Collective Impact Insights

In times of crisis and systemic oppression, our resources — our time, money, and energy — must be deployed with maximum impact. Institutional philanthropy won't keep the lights on, nor will it meaningfully dismantle a powerful, oppressive system. Relying solely on traditional philanthropic models fails to address the root causes of systemic vulnerability. They cannot, by their nature, confront an actively hostile state apparatus determined to control every aspect of life.

Mega giving is a consistent and continuing American giving tradition, ultimately making mega-foundations more powerful now than they were 100 years ago, due to their greater number and the societal context in which they operate. The public is more reliant on the nonprofit sector to meet critical needs as government budgets continue to whittle away at social service programs over the past several decades.

Understanding that equity is impossible until we address structural/systemic and institutional racism entrenched in our nation's history and culture is not the most exciting way to spend your free time. You are deliberately making yourself so uncomfortable it feels like you are dying. But we can't wait until people feel comfortable talking about racism to acknowledge the harm that is occurring every day across America.

Our country is in the midst of a democratic crisis. It is the responsibility of White folks to clean up this mess and dismantle our country's white supremacist infrastructures. What does that mean for nonprofits?

We are in the midst of a lifelong fight - one that must upend current nonprofit beliefs and practices by resetting the power dynamic. That means rethinking philanthropy, advancing structural change in organizations, and creating accountability frameworks for foundations and endowments - in particular, those who earned their money on the backs of underpaid, undervalued, and unprotected laborers.

This post was originally shared on June 14, 2020 by Jeff Olivet at jo consulting's blog. Jeff has worked in homelessness, behavioral health, and public health for more than 25 years. As a speaker, writer, and policy leader, he has shaped new directions for organizations across the United States and internationally. In addition to his work with jo consulting, Jeff is a Founding Partner at Racial Equity Partners.

I see the broad strokes of the evolution of my beliefs, choices, and actions. It's the micro-evolution; the day-to-day changes that are more difficult to track. Recently, I began concluding my workshops with three statements: I used to think ________. But then I learned ________. So now I ________. This encourages folks to qualify their learning at a micro-level.

It has been 10 weeks since the death of George Floyd and 21 weeks since the death of Breonna Taylor. Since their deaths, we have seen a wave of protests across the country with Black people at the forefront calling for justice in the deaths of Floyd and Taylor as well as countless others at the hands of the police. Yet, as of today, there has been little police accountability and the escalating police force against protesters has created even more violence.

Our call to educate is intertwined with making actionable change; as we discuss how we, as consultants, can incorporate these activists' insights into our own consulting firms, the nonprofits, and movements we serve. I'm sharing the discussion questions and action items I've drafted for The Revolution Will Not Be Funded in hopes that other nonprofit professionals will take this opportunity to critically think about the long-term consequences of the "nonprofit industrial compl

When we examine where donations have gone, we begin to ask if the communities being hit the hardest are the ones receiving the resources.

The nonprofit sector often operates as a "white space"—an environment where an implicit racial order demands that leaders of Color "pass inspection" for provisional acceptance. Following Cyndi Suarez’s critique of how these spaces sanitize racial justice into "diversity," Talem Consulting is launching two parallel governance initiatives.

The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote 96 years ago, yet systemic barriers delayed that reality for Black Americans for decades. Today, a modern architecture of surveillance and control persists through restrictive voter ID laws and registration hurdles. With 11% of eligible voters lacking government-issued ID—including 25% of Black voters—these "Power Over" tactics disproportionately silence marginalized voices. Nonprofits have a unique opportunity to reclaim thi

Reproductive rights are often reduced to "pro-life" or "pro-choice" binaries, yet teen pregnancy prevention remains a rare area of bipartisan support. Despite birth rates dropping 42% since 2007, the U.S. still faces the highest rates among peer nations. Now, TPPP—a program serving 1.2 million youth with medically accurate info—is on the chopping block. Eliminating this funding in favor of abstinence-only education ignores clear data and disproportionately leaves communities