/midterms-2018/midterm-election-terms-definitions-us-politics-glossary-words-america-a8592936.html%3famp

lifeinacronyms

Group B Response 1 10/24/2018

I never really understood foundations beyond the fact that they give out money. So I definitely appreciated the conversation in class, and this conversation.

@aphilanthropyblog So many political ads. I see them on Youtube, Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, and other places and I am like “how is this playing on this outlet right now?” Your questions about the third sector’s political campaigning activities brought me back to our online conversations during week 5. I think there are good ways for organizations to get involved politically that are not outright saying “vote for X person/thing.” We have learned that nonprofit organizations were created to do many things like fill gaps, give minority communities a voice, and offer market alternatives, but none of those theories said that nonprofits were created to further partisan politics. However, organizations elect to participate in partisan politics because they believe that it will improve general welfare (that belief that nonprofits are inherently virtuous) for some particular issue they support whether that is the environment, education, healthcare, immigration, or some other issue.

I think Shay brings up a good point that politicians take note of nonprofit and foundations because of the amount of money they can potentially pour into these activities. Combining the question of how much activity should be allowed and the thoughts of politicians loving and hating all the money (depending on who the politician/organization/message is), I don’t think politicians will push to redefine these boundaries, at least, not in the foreseeable future. At this point, it is more beneficial for people in power to see this money funneled through the system than it is harmful, so unless something earth shattering happens that forces their hand, I see them leaving it as a talking point to amp up their base on either side.

#nonprofits #money #cashmoney #midterms

Salesforce CEO backs Lobbying Effort to Fight Homelessness

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-backs-corporate-tax-to-fight-homelessness/

This article has a few things in here to unpack. The CEO of Salesforce is pledging at least 1.5 million to a lobbying push for Proposition C in San Francisco. Proposition C would levy a .5% tax on every dollar for companies with revenue above 50 million dollars. This money would go to fund housing and beds in shelters to help alleviate some of those experiencing homelessness in the city. Many nonprofits in the city are also backing Proposition C.

This article also includes a video news story that reminds me of a discussion post last week about who is the neighborhood. Since all of these large tech companies have come into Silicon Valley and surrounding areas, many locals are being pushed out of their homes due to rising prices. The college professor in the video is currently experiencing homelessness because 3/4 of her monthly salary was going to rent.

Many corporations in the city oppose this tax increase, and this presents a challenge because they are the ones with the money to help. How do governments and nonprofits speak on these issues to those with the money, when those with the money are really the cause of these issues?

#homelessness nonprofits lobbying

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atypicalgradstudent-blog

A new study finds that California’s business improvement and community benefit districts often work against the interests of those who are homeless.

Martin Levine talks about non-profit Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and Community Benefits Districts (CBDs) in California and the work that they are doing. BIDs and CBDs are 501c3 and 501c4 organizations that bring in resources from the community/districts that they represent and use the resources to fix up the neighborhood. They may use these funds an allocate them to community members to solve these issues.

These organizations can be found all over America. These communities gather together with little governmental support to solve an issue that their constituents (local citizens & businesses) experience. But like the title insinuates - who is the “neighborhood” and who isn’t?

The BIDs and CBDs might “hire” a person that is without a home and sitting on the streets to clean the curbs. But these same BIDs and CBDs may participate in policy advocacy of ordinances that want to push these people-without-homes out.

(see IndyStar’s article about a similar ordinance -https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2018/09/14/indy-proposal-seeks-eliminate-panhandling-downtown/1303768002/)

lifeinacronyms

Oh, how this article strikes a chord with me. This idea of “Who Is the “Neighborhood?”” is one that greatly interests me. I honestly did not know about the BIDs and CBDs, so thank you for sharing this article.

Danielle, I’m glad you included a link to the Indy law passed by city council. My partner works for a large corporate entity right downtown (I will kindly leave them unnamed), and he gets to select a volunteer project each month through the company. As an incentive, they get to take time out of the work day to “help the community” while still getting paid. He recently went to an event simply advertised as painting a mural for an underpass. The kickoff for the event had a high up corporate speaker who thanked them for helping the company’s efforts to, and I quote, “solve the homeless problem” by painting a mural. This was apparently the 2nd phase of their project, after working with the city to remove any homeless people from that area. A somewhat similar scenario to what the BIDs and CBDs are doing.

1) This is a beautification project, those experiencing homelessness do not care about what the underpass of a bridge looks like if it is keeping them protected from the elements.

2) You are not solving anyone’s homelessness by painting an underpass. You are simply pushing these individuals to the shadows causing more issues related to public safety for these individuals who happen to be experiencing homelessness.

3) Do not advertise a volunteering event as a beautification project without disclosing your actual agenda. If you want to hold events to improve the community, take suggestions from those that live and work in the community and partner with organizations within the community already working in those areas. Recognize what those around you are passionate about. This made my partner extremely uncomfortable, and he went to these higher ups to explain his take on all of this, although it has not changed anything.

4) How do we do a better job of advocating and being an intermediary for people being displaced to keep it from happening so often?

This is still an extremely difficult topic though, because these people (I like to believe) have good intentions. They want to clean up their neighborhoods. They want to see improvement. In nearly every case of urban “revitalization” this means gentrification which means pushing out one or multiple groups of people who grew up in that area. The question is how do you revitalize an urban setting without displacing it’s residents?

#neighborhoods #nonprofits #community

joejamg

For census takers in many neighborhoods, says an advocate, it's going to be hard to say ‘Yes, we are asking about your citizenship, don’t worry.'

I chose this article because it reminded me of our discussion of Berger and Neuhaus’s theory of mediating structures.

It discusses how the government relies on all types of mediating structures to accomplish the census. These mediating structures include churches, nonprofits, neighborhood groups/leaders, etc. to reach communities that are distrustful of the government or have barriers to participation in the census.

There is an issue among the Hispanic/Latino community with the upcoming census. The policy decisions and rhetoric used by the Trump Administration has left many non-citizen minority individuals feeling threatened by the government. One question in particular is going to create problems, “Are you a citizen?” Though the information on the census only stays within the Department of Commerce, sixty-eight percent of Latinos think the Trump Administration will share this information with law enforcement agencies if they answer no.

Several Hispanic/Latino nonprofit groups are working with the federal government to ensure proper participation in the U.S. Census by the Hispanic/Latino community. These groups are challenging the government to think about how to handle the census to encourage participation. They are also helping their communities understand the harm underrepresentation in the census would cause. For example, job opportunities for Hispanic/Latino workers would be diminished in agencies that practice affirmative action. These groups are serving as the intermediary to ensure that their communities are not harmed and have accurate representation in government planning.

lifeinacronyms

This gets into so many issues, but for the sake of being on topic, I will try to stick to our discussion on community theories. This topic and article reminds me of the Waltzer article when he talks about civil societies and how they have changed from when they were first realized. He notes that “familial solidarity, mutual assistance, political likemindedness - all these are less certain and less substantial than they once were. Other people, strangers on the street, seem less trustworthy than they once did” (Waltzer p.8). I think this point has become so true for many communities in the past couple years. Waltzer also discusses nationalism and the idea that people have pride in their heritage and where they are from, and once that is threatened by being ruled by foreigners, ritual affirmation is no longer enough to satisfy that pride.

All sides are being fueled right now, which only makes the situation worse by polarizing both sides. To grow in inclusiveness within a society, Waltzer suggests that being involved in civil society and these mediating institutions is a good start. I agree that these mediating institutions are crucial right now. They are acting as the intermediary between their communities and the federal government. Since this is an issue of fear of deportation, it makes sense that those directly affected are not the people contacting the government directly. It makes sense to have advocates being that voice. With many governmental processes being covered in legal jargon that 1st language speakers cannot understand, these mediating institutions are also able to being information back to their communities in a way that is, hopefully, digestible.

#immigration #mediation #nationalism

Government Failure and Community Ownership

https://www.ibj.com/articles/69748-chip-unveils-5-year-strategy-to-slash-homelessness-in-indianapolis Thinking about organizational and economic theories and the creation of the nonprofit sector, homelessness service organizations and alleviation organizations are definitely an area within the nonprofit sector that people think of when they considering this topic. Holland and Ritvo discuss this idea in “History and Theories of Nonprofit Organizations.” Stemming from Puritan religious duty, the idea of helping those experiencing poverty never left American practice. It is now what people often refer to when they think of nonprofits and charities.

This article discusses the new plan released by Indianapolis to alleviate homelessness within Indianapolis. The plan is specifically titled “The Community Plan to End Homelessness:2018-2023″. They encouraged meetings with the community at large to contribute to this plan (so we see hints of the ownership theory from Hansmann). Indianapolis is one of the only major cities without any government funded shelters, and I think Indy has recently come to own that idea that the local government has really failed here. There is heavy government failure in Indy, and at the federal level as well, when it comes to homelessness and poverty alleviation. Indy has done an increasingly good job of pushing ownership of their homelessness service organizations and the issues revolving around homelessness over to the citizens. Encouraging involvement like this gives this network of organizations more power when going to the local government to advocate for change. It also encourages innovations and ideas. When discussing homelessness specifically, it is crucial to involve citizens in the process because it is such an uncomfortable topic for most people and there are so many assumptions made about the population. Opening up this conversation to the public allows for a more open minded community wiling to help those in need instead of casting them in the shadows and saying “they just need to get a job.”

#homelessness #nonprofits

atypicalgradstudent-blog

Navigating organizational change requires a different kind of leadership. Values-based leadership is a core fundamental aspect for communicating a powerful change vision and engaging the team in the entire effort.

Being a value-based leader means allowing your mission and values to drive you intention with your employees, yourself, your business, and your day-to-day operations. This article was posted on Forbes website and was targeted to for-profit businesses. I think it is interesting that this value-based leadership is similar to the type of leadership style you would find in a non-profit organization.

Value-based leadership uses the organization’s mission and values guide their management and even recruiting. Non-profits are mission-driven to their core (well, hopefully).

For-profits are getting the point, finally. That the bottom-line isn’t always the bottom line. “ Many organizations will charge ahead for years with relative success while not having ever truly defined - and written down - their mission, vision, values and purpose for existence. “ Woah.

lifeinacronyms

I have definitely had experiences where organizations did not have their mission, vales, vision, etc written down or defined. I work for one right now (which is why I was drawn to this posting), it’s a for-profit, but like your article discusses, the reasoning still holds true as to why these things are necessary. I think it is completely essential if an organization, for-profit, governmental, or nonprofit, wants to adapt this style of leadership. It becomes difficult to lead and evaluate based on a set of undefined vales that isn’t uniform across an organization. The reality is that workplace values are changing, as I am currently learning in my HR course, and organizations need to be adaptive to these changes in order to continue to attract talent.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/10-tips-for-changing-your-companys-culture%E2%80%94and-making-it-stick.aspx

This article serves as a good base for your article, it gives an organization some starting points to adapting a more values-based approach and how to instill that within a culture. You cannot expect employees and/or volunteers to adapt to or follow your values if you don’t make them a priority. Like your article states, “Values-based leadership also requires the need for constantly communicating those values at every opportunity possible. In every company meeting, every time a person is publicly recognized and in every coaching moment when mistakes are made.”

#leadership #values #writeitdown

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