Tuesday Thoughts | 22 February 2022 | BLM and the Donor Confidence Crisis - Black History Month
Danielle S. Russell, CAE, C.Dir
Multi-Award Winning Association Leader | Connector of Ideas and People | Consultant | Author | Speaker | Chartered Director
This isn’t the post I intended to write for this final Tuesday of Black History Month 2022 but leaving a little something in the idea-bank will drive content for 2023.
Instead, I want to take a look at the reputational crisis facing Black Lives Matter, how that could impact the general public’s view of Black issues advocacy, and of course (because I am a governance nerd) my thoughts on what those of us working and volunteering in the NFP sector can take away from this.
I am consciously not linking to any specific article about this issue, because, unsurprisingly, most of the coverage thus far, is incredibly biased, and stemming from or quoting publications that – let’s just say – don’t have values that are well-aligned with my own. For this same reason, I’ll be avoiding making any “statements of fact” relating directly to Black Lives Matter, its leadership, or the amount of funds raised, and will instead comment on the broader impact of these issues.
When I first read that Amazon’s Charitable arm – Amazon Smile – stopped donations flowing to Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation; my initial thoughts were “oh Bezos, its really ok to let Musk corner the market on being the potentially racist tech billionaire”. Some quick digging revealed that Amazon acted following a reported California Department of Justice move to suspend the group’s charitable exempt status for 60 days over a failure to file registration and IRS forms dating back to 2020.
The sad reality, that I will state as fact - assuming that having spent the month sharing my thoughts on Black History Month and lived Black experience, I have your trust dear reader - is that, as Black people we are held to a higher standard owing to the unconscious bias of many in the society around us. Suspicion – warranted or not – cast on BLM, one of the most vocal advocate groups for Black people in Modern North American Society, will cause damage to the Black Cause, and give our detractors yet another reason to cast aspersions on all of us who call out for equality and respect.
Of course, identifying as Black, is only one part of my own multi-dimensional identity. As a Not-for-Profit management professional, and recent Staff Lead of a Registered Charity, I am keenly aware of the damage to Donor Confidence – particularly in Canada – that the sector already faces, especially in the wake of the scandal that led to the collapse of the WE group of organizations. A September 2020 poll conducted by Angus Reid found that 57 per cent (of Canadians) said the WE scandal “has raised questions about governance, transparency, and management that are relevant for the whole charity sector.”
Anything that detracts from Donor Confidence at a larger or well-known charity is of concern to those of us in the sector, initially I had hoped that maybe issue might stay in California; only to be surprised by something that will of course come as no surprise to more keen observers of Black advocacy in Canada than myself. Black Lives Matter Canada was granted access to some of the funds in question and used them to – wait for it – buy Real Estate in Toronto; for context, the Downtown-Toronto Real Estate Holdings of WE were a significant contributing factor to loss of reputation that ultimately led to their unraveling.
And so, I’m left feeling a certain sense of dread about the potential impact on the reputations of two communities I care about, where my own identity intersects, the Black Community and the Not-for-Profit Community.
I’m not an expert on Race Relations and related practices, I’m simply a person with lived experiences who has chosen to use my voice during Black History month to shine a light where the attention of many rarely goes. I lift my voice one final time (at least for 2022 in Tuesday Thoughts) to encourage everyone to examine their biases, and to not let the bad apples and actors among BLM dictate your continued examination of systemic racism and anti-black bias.
What I am an expert in, is Canadian Not-for-Profits! Just last week, I launched a suite of Consulting Services aimed at helping Canada’s Associations and Charities improve their Governance, because I believe that now is the time to shore up the underpinnings of the Not-for-Profit Sector. Notwithstanding any fallout from the issues highlighted herein, its time for the NFP sector to protect itself from falling public confidence in Institutions including the Not-for-Profit sector.
My Call to Action for Volunteers: Seek expert help, to support your efforts to make impact. A small group of bad actors, or even a single person with less than good intentions at the board table, can do incredible damage if left unchecked by good governance health. Hire great staff who are knowledgeable in NFP best practices, engage lawyers and accountants and other professionals with specific Not-for-Profit Corporation and Registered Charity experience, seek out Consultants to help set Strategy and Assess Risk. Do not assume that your organizations value that seems so obvious to you, is understood in the same way by those you seek to engage and partner with.
My Call to Action for Donors, Sponsors and other Funders: Educate yourselves, ask questions, but don’t shy away from contributing in-kind or financially to organizations aligned with your personal and professional values and needs. Organizations such as CSAE and the ONN continue to raise the bar on all things Not-for-Profit; and Imagine Canada, continues to be a source for great information, best practices, and accreditation for the Charitable Sector. Are the organizations you engage with employing Certified Association Executives (CAEs), Certified Fundraising Professionals, and others trained and dedicated towards maximizing mission fulfilling value?
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Let’s improve the professionalism and governance of NFP Leadership, and continue to support those efforts in order to drive social impact. So that everyone who seeks to do good work, including many members of Black Lives Matter, have the tools, support, and opportunities to make the most of their efforts. Let that be the legacy we leave as a lesson in the failings of Black Lives Matter as surfaced during Black History Month 2022.
New and Noteworthy is a collection of things readers of this Newsletter might find interesting or important;
Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion):?I launched Project-Specific Consulting Services to drive NFP impact | Nominations opened today for CSAE Leadership Awards, I'm proud to Chair the 2022 Committee
What to Read: Bramm Research Inc.'s new Website | The Power of Collaboration Between Nonprofits in BizTech Magazine h/t The Portage Group |
What to Watch: Tami Adams and Gregg Brown in conversation about creating a Change-Ready Environment | New CBC Short Doc Patty vs Patty about the 1985 Toronto Patty Wars
What to Do: (Markham Ontario) Drop of new/gently used Baseball and Soccer Equipment for donation to the Eabametoong First Nation | Listen to Nick Harauz's new Podcast Flow State - Stories from the Creative Process
Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Project Associate - Atlantic Initiative @ Public Policy Forum | Social Impact Program Manager @ Green Shield Canada | Director, Events @ TIAC | Interim Director, Public Policy and Advocacy @ Imagine Canada | Volunteer Director @ Cycle Toronto
Take Note: Canada's Taxpayers' Ombudsman launches examination into the CRA's treatment of Registered Charities | Congratulations to Brittany Russell (no relation that we know of) on being recognized by the Celebrating Laurier Achievements Committee
A must-read case! Thanks for sharing!