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Funding America’s Nonprofits: The Nonprofit Industrial Complex’s Hold on Social Justice JIGSAW

This article suggests that social justice has been separated from social service provision by the system that is known as the Nonprofit Industrial Complex. (Jennifer Ceema Samimi). It also states that people working for social justice are limited by the funding system of nonprofits. A huge portion of people that work for social justice are employed by nonprofits.”An industry that requires organizations to compete for government and foundation funding. Known as the Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC), this system forces nonprofits to professionalize, wherein they must focus on maintaining their funding sources rather than fulfilling their mission”(Jennifer Ceema Samimi).

 I do not agree with this. I believe a nonprofit can receive funding and still fulfill their mission. I think it can be accomplished.

 The article also states that when funders agenda does not align with the mission of a nonprofit the nonprofit risks being subjected to mission drift. This is when a nonprofit moves away from their mission in order to receive funding. This makes it hard to maintain original goals and values.

 I do not know if this dynamic is occuring at the YMCA of Greater Providence. I have never seen this happen but I also have never talked about funding and the mission statement with anyone at my internship.  

Comments

  1. Victoria RestlerApril 10, 2018 at 6:10 PM

    Thanks for your post Kristen. Why do you disagree with the author? I want to know more. My sense from Samimi's article is that even if NPOs are doing mission-aligned work, and doing good work in the community, a disproportionate share of their labor is taken up with fundraising. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 10, 2018 at 6:25 PM

      I just feel like fundraising and mission work can coexist. And that a npo can achieve both.

      Delete

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